June 6 was Roll Cake Day in Japan, and while we’ve never needed an excuse to stuff ourselves full of cake, we took full advantage of the occasion anyway by sampling TEN convenience store roll cakes!
Snack (Page 2)
Sure, Garrett Popcorn is tasty whatever container it comes in, but this makes it extra special!
Popular Japanese snack Pocky has had a makeover and they’re now available heart-shaped and in “lucky” blue for a limited time!
Back in August, we brought you the news that Japanese online foodies were going crazy over a new and unusual flavor combination. Apparently, eating mozzarella cheese along with sliced peaches and a touch of pepper makes for a delicious taste sensation. At the time, we thought this was just one of those weird internet foodie fads that you might try once just to see what the fuss is all about, before discarding in favor of more tried-and-tested snack options. So imagine our surprise to find that food company Nabisco has decided to roll with the mozzarella/peach hybrid taste and make it the new flavor for their Ritz Bits Sandwich range of munchy snacks!
Everyone enjoys a good snack when they’re feeling empty, but there is definitely a difference between snacks in Japan and other Western countries. Sure, they share some common factors, like chips and candy, but in general, a snack at a convenience store in Japan would consist of either rice balls or Japanese bread. There is so much variety that you don’t even know where to start looking. But have you ever ventured over to the frozen food section looking for a snack? We don’t mean the freezer where all the ice cream is, but actually the frozen meals section. Hiding in there is a pretty fantastic snack that is hopefully in your local 7-eleven right now!
Gamers know that gaming is serious business. Whether you are fragging your enemies in Halo or Call of Duty, working on your pro-rated 150 APM in Starcraft II, or slaying internet beasts in World of Warcraft, gamers know that their hands will be occupied. Ultimate pwnage requires a gamer’s full attention but a simple truth of life is, everyone needs to eat and drink!
Plenty of companies already know this. A ton of products are aimed directly at that lucrative gamer demographic, including gamer snacks and gamer energy drinks. The point that everyone seems to miss is that eating and drinking requires your hands, which is a precious commodity for the serious gamer! Beer hats and straws already work wonders for drinks, but what about hands-free food? Some industrious gamers have been working on a solution, and they have a hilarious prototype they want to show off!
Churros are especially popular in Spain and Portugal, but those in Japan have encountered the delicious deep-fried snack at Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan, and more recently, Mister Donut. Because of Japan’s familiarity with churros, the new McChurro from, you guessed, McDonald’s, has caught consumers off guard as it looks more like a flaky pastry. And so we headed to McDonald’s to check it out ourselves. Read More
Major snack manufacturer Lotte’s “Pie no Mi” (literally, nuts from a pie tree) is a favorite, long-selling snack in Japan, available in any convenience store or super market. The standard version of the simple yet tasty treat is made from countless thin pastry layers filled with a smooth chocolate filling baked to a crisp, flaky consistency. And if that doesn’t already sound good enough, they’ve now come up with a special, extra-large version of the pies. But like so many other limited edition sweets, the “giant” pies are proving to be quite difficult to come by, something that our very own Mr. Sato from the Japanese RocketNews24 site has found out the hard way.
Remember the bakeable pudding-flavored mini Kit Kats we told you about earlier this month? Well, we managed to get our hands on them, and also on the cream cheese flavored bakeable Kit Kats sold at the Kit Kat Chocolaterie as well. And you know what that means — it’s time for a RocketNews24 taste test! So, let’s get on with the baking and tasting, shall we?
Many of our readers may be aware that Japanese consumers are quite fond of unique and creative Kit Kat products and flavors. But now, Nestle Japan has come out with what could be described as not just a new flavor but a new “species” of Kit Kat. And why are we calling it a new species? Well, it’s because you’ll need to do just a little bit of cooking to fully enjoy these Kit Kats. Yes, Nestle Japan’s newest Kit Kat offering, the “Bake ‘N Tasty Mini Kit Kats Custard Pudding Flavor” (Kit Kat Mini Yaite Oishi Purin Aji) is a Kit Kat that you heat in a toaster oven before eating! After hearing that, the only question we had was, of course, “How soon can we get our hands on some of these?”
Ah mashed potatoes. Hot and fluffy peaks of spuds; what a simple dish consisting of a bunch of potatoes all smashed together to create a bowl of dense, delicious goodness. But somewhere along the line, Calbee, a major Japanese snack food maker, made an awesome breakthrough in potato technology. The traditional western side dish has received a bizarre snack twist, being transformed into “Mashed Potato Consomme Punch” chips that are said to be the perfect balance of crunchy and fluffy.
It looks like Thailand is coming out with all the cool foods this week. First it was the McGrilled Chicken Curry Rice at McDonald’s (hurry on over, it’s only sold for a limited time), now we found bags of sushi-flavored Meiji Curl snacks in a Thai convenience store.
Have you ever opened a pre-packaged snack and then, before realising it, found you devoured the whole thing?
This was the question put to 906 readers of an online news site in Japan. Out of the 906 people in the survey, 618 said they had unwittingly scoffed the lot. But what are Japan’s most irresistible snacks? And what makes them so impossible to resist? Take a look at some of the comments from respondents as we bring you an inside look at the top five…













Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
Japanese convenience store shows us how to dress for the rainy season
Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Tourists brave Typhoon Jangmi to queue at two famous sites in Tokyo
Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe reopens this month with brand-new sweets and Pikachu show
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
Video of man spraying liquid on conveyor belt sushi leads to arrest in Japan
Japan’s sticker wars are reaching a breaking point, even for enthusiasts
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
Japan’s adorable pudding chick becomes a transit card mascot
Starbucks Japan has a problem with its sell-out breakfast that might annoy solo diners
Pikachu cakes and other adorable Pokémon 30th anniversary food coming to Tokyo luxury hotel
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
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】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe reopens this month with brand-new sweets and Pikachu show
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
Video of man spraying liquid on conveyor belt sushi leads to arrest in Japan
Japan’s sticker wars are reaching a breaking point, even for enthusiasts
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever muscat-flavoured chilled cup drink
Studio Ghibli adds new range of neckties to its anime merchandise store in Japan
Starbucks Japan has a mesh bag so cute it’s a sell-out hit
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
What’s it like to join Tokyo’s walking-and-talking-with-strangers club for a day?
Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo to remain closed for the summer following stabbing incident
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
Studio Ghibli still doesn’t allow its anime to be streamed online in Japan, and here’s why