December 10, 2005
a bunch of questions about Japanese snacks
UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who filled out my survey! I already turned in the essay so there's no need for anyone else to fill it out. Feel free to read other people's answers.
Here's a little survey (er, maybe more than little) about Japanese snacks. If you're really bored and you're not Japanese (I'd make slightly different questions for Japanese people, but I don't think I have much Japanese readership), you can answer these questions and be loved forever! By me! Other people? May not love you! But me? Maybe! Exciting prospects lie ahead...
- How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
- What are your favorite ones? Why?
- How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
- Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
- Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
- Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
- Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
- What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
Posted by roboppy at 2:29 PM
Comments (15)
How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
Recent addiction--within the last 3-4 years.
What are your favorite ones? Why?
Pucca, the little hamburgers, Pocky Men
How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
I buy them once every couple of months and eat them until they run out.
Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
I eat them b/c I think they're funny and weird and tasty all at the same
Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
I eat them with spiceboy, who is my lovely life companion. sometimes i think it's food that keeps us together!
Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
For me, it's all about the cuteness. I don't usually eat processed snacks at home, but I'll eat Japanese snacks.
Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
Yes, I find them more appealing that US snacks. AGain, I don't usually eat snacks at home, so for me, it's really about the kitsch factor.
What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
I'm not well-versed in Japanese marketing, but I think it probably plays a large part--look at the packaging--it's totally meant to catch your eye.
Would you mind terribly if I linked to your blog? I really think it's great.
Posted by: eastsidegirl at December 10, 2005 7:35 PM [#]
1. I first tried Pocky a little over four years ago.
2. I'm generally not a snack food person, so I actually prefer meal-type Japanese food. If I had to pick a favorite Japanese snack, it would have to be gummies. OMG JAPANESE GUMMIES ARE THE BEST.
3. Rarely. We have a section of them at the campus convenience store, but it's so over-priced I just don't bother. I save my Japanese snack-buying for times when I can get them cheaper--like when we went to JAS Mart. ;D
4. Um...because I'm hungry and they're yummy? Also, in the case of gummies, no other gummy is even worth eating once you've tried Japanese gummies!
5. Hm. I usually eat alone in general, so I'd say alone. Though, I do share them with people I think will like them, just not when I'm eating them. Because...I usually eat them as soon as I buy them, and I'm not always with people then. :x
6. Depending on the specific look of the characters, the cuteness can be either absolutely adorable and purchase-inducing (Koala's March! EEE!) or really disturbing. Like those food-kitties. O_o I generally like cute things. Um, I'm a girl. :x
7. I find them more appealing to the extent that they taste better than American versions of similar things. But other than that, no. I often find the excessive packaging annoying and wasteful--seriously, WHY MUST YOU WRAP EACH GUMMY INDIVIDUALLY?? So much unnecessary plastic!
8. Hmm...I really have no idea. I mean, if you saw a package of Japanese snacks in an array of American ones, it would really stand out, and you'd be drawn to it. In that case, it would be a good marketing strategy because the eye is drawn towards things that are unique/seem out-of-place, so people would check out the Japanese snacks first. But since ALL Japanese snacks have the same look to them, they don't stand out from each other. If anything, I think a non-cute one would sell better, since it's different. So yeah, I have no clue why they make their products all cutesy. It's novel here, but not in Japan, where they're all cute...
* How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
- Since childhood (I'm Japanese American)
* What are your favorite ones? Why?
- I have to pick favorites? I love Pocky, manju (no tsubu an, though. I like koshi an and shiro an), and many types of okaki
* How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
- Now that I live in a city that has more Japanese snacks readily available, I'd say I eat them once every week or every 2 weeks
* Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
- Because they are delicious and fun
* Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
- It depends. My husband doesn't care for traditional Japanese sweets, so I eat those all by myself!
* Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
- Totally appealing! Food should be fun!
* Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
- I find them appealing because they have that sort of exotic-novelty appeal to them. I have spent some time in Japan, and the snacks remind me of those fun times.
* What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
- I think cuteness plays a large role. After all, if they were not cute, what would be the point? They would not be eye catching or tempting at all.
* How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
About two years. Unless those seaweed/rice crackers count, then I've been eating them for about twenty years. I only started buying Pocky about a year and a half ago.
* What are your favorite ones? Why?
I love Pocky. Mostly because we don't have anything like it in America. I also like the Morinaga Dark Chocolate sticks and some of the gummis. (I really liked the gummi sushi for its packaging and originality.)
* How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
A couple of times a month. I have a lot of snacking to do and I like a lot of variety.
* Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
There are some flavors and combinations you just don't get in American or European treats. Black sugar, Pocky (the crisp part isn't too sweet and not salty), green tea and the uniquely flavored and shaped gummis.
* Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
A little of both. If it's something good I like to share it. If it's something that's only okay, I'll eat it myself. If it's really bad I'll make sure everyone around me tastes it.
* Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
Sometimes I like the elegant stuff more. I really enjoy the HiCrown and Dars Bitter chocolate, which is packaged with more sophistication. I find some of the cutesy stuff fun, but I'm not always drawn to those flavors, which tend to be a little more exotic. (But I love the super sour things.)
* Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
I think that it'd be cool if Japanese stuff was more available in the states and I think that Pocky is ready to become more mainstream.
* What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
I'm not sure about that. I've been to the Japanese grocers in Los Angeles and see that the cute stuff is kept on the lower shelves which means that the little kids are drawn to it.
* How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for?
Since i was a child growing up in Singapore.
* What are your favorite ones? Why?
Strawberry Pocky and Yan Yan (the ones with the dip) The japanese seem to have an obsession with strawberry and so do I :) I remember there used to be these pocky commericals on tv. they featured a japanese girl singing 'o k pocky' swinging her arm across and biting the top of the biscuit off ...
* How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
Couple times a week :/
* Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
Alone of course. I'm not sharing :p
* Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
Yes. I am wowed by the ingenuity. Too bad i can't read japanese, i've always wanted to know what the package actually says.
* Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
Yes, though sometimes I alternate with american snacks.
* What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
i think it's the entire experience, both packaging and flavor. i'll admit I'm a sucker for cutsie stuff
* How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
Since I discovered Japanes peanuts while at uni
* What are your favorite ones? Why?
I love senbei because they're nice and crunchy. I really liked the potato chips they had over there and the ones that look like mushrooms,
* How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
Not as much as I used to but I bought some Pokey the other week
* Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
They're not overly sweet and the packaging and names are an added bonus.
* Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
I always share
* Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
Yes. Dunno
* Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
Our packaging is dull dull dull and the flavours very unadventurous and the names very literal.
* What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
Quite a bit, but it's quality cute, not picture of a puppy with sunglasses bollocks.
* How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
If I count Pocky and Botan Ame, since childhood (5 years old or so). I wasn't exposed to much beyond that until I was in my teenage years.
* What are your favorite ones? Why?
I usually like nori-shio (nori and salt) or goma-shio (sesame and salt) flavored savory snacks best. This includes potato chips, popcorn (I make it myself), fried balls of corn, and so on. Senbe (rice crackers, roughly) are my favorite, but I rarely find good ones in the US.
My favorite non-packaged snack is daigaku-imo (fried sweet potatoes with a sweet soy sauce glaze and some black sesame seeds).
I also like old-school "karintou".
* How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
Probably about weekly, but it depends on where I am and what's going on... sometimes more frequently, sometimes less often.
* Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
When in Japan, I feel less strange eating processed foods because it's kind of an experiment. In the US, I eat Japanese snacks because of odd cravings.
* Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
It depends on whether anyone has a chance to find out that I have a stash of them :P
* Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
Most of the ones I buy are a little obaachan-ppoi (grandma-like) and are less cute. But I care less about cuteness than flavor.
* Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
They are often equally articial, but some flavors are less intensely flavored, so I prefer some Japanese snacks to many American ones. I usually don't like "barbecue flavored" chips in the US because they just taste wrong, and aggressively MSG flavored. But somehow nori-sio chips, even with their MSG, don't bother me.
* What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
In selling, quite substantial, as the manufacturers try to train a primordial urge in children to create lifelong processed food consumers. But there are different market segments; increasingly "natural" themed foods seem to be building a following in Japan, though less so in the items exported to the US. And the "nostalgia" market hasn't disappeared either.
Posted by: Jason Truesdell at December 11, 2005 2:48 PM [#]
* How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
I've been eating Pocky and those types of snack since I was a kid. It's easy to get here in the Bay Area.
* What are your favorite ones? Why?
Pocky, rice crackers with seaweed, that spicy trailmix... well, just about anything spicy that doesn't have a really fishy taste.
* How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
Not too often. Nobody else in my house cares for them, and they lose their specialness if I eat them regularly.
* Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
I think the Yummy Factor is quite important. I also feel like I'm eating something healthier than chips.
* Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
I'll gladly share with anybody that likes them, but that hasn't happened.
* Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
Not really. If anything, I get turned off from anything that's too cute because they don't taste too good.
* Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
Not really. I may feel like I'm eating something healthier, but it's not a normal taste so I tend to get sick of them quickly.
* What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
From what I know of Japan, cuteness in general is very important, and food is like an art there, so I'd imagine cuteness is very important.
Posted by: trini at December 11, 2005 7:45 PM [#]
How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
Since I got Japanese sister-in-law -- the 80's.
What are your favorite ones? Why?
Gummy genre with marshmallow. Or anything super cute like little panda cookies filled with chocolate.
How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
Not often enough. Very rare.
Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
SO CUTE!
Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
Share. The cuteness bowls over my co-workers.
Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
Perhaps you haven't been listening... they are so cute! Sack foods are about enjoyment. Inscrutable cuteness in a snack should be comended.
Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
Yes! Um, because they are so cute.
What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
For me it's 99 percent about the cute. If it's tasty, I'll recognise the snack by the particular cuteness and buy again.
And in conclusion... CUTE!
