So the other day I did a conbini run to the 7-11 around the corner from my house and came across a few interesting seasonal items. If you’ve spent any time in Japan at all, you’re probably well acquainted with the fact that Japanese marketing departments LOVE seasonal items. Whether it’s beer or chocolate, any excuse to hype a product is made easier by the changing seasons and their accompanying holidays.

This time I came across a seasonal Kit Kat with 2 packages, and chocolate beer [oh, the horror!!]. Nestle Japan is famous for making seasonal variations of Kit Kat. You’ll find everything from green tea flavor, to brandy orange with dark chocolate, to sakura (cherry blossoms). During the university admissions testing season this year, they included a small lined space for notes, so parents & friends could write words of encouragement. This is based on the fact that Kit Kat in Japanese sounds a bit like きっと勝つ (kitto katsu) – “definitely win/succeed.”

The Kit Kats I found this time were Raspberry & Passion Fruit flavor. They came in 2 different packages; one brown, one pink. Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, and in Japan this holiday is separated into 2 gender specific holidays, I figure the brown package is for boys and the pink package is for girls. (If you want to know more about Japanese Valentine’s Day, have no fear… that topic is coming soon). The actual inspiration for this article was not the Kit Kats, though.  Seasonal Kit Kats are so commonplace that it doesn’t seem to interesting for me (although this blog isn’t meant for me to read, it’s to share the experience of daily life in Japan with people who don’t live here, so I guess I should cover the Kit Kat thing in more detail… oh well…).

The real inspiration was a chocolate beer brewed by Sapporo.
I like chocolate.
I love beer.
But oddly, the combination sounded so terrible to me.

I had to buy it just for the photo opp for this blog. I had no intention of drinking it, but after a few days my curiosity got the best of me and… well, I broke down and tried it.

It was freaking awful. Whoever thought up this beer needs to move towards another career direction, I think.

awwwwwwww yeah!
mαrky( -_-)凸

VOCAB

コンビに
konbini
short for for コンビニエンスストア, convenience store

ﾌﾞﾝﾌﾞﾝ
bun-bun
short for セブンイレブン, this is slang for 7-11 used by gyaru and JK.

キットカット
kitto kattoKit Katif you’re interested in seasonal kit kat flavors, check their official website.
you can order different flavors of kit kat’s at their online shop:
http://www.breaktown.com/

きっと勝つ
きとおかつ
kitto katsu
to definitely win/succeed

おめぇのかあちゃん
your mom