So it’s Halloween, but chances are, if you’re anything like me, you’ve already eaten a lot of the candy you bought to give out to trick or treaters.

You don’t have to worry about going back and getting the less popular candy mixes that haven’t sold out yet if you stop by Asahi before we close for some unique Japanese candies and treats! In this blog I’ll give you a basic run down on types of Japanese candies, as well as some of the more common flavors.

One of the more popular Japanese candies right now is called Hi-Chew (ハイチュウ). It’s similar to a Starburst in that they’re little individually wrapped square chewy candies with fruit flavors, but the flavor is so much more pure than any taffy you can get outside of Japan. They’re even so popular that you can find them in some movie theaters!

Hi-Chew’s lesser known, but just as delicious, cousin is called Puccho (ぷっちょ). Again it’s similar to a Starburst, but this candy also has little bits of fizzy candy and bursts of juicy candy all throughout, making it a delicious adventure.

Another unique choice is Milky (ミルキ), which is a chewy milk flavored candy. It sounds weird at first, but it’s more of a rich, delicious condensed milk candy that will have you hooked after your first taste.

If you want to make your trick or treaters especially happy, stock up on a few boxes of Pocky; a lot of them come with a few bags inside, just ask someone and we’ll be able to tell you which will be more conductive for trick or treating. We even have some Halloween themed Pocky with a mask you can cut out of the package. If you don’t know what Pocky is, check out our blog post here!

Japan also has many, many different types and flavors of hard candies. Here’s a quick rundown on the main types of flavors you can find when you’re trying Japanese candies:

Cider or Soda – these candies are easily recognizable by their eye catching sky blue color and taste a bit like a sweet cider. Often times they’re advertised with a little Ramune bottle on the front, which is also a very similar flavor. (Check out our blog on Ramune here!)

Cola – this flavor is your more traditional coke (or soda or pop, whatever you like to call it) flavor, kind of reminiscent of root beer bottle caps.

Lemon or Yuzu – Japanese candies like to give you a mix of flavors or textures, and when it comes to these flavors they lack a nice punch of sour and sweet. 

Ume – when you’re talking about Japanese candies, you can’t mention sour without mentioning umeboshi pickled plum. It takes the sweet and sour of lemon and yuzu and often kicks it up with a dash of salty. (Check out our post here if you want to learn more about the healthy ingredient these are modeled after.)

Green tea – of course, just as in everyday life in Japan, you can’t skip the green tea. Since green tea is usually bitter, most candies with its flavor often add a nice condensed milk flavor to balance it all out. (If you’re into green tea, our post here will be right up your alley.)

Coffee – another usually bitter flavor common in Japanese candies is coffee. This flavor is also usually sweetened up by adding the rich milk flavor.

While this last item isn’t really a snack that you’ll want to hand out to trick or treaters, you should treat yourself to a little snack of your own. Wagashi is a great Japanese sweet for you to much on while you wait for people to show up at your door. You’ll get a delicious snack and stave off your cravings to eat candy straight from your bowl. Check out our blog here to learn more about wagashi.

One of the best things about so many Japanese sweets and candies is that they often come wrapped individually in the packet, making them perfect for trick or treaters! There are way too many goodies to fit into just one blog post, though, so look around or ask anyone who works at the store about the candies available. Make sure to stop by before the 7 to pick up some treats that won’t make anyone think about responding with a trick! But don’t get scared if you can’t make it on time! We carry delicious candies like the ones mentioned all year-round!

What Japanese candy or sweet would make your Halloween a treat? Let us know in the comments below!

Any future blog post you’d like to see here? Put it in a comment and yours could be our next topic!