Hi hi! Jess here!
There’s a saying in Japanese that says “nai mono nedari” — “pleading for what you don’t have,” basically the thought that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. I often think about this thought in the context of culture. When I was young, and living in Japan was a far-off dream, I wanted everything I didn’t have: Pocky, anime goods, inexpensive manga, Pokemon plush toys….and now that I live here, I want all the things I no longer have: Tex Mex, crispy bacon, Cool Ranch Doritos….
Part of the immense fun of visiting and experiencing a new country and culture is finding those things that you can’t find anywhere else. Japan has attracted many visitors and starry-eyed enthusiasts with this simple concept, creating limited-time and even limited-region specialty varieties of snacks and drinks (and that’s just the edible stuff) to entice you, playing on that ever-present desire to keep from missing out.
One of my and Husband’s favorite brands of potato chips. They’re kettle-cooked, and come out in new, limited-time flavors every few weeks or so.
This kind of marketing works. It works really well. Every season I get excited for certain fruit flavors to cascade through the shelves at my local convenience store. Peach-flavored anything tastes incredible when it’s only available for a few short months of the year! And anytime friends from overseas come to visit, their go-to souvenirs almost always include a Japan-exclusive snack or treat.
In this week’s video, we explored a few different Japan-only varieties of the ubiquitous Cup Noodles, putting my taste buds to the test to try and figure out what exactly Nissin was going for when they created these intriguing flavors. I didn’t do the best job of guessing, but I definitely had some new experiences (and encountered some new favorites)!
Me, not quite believing that there is indeed a matcha flavor of Cup Noodles.
I’ve compiled a short list of unique and interesting Japan-only treats for you to explore. Fall down the limited-time, limited-region rabbit hole with me!
