Japanese Kitkats
I love Japanese Kitkats – they’re always coming up with new and unusual flavours, like pancake flavour for Easter this year. Whenever I’m in Japan, hunting for Kitkats is always an important part of the trip (along with drinking as much Fanta Grape as possible).
Where to Find Japanese Kitkats in Tokyo
There are several myths on the internet about where to find Japanese Kitkats. Some articles give the impression that you can only get multiple flavours in two places: at the airport and in a shop in Tokyo Station. While these places do have a selection of flavours, they’re not the only shops selling different Kitkats in Tokyo. As you can see in the video, if you’re on the look-out, you can spot lots of flavours all around the city in various shops. To help you, here’s my directory of where I found these Kitkats, so you can go Kitkat hunting too! I’m sure it’s not exhaustive, but it’s based on my own experiences.
Convenience Stores
There are branches of Family Mart, Seven Eleven and Lawson everywhere in Tokyo. We visited them pretty much every day for lunch and drinks. Unlike the UK, Japanese convenience store food is inexpensive and good quality, and I lived off their onigiri and melon pan! They don’t always have Kitkats, but you can often spot one or two flavours in the sweets section.
Don Quihote
There are several branches around Japan. I went to the famous one on the main street in Akihabara. Look up for the sign with their penguin mascot to find it! There are all sorts of gadgets and silly things, along with Kitkats at pretty good prices. The train gift set is one of the most unusual things I bought, and I didn’t see it anywhere else (still no idea why there’s a steam train on the box!), and I was also excited to find the egg pudding machine from my video!
The Daiba gift shop, Odaiba
A top Kitkat hunting destination! They sell several flavours of Kitkats (and Giant Rainbow Pocky!) in The Daiba gift shop, on the 2nd floor of Diver City mall in Odaiba. Odaiba’s one of my favourite areas of Tokyo, which is often overlooked, but there’s lots to do there. It’s in Tokyo Bay, and you can get there on the Yurikamome railway line, or by boat (a good excuse to go on the Himiko, a boat designed by an anime artist!). Diver City’s also where you can see the giant Gundam, so it’s an all-round awesome place.
Supermarket Seijoshii, Odaiba
On the same floor of Diver City, a few shops down from The Daiba gift shop, I spotted a few more flavours.
Venus Fort, Odaiba
A couple of flavours spotted in a shop called either Laox or the shop next to it, on the family level of Venus Fort, a shopping mall in Odaiba.
Tokyo Station
In Sweets Street (aka Okashi Land), there’s a shop that sells lots of different Kitkat flavours, which is much recommended on the internet. Even though Sweets Street is pretty small (just 3 or 4 shops), I couldn’t find it; although as you can see in the video, it’s worth a look for everything else that’s down there, including Giant Rainbow Pocky! Character Street is larger than Sweets Street, with lots of shops selling character goods and cute gachapon, and Ramen Street has lots of ramen restaurants. All of these are definitely worth a visit. To find them, follow signs to “First Avenue”. You don’t need to go through any ticket barriers.
Kitkat Chocolatory
This is where you can find fancy (and expensive) Kitkats, in exclusive flavours. I got the “I <3 Fruits” set, which is only available in Tokyo, as well as ginger, raspberry and white chocolate. It’s also great for photos – they have a Kitkat chandelier! There are several branches in Tokyo and around Japan – here’s the shop list (right-click on the page and translate to English). I went to the Daimaru branch, which is in Tokyo Station. The station is like a giant shopping mall underground; a great place to explore or find somewhere to eat. The chocolatory’s a concession in Daimaru department store (follow the signs).
Gift Shop the Akiba
A sweets and gift shop in Radio Kaikan, which is near Akihabara Station. This is where I found the limited edition cookies and cream Kitkats (not found anywhere else!), as well as blueberry cheesecake Aeros. If you like anime figures, take some time to explore Radio Kaikan. I’d previously dismissed it, because from the street it looked like a trading card shop, but there are an overwhelming number of shops selling figures on the multiple upper floors!
Okashi no Machioka
I spotted a few flavours in the backstreets of Shinjuku. While I wouldn’t particularly recommend searching this one out, keep an eye out for smaller sweet shops as you go around. More info about this particular chain here.
At the airport
Before you go home, there’s a chance to stock up on lots of Kitkats at the airport! At both Haneda and Narita there are shops selling multiple regional varieties. At Narita I bought a Mount Fuji shaped gift box of blueberry cheesecake Kitkats. The one in the video is a duty free shop in the departure lounge of Haneda Airport (after security). My hand luggage was stuffed full of Kitkats – those boxes were a great find, including my favourite, sakura matcha!
Regional Kitkats
Japanese Kitkat flavours are seasonal and regional. There’s a map on their Japanese website showing where different varieties are available – although I did find several of these regional flavours in Tokyo.
Where to get Kitats in the UK
If you’re not going to Japan, you can still try Japanese Kitkats! You can get them from several places online, like Tofu Cute. You’ll also find stalls selling them at MCM Comic Con and Hyper Japan (remember to come and say hello to us too!).
More Videos about Japan
I hope you found this useful – if you have any questions, chatting about Japan (and Kitkats!) is one of my favourite subjects. Just get in touch on Facebook or Twitter, or in the comments on YouTube. And if you go Kitkat hunting, I’d love to hear how it went, and which Kitkats you liked best!
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