Give Me a Break!

I grew up with Kit Kats.  Their chocolate covered wafers have always been a favorite for me.  These days you can sometimes find specialty Kit Kats in the US - strawberry, dark chocolate, matcha, and white chocolate.  They are fun and pretty special because they are unique.  I usually find the special ones at Uwajimaya or other Japanese grocery stores. 

When I lived in Osaka, I learned that Japan has special Kit Kats that you can't get in other places.  As a matter of fact, there are special flavors for each major city/region!  These flavors can usually be found at major hub train stations and souvenir shops within the specified city.  Of course you can get awesome sets at the airport too!  I used to always bring back these special flavor Kit Kats for my co-workers and friends.  They were always a big hit. 

Over the last several years, Kit Kat has taken their ingenuity even further.  They now have specialty food stands in department stores that have special flavors you can only get in these elite stands.  I've even heard of Kit Kat stores.  They have limited edition flavors that cannot be found in regular stores.  And they have premium flavors featuring really high quality chocolate. 

Today I found myself seeking out special Kit Kat flavors at the Kit Kat Chocolatory in Shinjuku.  This shop is a food stand in a major department store, Takashimaya.  Down in the basement, they have a treasure trove of glorious, beautiful, expensive food.  Most department stores have these and they are simply breathtaking.  They are filled with the finest of the fine food.  Cantaloupes for ¥14,040 ($125), 10 piece fruit baskets for ¥24,840 ($220), incredible cakes, amazing salads, all sorts of foods to enjoy - all at a cost.  Each "shop" is just a glass countertop that displays their food.  If you want something from that shop, you pay for it right there.  They wrap everything up and send you off with your delicacy in a bag.  Depending on your budget, you can walk away with lots and lots of bags...  I could spend days and way too much money in any department store basement.

The Kit Kat food stand has a little history lesson.  Did you know the slogan "Have a break, have a Kit Kat!" was first advertised in 1958?  I sure didn't!  That is some slogan.

I decided to splurge on several Specials flavors: butter, strawberry maple, and green tea & kinako.  I also picked one item from their Connoisseur line: pistachio & grapefruit.  Finally, I selected one of their Sublime flavors: matcha. 

I've only tried a couple of the flavors.  Butter was creamy goodness.  Strawberry maple was really sweet strawberry flavor.  I didn't really taste the maple.  And the Pistachio & grapefruit was... interesting and not in a bad way.  Just really hard to describe!  You could taste a bit of the sourness from the grapefruit and it did taste like it had nuts in it.  Overall, they are just fun.

In other news, we've now been here for an entire month.  My husband brought me home a gerbera daisy - a flower that I love because I don't think you can look at a gerbera daisy without smiling.