With three cute box designs and adorable individual wrappers, this is the best way to send wishes for a lucky New Year.
Nestlé Japan is known for its wide range of unusual Kit Kats, which come in a variety of unusual flavours and special local releases, but sometimes, at the end of the year, it’s the original chocolate wafer that becomes one of their most sought-after products. The Japanese tradition of giving “otoshidama” money gifts at New Year is one that often involves envelopes featuring auspicious symbols or Chinese zodiac animals, and Nestlé has been combining the custom with the popular “Kit Kat Otoshidama” for the past seven years. The company recently announced their lineup for 2017, and the adorable packaging features a cute bird character to mark the upcoming Year of the Rooster.
▼ The boxed packages come in three designs, including a rooster cosplaying as an eggplant…
▼ A rooster dressed up as Mt Fuji…
▼ And a rooster on the back of a hawk.
Why the bizarre choice of rooster outfits? These images – Mt Fuji, hawk, and eggplant – are the top three auspicious symbols Japanese people hope to see in “hatsuyume“, their first dream of the New Year.
▼ Hopefully, if you stare at the back of the packet for long enough, you can have all three lucky symbols appear in your dream on the first night of the New Year!
Kit Kats have become popular as lucky gifts during times of celebration and exam periods, due to the fact that the brand holds connotations of luck in its name, given that its sounds similar to the Japanese phrase “Kitto katsu“, which means “You’ll surely win”.
The three individually wrapped chocolates inside the New Year’s boxes add even more luck to the mix with the words “Daikichi” or “Excellent luck” written across them, along with a rooster dressed as a Shinto priest, holding an Ōnusa paper shaker, used during purification rituals.
▼ The wrappers also include wishes for things like “surely a prosperous New Year” and a “New Year that’s surely special”.
The Kit Kats are even more exclusive due to the fact that they’re released in conjunction with Japan Post, meaning they can only be bought from local post offices for a limited time. The 2017 Kit Kat Otoshidama retail for 140 yen (US$1.35) each and will be available from 1 November to 6 January, so be sure to step inside a post office to pick up one of the boxes if you’re in Japan during that time!
Source, images: Nestlé Japan
New luxury Japanese Kit Kat available at stores around the country
Kit Kat celebrates the Year of the Monkey with special Chinese Zodiac packages
Japanese KitKats swap plastic bags for paper packaging with new origami feature
New Japanese KitKat is…a Heartful Bear!
New Japanese KitKat has been aged in whisky barrels from Islay, Scotland
Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Japanese vending machine find introduces us to a new drink you can’t get anywhere else
Memorial bell inside Hiroshima’s Peace Park has been silenced, but for a sweet reason
Man in Japan calls in bomb threat because he doesn’t want to go to his own work farewell party
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Starbucks Japan hoping fans will go bananas for its new mottainai banana affogato Frappuccino
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
7-Eleven Japan releases their second lineup of upsized foods from a muffin to bukkake soba
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Hundreds of rose bushes in bloom at Tokyo’s off-the-beaten-path, next-to-the-tracks flower street
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
Studio Ghibli’s president is leaving the company. Will it change how they make anime?
161-year-old Kyoto confectionary maker releases new edible Pokémon lineup
Let’s hike a Japanese mountain (that isn’t Mt. Fuji) – Mt. Tsukuba[Photos]
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
All the best Japanese Kit Kat flavours together in one exclusive anniversary box for limited time
Japanese KitKat Bears debut exclusively in Japan, but are they any good?
New Japanese Sake Kit Kat developed by esteemed brewery and famous soccer player
Nestlé Japan releases new Kit Kat with chocolate cake centre
New Japanese KitKats capture the flavour of a busy port city
Japanese Sushi Kit Kats available again for a limited time!
New Japanese Kit Kat debuts world’s first natural ruby chocolate
New Yuzu Sake KitKat combines Japanese rice wine with a zesty local citrus
New Japanese Kit Kat captures the taste of Hiroshima with Momiji Manju flavour
New Doughnut KitKat captures the flavour of a Japanese castle town
New Japanese KitKat flavours include sakura and pineapple candy
New Japanese Kit Kat flavour on its way, as finalists from international voting announced
We taste the new Japanese KitKat, aged in whisky barrels in Islay, Scotland
Japanese Kit Kats now come in Tokyo Banana flavour
New Japanese KitKat flavour lets you eat a zunda milkshake
Japanese Kit Kats now come with edible birthstones