Japan has a reputation for being innovative, and this extends to its food and sweets. Some Japanese confections are simple, sweet, and traditional. Others are more recent designs that are nearly indelibly imprinted, and some are even utilized as thank-you favors by the Japanese Imperial Family. Here are some of the Strangest Japanese Candies And Confections, whether they’re funny presents for pals back home or local favorites you didn’t think you’d like.
KitKat
The well-known Japanese KitKat comes in a variety of flavors. The taste combinations are nearly limitless, ranging from bittersweet matcha to the robust hot-pepper yuzu (citrus) and Yubari melon to pumpkin without the spice. Almost none of them ever make it to international markets. Because of its uniqueness, the Japanese KitKat has become a famous memento, and tourists flock to buy special editions to send back to waiting admirers.
Popin’ Cookin’
You may use these at-home candy-making kits to make accurate tiny reproductions of adorable treats or even savory alternatives. These masterpieces are totally composed of edible candy, as opposed to an Easy Bake Oven, where the small treats are merely mini replicas of themselves. Two standouts are the sushi and doughnuts kits, which come with candied ikura (fish eggs) for the sushi and flexible ‘dough’ to create the donuts.
Konpeitō
Konpeitō (sometimes written kompeitō) are deceptively innocent confetti candies with a regal past. When Portuguese traders established the procedure in the 16th century, the large amount of sugar required made them a costly and exquisite delicacy. They might even be used as a bribe in huge quantities. Nowadays, anybody can purchase these sweet but flavorless snacks, yet the Imperial House of Japan still gives konpeitō as a thank-you present to guests.
Wagashi
Wagashi — tea-time confections – exist in a variety of forms and sizes, and frequently resemble natural things or complete settings. Yōkan is one of the most traditional kind of Japanese wagashi sweets. It’s a gelatin dish prepared with agar, sugar, and red bean (adzuki) paste. This sort of wagashi has turned into a piece of beauty thanks to modern gelatin-making recipes. The wagashi artist can create a lifelike scene with transparent gelatin that you’ll want to keep on display rather than eat.
Local Specialty Drops
These odd nibbles look and feel like typical drop sweets. The only distinction is their odd taste combinations. As the name would imply, the regional speciality drops take on the flavor of regional delicacies – like takoyaki (grilled squid balls) or okonomiyaki (savory cabbage pancakes) from Osaka or noodles from Kumamoto. The drops are at best a strange innovation and at worst all but inedible – though they do make fantastic keepsakes from the locations they’re inspired by!
Usagi Manju (Rabbit Bun)
More of a cake than anything (albeit still categorized as a confection), these treats are created from rice flour, akin to mochi (glutinous rice cakes) (glutinous rice cakes). Manju’s cheap price point and adaptability have made them a favourite Japanese snack for over 700 years. The bunny manju are the most renowned kind, and figure regularly in popular culture. They are often consumed during the autumn moon-viewing or fall matsuri.
Moko Moko Mokolet toilet bowl candy
Moko Moko Mokolet is a DIY kit that, when constructed, creates a small toilet bowl with sweet foam flowing out of it.
Each DIY kit comprises 5 plastic elements that make up the small toilet bowl, as well as 2 packets of sugar powder, a straw, and stickers. You’ll have to construct the toilet bowl yourself, and then decorate it with the stickers included.
Then, add the candy powder and some water into the cistern. Stir the liquid with the straw supplied and watch as candy foam starts to stream out of the toilet bowl. Delicious.
There are at least 8 editions of this toilet candy DIY kit. The flavour of the candy powder varies from kit to kit, but examples include strawberry, cola, and melon.
Waste not, want not – you may reuse the plastic toilet bowl or simply use it as a piece of décor.
