Japan outdoes its Asian neighbors when it comes to bizarre snacks. While Korea has its canned silkworms and the Philippines has salted duck embryos, the high-tech Land of the Rising Sun emphasizes on processed food, coming up with outlandish ideas.

Here are 10 bizarre Japanese snacks just daring you to try them on your visit.  Look for them in convenience stores, groceries, or vending machines.

Otoko Kaoru gum - This translates to “Man Smell”, an odd name for a gum containing rose oil that escapes through the skin after chewing it. So it’s gum that leaves your breath AND body smelling good. Other variants include geraniol and linalool, which emits a citrus scent. NOT a substitute for bathing, though.

Kidswine and Kidsbeer - An alcohol-free soda targeted to pre-adults who wish for an adult lifestyle. Originally a cola-like beverage, the ingredients have been modified to create something that is less sweet and more frothy than normal soda, and packaged in brown bottles with labels similar to their adult counterparts. The slogan for Kidsbeer reads, “Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink.”

Gorira no hanakuso – The name of these dry, wrinkly black soybeans translates to “gorilla boogers”. The soybeans themselves taste sweet and nutty, with the texture of overcooked jellybeans. The green legend on the right side of the package reads “It’s so healthy, be careful not to eat too much.” Gorira no hanakuso are popular with children, especially when are bought in zoos.

Winter’s Potato Chips, Creamy Stew Flavor - It tastes like sour cream and onions’ without the sour and without the onions.

Okkikunare - translates to “make them bigger”, this drink, which comes in mango, peach, and apple flavors, contain powdered arrowroot which is said to stimulate the female hormone system, which leads to larger busts. If teenage girls must quench their thirst, why should they settle for ordinary vitamins and electrolytes infused in their beverages? Ladies, make sure your men aren’t slipping you this drink every night before you sleep.

Black Garlic Chocolate – made by Takko Shoji, which claims the fermented black garlic coated with bittersweet chocolate can increase energy and promote metabolism when eaten regularly over a couple of months. I think they got inspiration from the Aztecs, who originally consumed chocolate in drink form while mixed with chili peppers.

Fanta Furufuru Shaker - a semi-gelled drink with a little carbonation added, which makes it fizz when you shake the bottle. (You may need a wide straw to suck up the thick liquid, though). There is a curious feeling of jelly and fresh mouth buzz in your mouth when you sip this beverage. Part of Furufuru Shaker’s marketing is the Furufuru shake, a dance move popularized by official Fanta spokesmodel and former Morning Musume member Risha Ishikawa.

Sex Gum for Men - Suplitol Tongkat Ali Gum contain a variety of natural herbs and extracts that improves blood flow and muscle function, as well as something called “plant testosterone”. Wait…what? Keep this gum away from the ladies, boys.

Ghana Miso – The Japanese sweets maker Lotte made arrangements with the well-known chocolate manufacturer Ghana to make chocolate-flavored ramen, launched during Valentine’s Day. The chocolate is only added into the garnish, flavoring up the ground pork in an otherwise plain miso-tonkatsu noodle dish.

Octopus Ice Cream – It’s not enough to release wasabi, chicken wing, charcoal, ox tongue  and black sesame flavored varieties of ice cream. Japanese frozen desserts manufacturers had to go and make octopus ice cream. What do you have against ice cream, Japan?

Posted in Food, Japan

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 6:39 am and is filed under Food, Japan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.