One type of candy in particular that seems to always grab people’s attention is the do-it-yourself candy kits. With little more than the included ingredients, water, and a little patience, these candy kits transform from packets of powder and bags of putty into miniaturized versions of gourmet dishes.

The YouTube channel RRcherrypie has created an incredible number of videos showing viewers how to assemble these strange and interesting candy kits.

The appeal of RRcherrypie is not only does the channel introduce me to these novelty, do-it-yourself candy kits that aren’t really known in the West, but it’s also clear that the people behind RRcherrypie take a lot of care in what they do.

The attention given and the precision that these people take to assemble these candy kits is astounding. While most people would write off these candy kits as playthings for children, RRcherrypie treats these kits as if they were a craft. Many people find the deliberation found in RRcherrypie videos soothing and relaxing.

The identity of the people behind RRcherrypie is surprisingly mysterious. RRcherrypie’s official website states, in somewhat broken English, that RRcherrypie is a group of 3 or more people. We don’t tell you each individual person’s profile, because the imposter tries to pretend to be us. And the members would change often because we have a job.

The idea that a group of people got together to form an anonymous, candy-making collective is a little silly, but it’s endearing to me.

For more, check out RRcherrypie’s YouTube channel and official website.

I’ve found that in Japan, you can find a lot more unusual and various types of hamburgers, ones that you would never, ever find here in the US.

When a Hamburger is Wild

A hamburger in Japan can be wild. Japanese fast food chain Lotteria recently offered a “wild burger” in honor of comedian Sugi-chan. Sugi-chan is one of the biggest celebrities in Japan right now (for who knows what reason), and his catchphrase ワイルドだろぉ？ (“wild, right?”) was one of the biggest buzzwords in Japan last year.

In Lotteria’s case, a “wild burger” was an oversized shrimp patty on two comically small buns. Wild, right?

More recently, Lotteria is offering a burger with nine patties. In celebration of the release of the newest Evangelion movie on DVD and Blu-Ray, Lotteria is currently offering a $13, nine-patty burger, after the name of the movie (Evangelion 3.33—3 + 3 + 3 = 9). That seems pretty wild.

When a Hamburger is Candy

A hamburger in Japan can be a candy. A popular type of Japanese candy (popular, at least, with people abroad) is a kind of DIY kit. The kit usually provides you with some powders, some molds, and instructions on how to turn it all into the final product.

Japanese YouTuber RRcherrypie is internet famous (the best kind of famous) for creating step-by-step guides on how to assemble these kits, and one of the most popular (and relevant to this post) recently has been a hamburger candy.

I can’t vouch at all for the taste, but it’s definitely a cool process to watch and, presumably, to try yourself.

When a Hamburger is a Billionaire

A hamburger in Japan can be Facebook founder and hoodie enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg. At least, that’s what some Japanese women think. The way that Zuckerberg’s name is transliterated into Japanese (ザッカーバーグ) sounds a lot like the Japanese word for a hamburger steak (ハンバーグ) which, to add to the confusion.

Fortunately, I don’t think that you’ll be set back too much by these two similar words. But if you somehow are served a live, confused Mark Zuckerberg instead of a delicious hamburger, then you’re on your own.

When a Hamburger is Black

A hamburger in Japan can be black, or contain pumpkin. Japanese fast food chains like Lotteria aren’t the only restaurants that serve bizarre hamburgers in Japan. International chains like Burger King or McDonald’s also cater to Japan’s local, sometimes eccentric tastes.

As we wrote about before, last year Burger King rolled special promotional items like an all-you-can-eat meal, a burger with black buns (dyed with bamboo charcoal and squid ink), and Halloween burgers that included a thick slice of kabocha.

It may be surprising to see these items offered by Burger King when the company’s offerings in its home country (the US) are so tame, but foreign companies have to adapt to Japan’s tastes and culture if they have a hope to survive.

Sometimes a Hamburger is Just a Hamburger

A hamburger in Japan isn’t always wild and wacky, or out there. You can always get a pretty normal, regular burger at virtually any Japanese fast food chain (like MOS Burger or Freshness Burger), foreign chains, or local restaurants.

But every time I go to a restaurant in the US that only offers a regular-ol’, everyday hamburger, I wish that it could be something more. Maybe I should start bringing my own squid ink.

