お年玉 Kit-Kat

Last January, I wrote about Kit-Kat Japan‘s special chocolates for kids taking their school entrance exams (click here to read it).

I gave a box to my oldest daughter last winter when she was taking her high school entrance exams.
This year, my second daughter is in the ninth grade (final year of junior high school), so she’ll be taking her high school entrance exams next month. I’ll be buying the chocolate for her next month.

But right now, Kit-Kat Japan has another special box.
It’s 「お年玉　Kit-Kat」 (“Otoshidama-Kit-Kat“).

(Otoshidama Kit-Kat)

「お年玉」 (Otoshidama) is gift money given to children at New Years time.
It’s a Japanese tradition. Kids can receive special envelopes of money from all of their adult relatives at New Years until they turn twenty-years-old.

This Kit-Kat box has a special envelope pocket on the side to put money inside and a space to write “To” and “From”.
It also has a tiger on the box because 2010 will be the “Year Of The Tiger“.

Usually Japanese kids get 「お年玉」 (New Years gift money) in envelopes like these:

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And, unrelated, the “2010 Tokyo Marathon” will take place on 2010 February 28.

Last March, I wrote about the “2009 Tokyo Marathon“.
Click here to read it.

Kit-Kat Japan

I don’t eat alot of お菓子 (junkfood), especially milk-chocolate (I think bitter chocolate is better)…so I don’t usually buy Kit-Kat.
But I bought some recently for my daughter’s High School Entrance Exam (Click here to read about that).

I know, though, that there are quite a few flavors of Kit-Kat…but I didn’t know that they are exclusive to Japan. I thought that since Kit-Kat is a Western (English) company, that all these flavors are worldwide.

It seems that the unusual Japanese Kit-Kat chocolates are a popular souvenir with visitors to Japan from overseas.

I see these Kit-Kat chocolates all the time, so I’ve really thought nothing of them. But people who don’t live in Japan find them fascinating, it seems.

I have no idea how many flavors of Kit-Kat there are in Japan, but here are a few:

「柚子こしょう」 ("Yuzu-koshou"..."Kyushu-taste spice")

For Valentines

「キャラメルプリン味」 ("Caramel Pudding flavor") for Halloween

This can be mailed (front view)

(back view)

Another one for students taking their school Entrance Exam is 雪見桜 (Yukimizakura). The name implies cherry-blossoms in the snow, and the chocolate is pink and white swirl:

「雪見桜」 (Yukimizakura)

「大学いも味」 ("College Potato flavor") for College Entrance Exams takers.

This one is 東京限定 (“Tokyo only”):

濃きなこ ("Rich soy powder")

This one is 東京限定 (“Tokyo only”) too:

しょうゆ風味 ("Soy sauce style taste")

「林檎」 (Apple flavor)

Banana

「キャラメルマキアート」 (Cafe Latte with Caramel)

Cookies+

「大納言」 (Sweet bean)

ダブルベリー (Double Berry)

「伊藤久右衛門」 (Japanese green tea)

ほうじ茶 (Roasted Green Tea)

苺味 (Strawberry flavor)

Kit-Kat in a jar

きなこ (Soybean flour)

さくらんぼ味 (Cherry flavor)

みかん (Tangerine)

「白桃＆黄桃」 (White peach & Yellow peach)

Mild Bitter

Muscat grapes

This next one is おしるこ味 ((O)-shiruko flavor)…Click here to read my post about 汁粉 ((O)-shiruko).

「おしるこ味」 (Oshiruko flavor)

プリン (Pudding)

すいか (Watermelon)

White chocolate

ゆず (Japanese citrus fruit)

And then there are the “exotic“-series Kit-Kat chocolates:

"Exotic Tokyo"

"Exotic Tokyo; White"

"Exotic Tokyo; Sakura"

"Exotic Hokkaido"

"Exotic Hokkaido; White"

"Exotic Kyushu"

"Exotic Kansai"

There are alot more Kit-Kat flavors in Japan, too!

I took a few of the photos above with my camera…but most of them are from Kit Kat Japan‘s website.

Japanese Books, Snacks, CDs…

I just added a page on my main website called “Japanese Stuff”.

It has links to buy Japan-themed books, snacks and DVDs that I recommend.

On this blog, I’ve recommend books like Jerry Yellin’s book “The Blackened Canteen“, and CDs by Japanese bands like Monkey Majik, and Japanese movies like Quill.

Now, I’ve decided to make it easier for visitors to my site to buy the books, snacks, CDs and DVDs, etc that I recommend by providing a link to buy them from Amazon.com.

Click here to visit my new ““Japanese Stuff“ page.