A-Pocky-Lypse Now: Crazy Japanese Candy

It’s deliciously weird (and weirdly delicious).

In the Western world, Japan has become synonymous with wacky, off-the-wall snacks. While some snacks, like Pocky, are undeniably delicious and have broken into the American market, others leave us scratching our heads, wondering how anyone could want something as crazy as a fried octopus-flavored hard candy. Here’s a look at some of the craziest (and some of the coolest) sweet treats you can find in Japan.

Kracie Gummy Tsureta – There’s been a growing trend in Japan of candy you make yourself – kind of like those dinosaur sponges, except you can eat them. We have to admit, it’s fun and it’s usually pretty delicious. Kracie Gummy Tsureta makes gummy candy appear seemingly out of thin air because everyone knows magic candy is the best candy. Right, Justin Willman?

Volcano Candy ~ Coris Kazan de Awawa – Now normally we’d advise against eating your science experiments, but this “Volcano Candy” is too hard to resist! Mixing the joy science brings with the deliciousness of candy in a way only the Japanese know how, we’d gobble up this volcano before Tommy Lee Jones can star in a movie about it.

Popin’ Cookin’ DIY Sushi Candy – No list of crazy Japanese candies would be complete without a mention of the “Popin’ Cookin’” line. Mixing various powders and waters in different textured boxes produces candy that looks amazingly close to real sushi. If you haven’t tried a DIY candy, this is definitely a great place to start.

Kracie Happy Kitchen Hamburger – Now Popin’ Cookin’ may have impressed us with its gummy sushi, but Kracie’s Happy Kitchen Hamburger set takes the “candy posing as real food” category to the next level. Instead of simply mixing, this set requires microwaving and paper-crafting as well. 

Sasebo Burger Drops – We’d call all the other candies on this list unusual, but this one is just plain weird. This hard candy is actually hamburger-flavored. Hamburger not for you? There are also corn-flavored drops and fried octopus-flavored drops. You know, in case you weren’t feeling queasy enough.

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