A lot of the souvenirs I bought with specific people in mind but there was one gift I knew I could buy in bulk and have absolutely no problem giving away or keeping for myself: Haichu.

Haichu (also called “Hi-Chew” outside of Japan) is a chewy Japanese fruit candy. The analogy I usually like to use is that it’s like Japanese Starburst, but that’s an incredible insult to Haichu.

Every Type of Haichu You Can Imagine

One of the best things about Japanese foods is the incredible amount of variety. In the US, a candy bar is a candy bar is a candy bar; it’s the same whether you buy it in New York or California, in winter or summer.

But Japan has a knack for mixing it up, creating seasonal and regional varieties of a lot of different types of food, making it incredibly rewarding to spend embarrassing amounts of money on candy.

And I definitely spent more than I should have on candy. Here are some of the different types of Haichu I picked up while in Japan:

Haichu Premium

Haichu Premium is a newer type of Haichu that’s different from regular Haichu. They’re a little bigger, round, and not quite as rubbery. To appeal to a more adult market, Haichu Premium is only available in wine flavors.

Shinshu Apple Haichu

Passing through Nagano, I picked up a pack of Haichu that tastes like Shinshu apple, a regional specialty. Absolutely delicious!

Yubari Melon Haichu

The northern island of Hokkaido is known for its specialty Yubari canteloupe melons. This variety of Haichu is, as far as I know, only available in Hokkaido.

Soda and Cola Haichu

Like the Japanese candy Puccho, soda and cola Haichu each have little pellets of flavor hidden inside of the candy. Good stuff!

Strawberry Shortcake Haichu

As you might already know, Christmas in Japan is celebrated with strawberry shortcake. So of course, it makes sense of Morinaga to cash in on the tradition and make tiny, bite-sized strawberry shortcake Haichu.

It makes even more sense that I would buy them in bulk at a discount price a month after Christmas. How could I say no?

And that’s only the Haichu that caught my eye in Japanese stores. Like Pocky, there are countless other limited edition, seasonal, and regional varieties of Haichu that can satisfy any taste.

For me though, Haichu’s appeal goes beyond its different flavors. Once I learned about its history, I was really sold.

The Man Behind Haichu

I loaded up on Haichu while we were in Japan, but it wasn’t until after I got back that I learned about the history behind it, the company that makes it, and the man who started it all.

Haichu is made by a Japanese company called Morinaga that was founded way back in the 1800^s by a man named Taichiro Morinaga.

I should have known that Morinaga was awesome without even looking, because it seems like all of the founders of Japanese corporations (like the founders of Nissin or Toshiba) were all badasses.

Taichiro (the man) came from the boonies of Japan in the late 1800^s, and didn’t have any sort of education. He moved to the US in his twenties to seek opportunity (as a lot of people did back then).

It was in the US that he had his first-ever piece of candy and it blew his mind. Taichiro decided that he needed to share this incredible discovery with his home country.

To make a long story incredibly short, Taichiro moved back to Japan and founded Morinaga & Company. Morinaga & Co. was the first company to ever produce chocolate in Japan, and came up with Haichu.

There are different stories about how Haichu was invented. Some say that Taichiro wanted to put a Japanese spin on the caramel candy he’d tried in the US; other people say that Taichiro wanted to make something closer to gum.

We might not know for sure why exactly Morinaga came up with Haichu, but I know one thing for sure: as the dentist is pulling my cavity-ridden teeth, I’ll be cursing Taichiro Morinaga and his delicious, delicious invention.

Bonus Wallpapers!

Our wonderful illustrator Aya has cooked up some wallpapers of the header image to this post. Enjoy!

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There’s probably no better descriptor for the whimsical, gigantic candy industry in Japan. For some, Japan is the mecca of candy. Year after year its companies pour out incredibly novel candies that would astonish even Roald Dahl.

Among all of those sweets, one stands above all the rest: chocolate. Chocolate has gained a lot of significance in Japanese culture and society. It’s not only an everyday treat, but it can have a lot of symbolism too.

For example Valentine’s Day in Japan, like in the US, is a very chocolate-centric holiday; however, unlike the US, different types of chocolate have very different meanings. God forbid you give giri, not honmei chocolate to that one special person.

