We all know the most familiar Japanese cultural exports. From sushi, anime, samurai, and cherry blossoms, fans of Japan know them all. But in all the years Japan has been exporting its culture, “weird Japan” has got to be among the greatest sources of joy ever gifted to the world. Usually, the term “weird Japan”...

Ask anyone you meet to name popular Japanese snacks or candy, and I’ll bet that the large majority will first mention the famous Pocky snack, confirming the chocolate covered biscuit stick’s international status as a Japanese snack food icon. For most, the Glico produced munchy juggernaut may even be the only Japanese snacks they can...

Few people ever forget their first time in the sweets section of a Don Kihōte super store in Japan. Imagine literal mountains of snacks pressing in on you as you scan the endless aisles of equally endless varieties of Japanese chocolate and candy. It is not for the faint of heart. Yet, among the mountains...