There are few things with the power to excite and abhor travellers more than foreign versions of sweets and cookies that exist back home. Even though we pass them by dozens of times a day in supermarkets and convenience stores in our own country, spot M&M’s, Doritos or even a Kit-Kat in a land where everything else is alien, and immediately we feel like home is not so far away; it’s like running into a friend from your home town during your first week of college where everything else is scary and unknown. What happens, though, if that same friend has a weird new haircut and is affecting some peculiar accent just because they’re in an unfamiliar town?
Oreo Sticks, a snack exclusive to Japan, will likely have the very same unnerving effect on snackophiles. With packaging familiar to millions, yet containing a snack entirely different to those we’re used to, Oreo Sticks have the potential to shatter cookie fans’ dreams, but with a little courage they could also be something quite wonderful.




7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Cyberpunk anime meets traditional culture in Ghost in the Shell gold leaf Japanese changing screens
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Come on, Costco! Sell your Japan-exclusive kabayaki marinade salmon in the U.S. too!
Pocky x Street Fighter II collaboration comes with a special game for a limited time
KFC’s Colonel Sanders is becoming a samurai in Japan this week
Mr. Sato eats banana flower, still isn’t sure what it tastes like, loves it anyway【SoraKitchen】
Green onion baths return to Japanese bathhouse to celebrate Labor Day
Stamina-destroying “Paralysis Noodles” are Tokyo’s newest over-the-top ramen innovation
“Hey, Japanese taxi driver, take us to the best seafood joint in Otaru!”
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Hello Kitty Choco Egg figures are an adorable trip through three periods of Japanese pop culture【Pics】
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Can a dirty butthole make you filthy rich in Japan? We’re starting a New Year’s lottery experiment
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
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】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
KFC’s Colonel Sanders is becoming a samurai in Japan this week
Mr. Sato eats banana flower, still isn’t sure what it tastes like, loves it anyway【SoraKitchen】
Green onion baths return to Japanese bathhouse to celebrate Labor Day
Stamina-destroying “Paralysis Noodles” are Tokyo’s newest over-the-top ramen innovation
“Hey, Japanese taxi driver, take us to the best seafood joint in Otaru!”
Japanese police are not messing around, with Patlabor robot mecha out on display 【Video】
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Museum unveils its first reconstructed bust of a prehistoric Yayoi-period woman
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Don’t forget that the best convenience store in northern Japan has branches farther south too
No more miniskirts? Changes happening in Japanese schoolgirl uniform fashion trends
Start planning for next year’s Halloween with this official Majin Buu costume
Illustrations show how Japanese makeup trends changed in the last 25 years, and what’s coming next