Popin' Cookin' and Other DIY Candy Kits

The Japanese DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Candy Kit boom went global a few years back. There is still so much interest in these cute, detailed, fun, and edible kits that we constantly are getting messages inquiring about new releases. The good news is that the candy kit manufacturers are extremely cutting edge so they introduce new products every few months. You can check out the whole product line-up here.

Let's start off with what these things are. In most kits you get a package which contains candy powders, molds, a mixing tray, and a spoon. You only need to supply water and in some instances you will require a microwave oven. The powders are mixed to create a gummy like texture and when shaped, create some fabulous, accurate looking mini food products. The most popular kit of all is the O-Sushi-Yasan where you create fruity sushi that looks like tuna, egg, salmon roe along side candy soy sauce, of course!

There are simple kits such as the NeruNeruNeruNe where you basically make a foamy and sticky candy concoction of either soda or grape flavor. In this case you only need a bit of water and you stir the powders until they get frothy. There are sprinkles which make the end result look very appetizing.

The more advanced kits such as the Tsukurou Bento type requires you to make a half dozen mini food items and arrange them in a mini lunch box. Here you must spend more time mixing, kneading, and shaping the ingredients so that they will make your Instagram photo the talk of the town.

On the pack panel of each packet or box there are picture instructions along with Japanese explanations. However, Kracie now provides English instructions on their web site for a selection of products. Also, a quick search on YouTube will give you a lot of easy tutorials no matter what language you are comfortable with.

The kits mentioned above are from Kracie Foods. They are the pioneer when it comes to detailed candy kits. However, there are other companies out there that also produce fun kits. Coris and Heart try to compete by offering smaller, less complicated kits that still have a high cuteness factor. Have a look at these two below.

If you think that these kits are only for kids, please think again! Adults will have just as much fun watching powders instantly turn into perfectly round candy fish eggs. Or perhaps trying to outdo their children by decorating mini donuts with various toppings.

These products make awesome birthday or X-mas gifts for anyone! I encourage you to check back often to this collection of DIY Candy Kits so you are never behind on the latest releases. We update our site weekly. We also take product requests. You can always reach me directly by sending me a message here.

Please let me know what your favorite DIY Candy Kit is and send us a picture or video of your own creations. We will choose some of your submissions to add to our product listings, with a link (if you want a bit of extra social media or site traffic.)

Time to stock up on these products as the holiday season is just around the corner. These kits have a long shelf life so you can save them for a rainy day!

As always, we really appreciate your continued support and love to hear your feedback.

J-san

Hi-Chew - A Japanese Candy Pioneer

Since 1975, Morinaga's Hi Chew has been pleasing mouths, both young and old. It was created as an alternative to chewing gum as Japanese culture frowned upon removing food from the mouth after beginning to eat. On a consumer level, food is rarely wasted or discarded so there was a market for a candy that had lasting time, yet could also be digested.

Even in the early years, tourists would stock up on these popular candy chews. Hi Chew differs from a lot of candy found outside of Japan. It is not so hard on the teeth like a typical chewy caramel. Plus, they have very accurate flavors without adding too much sweetness, avoiding that sickening artificial taste. Each rectangular shaped piece has a two tone look, usually white on the outside with the color of the fruit on the inside. There are many variations though, especially on the Japanese releases.

If you think you have tried the whole Hi Chew menu, you may be wrong. Morinaga has also released Premium types which utilize real fruit juice and have a harder shell. There are also mini chews that are an assorted fruit collection. When you travel around Japan you will likely come across exclusive regional versions such as Hokkaido Yubari Melon, where napaJapan is located. Also, you can sample multiple flavors in one pack as variety bags are released a few times each year.

Recently the popularity of Hi Chew exploded past Japanese borders into dozens of countries. The international flavors are not so exotic when compared to the tastes and varieties available in Japan. That is why napaJapan provides the whole product line-up and delivers throughout the world. Please come by and see what is in store today. We always have over 20 different flavors and varieties!

Please feel free to leave a comment about your favorite Hi Chew flavor, or why not tell us what flavor you would love to see Morinaga create.

Japanese Cheetos & Doritos - A Review

If you are a savory snack fan like me, Japan is a perfect place to get your fix. The varieties, flavors, and formats of products is so immense that you could try a different snack every day and never get bored. Whether it is a rice cracker, potato chip, corn chip, shrimp crisp, or pretzel you choose, you will still need to make more decisions on flavor, size, and price.

As far as tastes go, there tends to be a lot of flavors found in Japanese cooking ingredients such as Soy Sauce, Wasabi, Yuzu, and Hot Mustard, to name a few. Seafood, Chicken Soup Stock Consomme, Beef, and Pork are other popular bases.

Japanese snack manufacturers tend to offer multiple sizes of the same product calling them "mini" or "mega" or offering them in different shapes or packaging. Pricing can vary a lot too depending on brands, ingredient contents, and pack size.

I always tend to gravitate towards the international brands where I know I will be getting something familiar, all be it with a unique twist to the flavoring. That is why this post is going to be dedicated to a couple famous brands of corn snacks: Doritos and Cheetos. Both are made by Frito-Lay Japan and both are released in numerous flavors every year.

I still recall chomping away on Tuna Mayonnaise Doritos one cloudy afternoon, while washing them down with a Cucumber flavored Pepsi. Yes...the wild flavors don't stop at salty snacks. Chocolate covered Cheetos provided me with another eating experience that is ingrained in my mind. The milk chocolate sweetness combined with the salty corn created an addicting combination. Too bad that those releases are no longer in production.

Well, 2016 was no different when it comes to odd, limited-edition Frito-Lay flavors.
Check out some of these recent ones that took the internet by storm.

Doritos Black Garlic and Black Pepper. Not only are these cool looking chips but the package design is a piece of art. The shiny black bag has a spooky haunted vibe to it as it was released prior to Halloween. I found the chips almost had a sweet taste however when the garlic kicked in you soon forgot about that. The black pepper added an extra dimension which made these stand out. 9/10

Along the same Halloween theme came these wonderfully unique Cheetos. Called "Bag of Bones" due to their white appearance and skeleton shape, the real intrigue was with the flavor: Yogurt! In all my years I don't recall once having the urge to dip my Cheetos into a tub of yogurt. Well, Frito-Lay Japan has made that possible with one product. Odd but strangely tasty. 7/10

Doritos Wasabi & Soy Sauce is a very popular product as it has a perfect balance of spiciness and savory mellowness. You just can't go wrong with these two flavors mixed together. If you love sushi you probably already drown wasabi in your soy sauce. On a corn chip it tastes great too. 8/10

Cheetos Ex Spicy. Wear gloves! Do not touch any part of your body after eating these until you wash your hands thoroughly! These are HOT! So hot that I couldn't properly enjoy them. They ruined my taste buds for the rest of the afternoon. The adventurous eater would surely enjoy them more than I did. 6/10

There still may be limited quantities of these available so please check HERE for the latest stock, including new flavors!

Please drop me a line or leave a comment on this blog if you want to share any of your Doritos or Cheetos eating experiences.

Happy snacking!

J-san

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