Japan is known for its seasonally flavored foods. Swing by your local konbini in the fall and you're likely to encounter limited-edition beverages, snacks and candies that weren't on the shelves a few months earlier. Some companies pump out more flavors than others, with Nestle's Kit Kat chocolates alone having dozens of varieties. This summer, manufacturers are debuting a number of interesting flavors to entice convenience store shoppers.
- As if summer needs to be any hotter, Tohato will begin selling habanero pepper and lemon-flavored corn chips in late July. We're excited about this one, despite the sinister face on the bag. The company will also be debuting yogurt-honey Caramel Corn and arrabbiata-flavored chips, which arrive in Japan this month.
- A few weeks ago, we reported on our taste test of the Pepsi-flavored cheetos, which hit the shelves Monday.
- More directly on the beverage front is Suntory's Boss Black Sparkling. Best served cold, this carbonated coffee hopes to refresh and awaken those gulping it down on a hot summer afternoon. (Note: If you preferred your fizzy coffee hand-poured, Excelsior Caffé has begun offering a "Perriespresso," which combines Perrier sparkling water with the chain's espresso over ice.)
- The average konbini has a pretty impressive array of instant noodles, but how many of them would satisfy a hankering for Italian? Maruka Foods is now selling peperoncino-flavored instant yakisoba, which combines the convenience of instant noodles with the Italian pasta sauce made form garlic, oil and chillies.
- A few weeks back, Luna began selling its mint-flavored yogurt. This seems like it could be a crowd-pleaser, with the soothing mint and cooling yogurt making for a perfect way to fend off afternoon drowsiness during the dog days.
- For dessert, check out Kabaya's ramune-flavored chocolate that fizzes just like the soda pop.
