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We’re sure you’ve seen those little bumpy balls of colorful sugar in Japanese candy stores. They’re called konpeito and were one of the first candies to be produced in Japan. They’re so popular that the little sugary spheres make guest appearances in several high-profile Japanese productions including Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda, and Spirited Away (remember the little stars fed to the soot sprites?). But what is really just a blob of hardened sweet stuff that can be bought for less than 100 yen (US$1) starts to get really expensive when you add luxury flavors. Let’s take a look at some of the high-class konpeito you can buy in Japan, some of which costs as much as 8,500 yen ($78)!

Established in 1847, Rokujuan Shimizu is a Japanese candy shop specializing in konpeito. Each batch is still made by hand using traditional methods. What’s not-so-traditional are the luxury ingredients added to the pokey balls:

▼ Caramel konpeito look absolutely decadent!
3,600 yen ($33)img_kyukyoku02-2

▼ But chocolate konpeito looks just as good.
3,000 yen ($27)img_kyukyoku01-2

▼ Things start to get really expensive when you move to the white wine flavor!
8,500 yen ($78)img_kyukyoku08-2 ▼ So if you want to get your alcoholic candy fix, it’s best to stick with this cheaper brandy flavored one instead.
3,000 yen ($27)img_kyukyoku03-2 ▼ Fans of sweet plum wine will love this umeshu konpeito.
3,600 yen ($33)img_kyukyoku04-2

▼ We’re not sure how good this nihonshu konpeito will taste, but the white color is beautiful!
3,600 yen ($33)img_kyukyoku05-2

▼ This red wine version is cheaper than the white wine konpeito you saw earlier. Just kidding, it’s also nearly 80 bucks!
8,500 yen ($78)img_kyukyoku06-2

▼ Here’s a three-pack with black tea, houjicha green tea, and coffee flavored konpeito.
4,030 yen ($37)img_tokusen06-2

We never realized konpeito could get so fancy! Check out these specially designed and crafted boxes just for storing your balls of sugar:

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So what do you think? Are these fancy flavored sweets worth the price? It’s said that the Imperial House of Japan gives konpeito as a gift to visitors and we have a feeling the emperor is the only one able to pay for these pricey candies.

▼ We guess the soot sprites will just have to settle for the plain old traditional konpeito.Screen Shot 2014-09-29 at 5.30.26 PM

Source: Entabe
References: JapanTalk
Images: konpeito.co.jp