And the Japanese are getting better and better at making the stuff. Last year a Japanese chocolatier, Susumu Koyama, was declared “Best Foreign Chocolatier” at the 17^th annual Salon du Chocolat, a French chocolate tradeshow. From the low-end sweets to the high-end, gourmet chocolates, Japan dominates when it comes to chocolate.

Because of chocolate’s importance in Japan, it’s maybe not surprising that the Japanese take chocolate very seriously. In fact, the regulation of chocolate in Japan is extremely strict.

Part of any government’s job is to make sure that people aren’t mislead when they buy things. For example, when a company calls a food “organic” or “local,” those labels have specific meanings set by the government. Same thing with chocolate. You can’t just call anything “dark chocolate” — it has to meet certain standards.

And is it local?

It turns out the Japanese government has some of the strictest chocolate standards in the world. You’d think that Switzerland or Belgium or some other place known for its chocolates would be more serious about it, but it turns out that the Japanese are basically second to none.

In 1971, the Japanese Fair Trade Commission was granted sweeping powers to regulate chocolate to make sure that Japanese customers know exactly what they’re getting.

All in all, the Fair Trade Commission classifies six types of “chocolate materials” that are used to make up four types of “chocolate products.” They are:

Chocolate Materials

• Pure chocolate material (純チョコレート生地)
• Pure milk chocolate material (純ミルクチョコレート生地)
• Chocolate material (チョコレート生地)
• Milk chocolate material (ミルクチョコレート生地)
• Quasi chocolate material (準チョコレート生地)
• Quasi milk chocolate material (準ミルクチョコレート生地)

Each of these have to have very specific percentages of various ingredients — cocoa, milk fat, etc.. Otherwise it’s, in the eyes of the Fair Trade Commission, misrepresenting itself. Out of those materials, you can make any of four chocolate products:

Chocolate Products

• Chocolate (チョコレート)
• Chocolate sweet (チョコレート菓子)
• Quasi chocolate (準チョコレート)
• Quasi chocolate sweet (準チョコレート菓子)

Confusing? Absolutely. I don’t think that I’ve ever closely inspected a chocolate bar to really care about its cocoa content, or a palate sophisticated enough to really tell the difference.

Regardless, it’s good to see that within the confines of his factory Willy Wonka-san is keeping tight control over things. Don’t want too many Augustus Gloops running around ruining things.

Types of chocolate

And then there’s Japanese junk food.

You may think that junk food is junk food, no matter where it’s made and sold, but the Japanese do it a little differently. Soda, candy, fast food and other junk food might not have been invented in Japan, but the Japanese have been able to put their own twist on these low-end foods.

A lot of these foods are only available seasonally or for some limited time so when they’re gone, they’re gone for good. Here’s a roundup of some of 2012′s most enticing, disgusting, weird, and delicious Japanese junk food.

Fast Food

Japan is a great place for fast food. Aside from Japanese-style street food that’s ready to go in a jiffy, there’s also home-grown Japanese fast food chains (which we’ve written about before) and American chains.

These American chains usually offer food in Japan that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

KFC’s Bacon Potato Fritter

It’s pretty surprising that KFC Japan would offer a dish more American than its American counterpart, but then you haven’t seen the Bacon Potato Fritter. Full of all of the heart-stopping cholesterol-filled goodness that we Americans hold near and dear.

Domino’s Prestige Quattro

Pizza pricing is usually a race ot the bottom — get three medium pizzas for $15! Two large pizzas for $20! Add another pizza for $5!

But Domino Japan’s Prestige Quattro isn’t cheap. In fact, the gourmet pizza that has crab, shrimp, and Mangalitsa pork, is $50.

Burger King

After a six year hiatus in Japan, Burger King has returned to the country with a vengeance. It seems like every other week I’m hearing about some new, novelty product from Burger King Japan that’s unavailable anywhere else.

Black Burger

Even though a black burger looks like it was left in the oven for too long, it’s only colored by bamboo charcoal and squid ink. Fortunately though, the flavor of neither of those are very prominent in the burger, so just close your eyes and imagine you’re eating a Whopper.

Pumpkin Burger

As we wrote about earlier, Halloween is quickly becoming an absurdly commercial holiday in Japan. To cash in on that, Burger King Japan released a burger with kabocha pumpkin slices. Nothing says Halloween like fast food!

