There’s no question that Japan offers interesting interpretations of common American snack food.
Below are 15 American snack favorites and their Japanese flavor counterparts.
If you’re planning a trip overseas, look out for these snacks and fast food items.
Burger King
If you can’t decide between pizza or burgers for dinner, Japan’s Burger King has the solution: Pizza burgers. Pepperoni, mozzarella, and marinara sauce sandwiched between a beef patty on a sesame seed bun. The Pizza Burger was also offered in New York City in 2010.
If that’s not enough, Burger King also offers Whoppers with seven meat patties.
And don’t forget about the all-black burger, featuring a black bun and black cheese. This was offered in the U.S. for Halloween in 2015.
Cheetos
We know Cheetos as cheesy little puffs, but Japan knows them as fish-flavored.
If that’s not bad enough, the flavor is actually a combination of fish, egg, and mayonnaise.
They also offer Pepsi, cheeseburger, and strawberry flavors.
Denny’s
Denny’s in Japan takes food to the next level.
For about $15, you can get a New Zealand beef filet with foie gras and truffle dressing. Also served with a red wine reduction.
Doritos
Whether you like Doritos or not, you probably know they come in a seemingly never-ending combination of flavors.
Then there’s Japan with flavors like coconut curry, wasabi mayonnaise, tuna mayonnaise, sausage, cheese and almond, fried chicken, fondue, tacos, sesame chicken, teriyaki chicken, garlic, winter crab, pizza, corn soup, seaweed, and salmon. The list goes on.
Fanta
Orange, strawberry, and grape are the most popular Fanta flavors in the U.S.
Japan offers Fanta in honey lemon, melon cream, grapefruit, strawberry cream, clear peach, and snow squash.
Kit Kat
You can find flavors like banana, strawberry, wasabi, sweet potato, blueberry cheesecake, fruit parfait, and kiwi.
Haagen-Dazs
Over 20 unique Häagen-Dazs flavors can be found in Japan.
Among the most interesting are black sesame, sweet potato pie, orange creme brûlée, salty butter biscuit, tomatoes with cherries, and carrots with oranges.
Lay’s
Imagine this:
You’re eating your favorite Japanese takeout – teriyaki chicken with white rice drizzled in soy sauce. What’s missing from this picture? Lay’s potato chips.
In Japan, Lay’s are offered in teriyaki and soy sauce flavors.
McDonald’s
If you happen to stop by McDonald’s, you’ll see over 40 different items on the Japanese menu.
As foodies in Tucson, we know Arizona is the Grand Canyon State. Apparently Japan knows that, too.
McDonald’s offers a Grand Canyon Burger, filled with steak sauce, cooked egg, cheddar and mozzarella, onions, and a bun in the middle of two beef patties. Yum?
Mountain Dew Cheese Puffs
Have you ever dreamed about Mountain Dew combining with Cheetos? We haven’t either.
But in Japan, that dream is a reality with Mountain Dew-flavored corn puffs.
Mountain Dew connoisseur Mtn Dew Kid reports, “As I ate one slowly it did have a fizz type reaction on my tongue, odd and different. The flavor is mainly lemon, if anything else was there I couldn’t really taste it.”
Pepsi
If you’re looking for a refreshing drink of Pepsi, you’ll want to read the label first.
Flavors like ice cucumber, salty watermelon, yogurt, and strawberry milk are offered in Japan. Yes, strawberry milk flavored soda.
Pizza Hut
Ever heard of a bacon-wrapped sausage-crust mini-hamburger pizza? Well, now you have.
At Pizza Hut Japan, you can order a pizza that comes with bacon-wrapped hot dogs on the crust and beef sliders in the center.
Or if you’re more of a corn dog person instead, don’t worry. They also feature pizza with crust of mini corn dogs.
Pringles
What are your two favorite condiments? Hopefully your answer is mayonnaise and wasabi sauce.
Pringles come in a delicious flavor of wasabi mayonnaise. Other flavors include smoky potato salad, wasabi seaweed, and mushroom soup.
Ritz Bits
In the U.S., we’re familiar with Ritz Bits filled with peanut butter or cheddar cheese.
In Japan, Ritz Bits are filled with strawberry cream or cream cheese.
Wendy’s
If you’re willing to pay $16 for a burger at Wendy’s, go to Japan.
Although it’s now discontinued, Wendy’s offered a Foie Gras Burger, which included your regular beef patty and cheese, with a slice of duck liver on top.
They also offered a Lobster Surf & Turf Burger, a regular Wendy’s burger topped with lobster.
What snacks would you try? Let us know in the comments.
