There are over 300 varieties of Japanese Kit Kat flavors. Below is a selection of the special Kit Kat flavors I found on a recent trip to Japan.
Some people collect stamps or baseball cards. I collect Japanese Kit Kats.
Over the past ten years I’ve been steadily building my collection.
So far I own more than 75 different Kit Kat boxes and packages. This post shows a portion of what I brought home on my most recent trip.
If my luggage had more room (and my wallet allowed), I would have bought even more.
Japanese Kit Kat Flavors
Collecting food presents a challenge: you want to taste it. Sometimes I buy two packages—one to eat and one to keep—but most often they get eaten and I save the packaging because I love the branding and design.
Japan offers countless Kit Kat varieties. Many flavors are regional specialties tied to local ingredients, while others are seasonal releases for holidays and events. A few flavors, like matcha, are available often, but most are limited-time offerings that come and go.
Flavors from top to bottom, left to right: Strawberry Cheesecake, Shinshu Apple, Amaou Strawberry, Beni-Imo (purple sweet potato), Wa-Ichigo (Tochiotome strawberries), Rum Raisin, Yokohama Edition Strawberry Cheesecake, Uji Matcha, Red Bean, Wasabi, Otona no Amasa Green Tea, Maple Pancake, Houjicha (Kyoto roasted green tea), Otona no Amasa Black (Dark Chocolate) [my favorites indicated]
What does Kit Kat mean?
In Japanese Katakana, “Kit Kats” is written as “kitto katsu”, which roughly means “you will surely win.” Because of this pun, Kit Kats have become associated with good luck—people often give them as a small encouragement before exams or interviews.
Packages typically include a small blank space on the back where you can write a short message of support.
My obsession grew while I was a college student in Tokyo. Weekends were spent hunting for new flavors across the city.
Where to buy Japanese Kit Kat?
In Japan, Kit Kats are sold at convenience stores (FamilyMart, Lawson), supermarkets, and many shops at major train stations. Station gift shops are great places to find a wide selection of regional and seasonal boxes. Airport gift shops also stock numerous flavors packaged as souvenirs.
For premium and limited-edition lines, visit a KitKat Chocolatory. These boutique stores display chocolates like small treasures and offer curated seasonal selections—though they tend to be on the pricier side.
KitKat Chocolatory
KitKat Chocolatory locations are scattered throughout Japan. The stores are similar in feel to high-end chocolate boutiques, with chocolates displayed behind glass and labeled as specialty items. Expect higher prices, but also unique and carefully crafted flavors.
Special Fruit & Tea Collection
On this trip I focused on the special Tea and Fruit collections. These premium KitKats are individually wrapped and boxed. While they cost more, the tea series in particular impressed me with distinct, recognizable flavors.
Tea collection flavors (top to bottom): Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Genmaicha, Hojicha, Gyokuro.
Matcha is the most common Japanese Kit Kat available in the United States. If you’re new to matcha, you might like trying recipes that highlight the flavor to get familiar with it.
The fruit collection had hits and misses for me. Passionfruit and yuzu stood out as favorites; the others were pleasant visually but less convincing in taste—I prefer the real fruit flavors.
Fruit collection flavors (top to bottom): Passionfruit, Yuzu, Raspberry, Blueberry, Strawberry.
I also sampled several special flavors including Pistachio & Raspberry, Strawberry Maple, Butter, Green Tea & Kinako, and Orange Cocktail Noir. Standouts for me were Butter—which smelled like freshly popped popcorn and tasted like sweet cream—and Orange Cocktail Noir, a dark chocolate with a pleasing balance of sweet and bitter.
Many Kit Kat flavors are created with artificial flavoring, while some premium lines use natural ingredients. I enjoy collecting and tasting the variety—the way Japanese Kit Kats strive to recreate distinct flavors in a compact chocolate wafer is delightful.
These chocolates may not satisfy every chocolate purist, but they’re playful and inventive, making them a lot of fun to try and collect.
Where to find Japanese Kit Kat flavors in America
- H-Mart: With locations across multiple states including California, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, H-Mart often carries several Kit Kat flavors, including matcha.
- Nijiya Market: A Japanese supermarket chain with stores in California and Hawaii. From my experience, Nijiya is one of the best places in Southern California to find unique Kit Kat flavors at reasonable prices.
- Misuwa Marketplace: This Japanese supermarket has locations in California, Hawaii, Texas, and Illinois and often stocks special seasonal flavors.
- Amazon: Many flavors appear online, but be aware of steep markups. A small pack of matcha Kit Kats that retails for around $5 in Japan can cost significantly more through some sellers.