Candy

Coffee Gum

This year, Suntory’s Boss Coffee celebrated its 20^th anniversary by collaborating with various other Japanese companies, including Lotte, who created the unholy abomination that is Boss Special Coffee Gum. I thought gum was supposed to make your breath smell good?

Soda

In Japan, it seems like you can’t walk more than a block without passing handfuls of vending machines stocked with some of the most delicious and delectable sodas you’ve ever seen. The availability of these sodas means that it’s even more important to stand out among the crowd.

Espressoda

The linguistic genius at Suntory who came up with the portmanteau “Espressoda” should be given a raise, a corner office, and a bonus. Unfortunately, the beverage itself isn’t as genius as the name. Eryk from This Japanese Life reviewed it for us and gave us this verdict: “The result is a kind of a totally unsweetened root beer . . . Not awful, but unpleasantly confusing. Would not drink again.”

Pepsi

Pepsi, more than other western soft drink companies, really seems to get the Japanese market. Instead of pushing things like Mountain Dew that do well in the US, Pepsi has adapted to Japan’s tastes and comes up with seasonal and novelty products.

Salty Watermelon Pepsi

Eryk from This Japanese Life also reveiwed this oddball summer selection from Pepsi for us in a guest post earlier this year. The verdict? “[I]t’s a liquified watermelon Jolly Rancher with seltzer . . . Too sweet. Would not drink again.”

Pepsi Special

Pepsi Special helps you poop.

Well, kind of. It’s marketed as a fat-blocking soda but in reality, it’s chock-full of of dextrin, a soluble fiber. The theory is that you won’t gain any weight because all of the food you eat basically passes right through you. Bon appétit

Pepsi White

The yet-to-be-released Pepsi White is a special winter variation of the cola. It’s white, has snow people on the label, and tastes like mandarin oranges, a seasonal favorite.

And that was just this year. Who knows what these Japanese alchemists have in store for us next year!

Pocky Day is the day that Japan – nay, the world – celebrates the iconic chocolate-covered Japanese sweet, Pocky. We have a complete guide to Pocky Day if you don’t know all about the biggest, greatest holiday of all time.

I’m still nursing a hangover from last year’s Mother of All Pocky Days, 11-11-11 (or for you Europeans, 11-11-11), but I thought I could surface out of my Pocky-fueled haze for a while and share with y’all some cool, Pocky-related things.

Unusual Pocky Flavors

Japan loves seasonal, novelty, and local foods. You see this played out in a lot of the candies and sodas sold throughout Japan, and Pocky is no exception. Take a look at some of the strangest, most niche Pocky flavors so far:

Purple Sweet Potato (紫いも)

I don’t know if I love the sound of this flavor because it’s so unusual, or because I love the alliteration of “purple potato,” but the fact is that Japanese purple sweet potato is a pretty rare flavor.

Hokkaido Melon (夕張メロン)

Melon is a notoriously expensive food in Japan, so it’s nice to be able to get this rare (and regional) treat in Pocky form.

Kobe Wine (神戸ワイン)

Ah, Kobe, Japan. A thriving metropolis known for its world-famous beef, the devastating earthquake of 1995, and its . . . vineyards? Despite my ignorance of the Japanese wine market, Glico has capitalized on the apparently famous wine of Kobe with this novelty Pocky. Can you get drunk off of wine Pocky? My extensive testing is thus far inconclusive.

Reverse (リバース)

I hope whichever Glico employee had the brilliant (yet painfully obvious) idea of creating a “reverse” Pocky got a promotion or a raise or something.

Brazilian Pudding (ブラジルプリン)

When I think Brazilian food, pudding isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but Glico has brought the sweet, milky flavor of Brazilian pudding to Japan, in Pocky form.

Commercials

For the last year or so, pretty boy Kazunari Ninomiya has been the star of Glico’s Pocky commercials. MC Hammer’s U Can’t Touch This has also been strangely prominent in these commercials, but I won’t complain.

Recently though, the ads have shifted from Hammer-based to a angels-and-demons theme. One thing has stayed the same though; there are still strange voiceovers from an English speaker.

How do you celebrate Pocky Day? Have you raided your local Asian market today?