Special Edition Winter Sweets And Snacks Only Available In Japan!

Japan is known for its great sweets and snacks - you can find plenty of wagashi (traditional confectionery), dagashi (simple, popular sweets), sweet cafes and more at practically every station. But there are also some season limited treats to choose from too.

If you happen to be traveling in Japan during the winter, then keep an eye out for one of these sweets or snacks, which are only available for December to February in most cases.

1. Pringles - Party Chicken Flavor Chips

Pringles come in a wide variety of flavors overseas, but you can even find some special ones that only appear in Japan. Party chicken flavor is based on the Japanese tradition of eating fried chicken on Christmas Eve, and these chips taste exactly like that. If you close your eyes and take a bite, you might even forget that you're eating chips.

Price: about 180 yen

2. Meltykiss - First Flush Green Tea Chocolates

Meltykiss chocolates are a winter tradition in Japan. These small cube chocolates covered in chocolate powder with a ganache center are only available in the winter, and come in a variety of flavors.

This year, the First Flush Green Tea chocolates made their debut to wide acclaim. The slightly bitter green tea ganache in the center is surprisingly rich, while the chocolate has a subtle sweetness to it, and the whole cube soon melts in your mouth.

Price: about 250 yen

3. Meltykiss: Brandy and Orange Chocolates

As with their bite-sized chocolates, Meltykiss also has chocolate bars which are filled with flavorful centers that change seasonally. Brandy and Orange are milk chocolate bars with a rich candied orange peel and brandy syrup inside. The tang of the citrus with the warmth of the brandy when combined with the richness of the milk chocolate makes this a thoroughly grown-up treat.

Be careful though, this chocolate contains about 3.1% alcohol and should not be consumed by children, or anyone that is going to be driving or operating heavy machinery.

Price: about 200 yen

4. Pai no Mi - Mini Strawberry Cream Tarts

Pai no Mi are a popular brand of mini baked tarts, famous for their crispy outside and rich chocolate inside, but for the winter, they have limited edition strawberry cream tarts as well. The strawberry cream has a mild tartness to it, which makes it the perfect pairing to the black sugar sweeten crust.

These mini pies are about the size of a 100 yen coin, so if you aren't careful, you may find you've eaten an entire package!

Price: about 130 yen

5. KitKat - Amazake Flavor

Japan is already very well known for its gourmet KitKat bars, but their special edition amazake chocolates are flying off the shelves.

When you open the package, you'll immediately be able to smell the pure, fragrant aroma of this sweet sake, and the chocolates themselves have a delicious smoothness to them that is sure to please. As with the Meltykiss chocolates, the amazake KitKats do contain alcohol (0.8%), so they may not be good for children or those with dietary restrictions.

Price: about 430 yen (for a bag of 11)

Season limited treats are a huge industry in Japan, so if you happen to find some during your stay, you may want to pick up a few packages as souvenirs - they may be gone before you know it!