If like many of us, you’re a fan of the konbini (Japanese convenience stores), you’ve probably seen these kanji, ‘限定’ (gentei), written on a packet or two. They translate to ‘limited’ and mean that the product in question is only available for a short amount of time!
This year, like always, every konbini has stocked a number of ‘冬季限定’ (touki gentei) items, which are only available during the winter season. Here are a few we’ve managed to find this year!
2021 Konbini Winter Gentei Items
Jumbo
Although ice cream is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of winter, it’s not uncommon for many ice cream brands in Japan to offer special winter products during the winter.
One brand offering a special winter product is Morinaga, which has decided to create a Jumbo ice cream bar with an increased amount of chocolate in the centre just for the winter season.
Although they have not launched a special flavour like some other brands, it can only be a win for chocolate lovers!
Photo credit: Author
Pocky
Glico, the inventors of Pocky, a favourite worldwide, is offering us these two flavours this winter; ‘Butter Caramel Chocolate‘ and ‘Chocolate Finish’.
The first is made up of the traditional Pocky pretzel with a salted caramel coating and the second is covered in ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ chocolate with an extra layer of powdered chocolate.
All I can say is yum!
Photo credit: Author
Melty Kiss
Melty Kiss, which belongs to the brand Meiji, is definitely a confectionary lover’s favourite in Japan when it comes to seasonal options.
Meiji is one of the top chocolate brands in Japan, which is no surprise when considering that Meiji produces products including Almond Chocolate and Kinoko no Yama/Take no ko no Sato (shout out to those on team Kinoko no Yama!).
This year, Melty Kiss has given us several winter flavours including ‘Tahiti vanilla’, ‘premium chocolate’, ‘fruity strawberry’ and ‘first flush green tea’. Each uses high-quality cacao from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador meaning that they’re sure to melt in your mouth.
Photo credit: Author
Calbee
This year, Calbee (experts on all things potato-related and the genius behind products like Kappa Ebisen and Jagariko), have prepared two season-limited crisp flavours; ‘powdered snow salt’ and ‘powdered snow cheese’.
Although not on the more adventurous side of the spectrum, these familiar flavours are sure to provide a sense of comfort during the cold winter that’s expected to come.
The thin ridge-cut potatoes are all locally grown and sourced in Hokkaido assuring a fresh and flavoursome experience!
Photo credit: Author
Horoyoi
One of the most anticipated seasonal products in Japan is Horoyoi from Suntory. Horoyoi, which translates to ‘tipsy’ in English, is a canned alcoholic beverage with an alcoholic content of just 3% (hence the name!).
They are famed for their year-round production of seasonal drinks in addition to their highly-popular regular flavours and they have even managed to gain quite a large fan base abroad.
This year’s winter flavours are ‘Strawberry and Condensed Milk‘ and ‘Yuzu Lemonade Sour‘. The balance between the strawberry and condensed milk is perfect, meaning that you can taste both flavours without one overpowering the other.
In the case of the Yuzu Lemonade Sour, the Yuzu flavour is definitely strong and the hint of lemonade afterwards gives the drink a small sour kick. One thing I would say, though is that the Yuzu Lemonade Sour one may not be the best choice for those who aren’t a fan of sweet drinks.
However, I can tell you from personal experience that they are both delicious!
Photo credit: Author
Why Not Go Out And See What Winter Konbini Foods You Can Find This Winter?
Japan is well-known for its love of seasonal and limited-addition items and it’s no surprise why, considering how exciting it is to try something that you’ve never seen before! (The only downside is realising that the product you’ve been devouring the past season won’t be there next season).
If you ever go to a Japanese supermarket, you will see the aisle stocked with seasonal fruits and vegetables and it’s no different in konbini around the country!
This year why not go and see what you can find in the konbini near you?
For More Related Articles:
- Top 10 Summer Konbini Snacks in Japan
- Must-try Alcohol Drinks in Japanese Konbini!
- FamilyMart Introduces Sauced Buns to Turn Fami-Chiki Into Burgers
- Being a Foreign Worker at a Japanese Convenience Store
