Kit Kats

I got a lot of Kit Kats for Christmas.

Here in Japan, they have adopted the basic idea of a Kit Kat–chocolate covered wafers, four sticks to a brick–and wandered off in strange flavor directions.  

This highlights something different about living in Japan.  In the U.S., experimental Kit Kats like these would probably be brought to a focus group and tested out. Then the strongest ones would go into production, available in every Target, 7-11, and supermarket nationwide.  No matter which city you were in or which month it was, you could find the Kit Kat you wanted.

But it’s different in Japan.  Special Kit Kats are mostly released in limited editions, meaning they aren’t around forever.  I’m talking just months.  On top of that, sometimes they’re only distributed in certain areas of the country. What this means for me is every time I go to a new city in Japan, I go Kit Kat hunting.

You’ll fall in love with a flavor (I’m talking to you, Hotcake Kit Kat) and then, being a limited edition, it will disappear from the shelves and you are left to ration out the ones you hoarded, terrified as you watch your supply slowly dwindle down to nothing.  

I come from a country where everything is available all the time, but I’m enjoying this lowering of my threshold for excitement where the discovery of a new Kit Kat flavor will make my day.