How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? since childhood, growing up in singapore, where there were many well-stocked japanese supermarkets.
What are your favorite ones? Why?
i go through phases. like i went through a gummi phase once, and then a period of those really sour conical gummis... but i always return to pocky. pocky has a flavour for every mood, even savoury. and i notice you can get thai and chinese pocky, which increases the flavour pool even more. i also like pucca and collon. and yoghurt candies. OH AND I LOVE THESE CHOCOLATES!!!
How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
they're a little harder to come by these days. so i stock up when i find myself in an asian grocery. right now i've got three boxes of sweet pretzel stick type snacks (not all pocky) on my kitchen counter, waiting. so. i can't say exactly how often i eat them, but i hoard them and i eat them whenever i can.
Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
they have tasty and unusual flavours. and they are cute!
Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
they are mine, all mine!! howver i might offer a piece to a friend nearby. or if my sister is around then we tend to split them evenly.
Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
yes, cute is good! more cute!! they are saying "we are friendly, please eat us!". i tend to keep the packaging so that after the snack is eaten i can still sit around and wonder at the cuteness.
Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
yes, because they are inventive and cute. there is a greater range of flavours. they remind me of my childood, to an extent, and it wasn't even like, a golden happy childhood...
What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
a big, brainwashing kind of role. less with the pocky, which as you say would be a taste attraction. but it's the cuteness that sucks me in. although, if i was bored of a certain kind of snack, say any one of the endless variation of little biscuit/cookie dipped in or sandwiched with chocolate, i would not give in to the cuteness, and would get something else instead: kiwifruit gummi or maple syrup pocky or...
* How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? Since childhood. They always sell them in Chinatown (I'm Chinese), and Taiwan (where I used to visit every summer). In fact, it wasn't until middle school that I even realized that those snacks weren't Chinese, but Japanese instead!
* What are your favorite ones? Why? Tomato Pretz, cause they are yummy and cause they are like really long crackers shaped like pretzel sticks so you get to eat a lot in one sitting, the little mushroom shaped cookies where the dome is chocolate (again, yumminess factor), the round rice cake crackers that are flecked with seaweed (both cause they are delish and cause they are just so darned crunchy), Pocky (but this is more nostalgia factor), the gummy candies that are individually wrapped and shaped like hearts (much better gummy texture than american candy, and they are individually wrapped for portability!)
* How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)? Whenever I have the chance to go down to Chinatown and buy them....which is less than once a month, cause I live on the UWS =(
* Why do you eat Japanese snacks? Cause they are good, but also because they are familiar snacks that remind me of my childhood.
* Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
Both, but mostly alone because I have found that people have pretty specific tastes when it comes to this stuff. They might have a bite, but everyone has their favorites.
* Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come? Definitely! That is what will make me buy a snack in the first place, but it has to taste good for me to buy it a second time. And I definitely linger much longer in a Japanaese grocery store than in an American one, just looking at the packaging.
* Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not? Definitely, and it's cause of the packaging (and aforementioned nostalgia factor)
* What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
I think it is part of the cuteness that pervades their entire culture.
Posted by: Angela at December 12, 2005 6:36 AM [#]
How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for? (Childhood? Recent addiction?)
Since childhood when I was in Taiwan. In the US, its not a frequent occurence since I don't visit chinese/asian food stores that often.
What are your favorite ones? Why?
Most of the salty/savory stuff. Seaweed wrapped crackers, shrimp chips, dry fish/squid strips, raman (since its a snack and not a meal when its instant? heh). I don't usually go for the sweet stuff because.. well, frankly its a pain to open 2 dozen packages when you can open one American/European one.. heh
How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
Not too often.. maybe semi-annual? Just when i get around to go to Chinatown now that I live in NYC. When I was in the midwest, it was less often.
Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
Same as why anybody would eat any kind of snacks, to stuff worthless calories in between meals! :D
Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
Mostly alone, but if its with my family/friends, I'll share.
Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
Eh.. what cuteness? o_O; No, it doesn't have any special appeal. If anything else, its a turn off because its all individually packaged and we already have enough waste in our landfill system beyond what snack packages can create. :(
Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
No, not really. I find the US based snacks more appealing because of the less packaging actually. Yea, i'm lazy but hey, I wanna get to my food, not lose calories fighting w/ it. :p
What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
I think it does a great deal or else why would over 1/2 a dozen women above this comment love it so much? Apparently its working but that's quite sexist if they're only targetting the female population. I don't particuarly go for cute stuff, and well frankly, I don't know many guys that would either. On the other hand, I think its marketing stratagy is similar to McDonalds. Hit em while they're young. Last time I went to a McD's, I realized just how bad their products were. I haven't/rarly tried one of the sweet Japanese snacks, but I can attest to the fact that they have just as much flavor as your average US based snacks. Although, the Japanese are much more creative and their tastes are far broader than the average US consumer.
Posted by: Wei at December 12, 2005 11:32 AM [#]
How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for?
Since '95. I moved to Japan that year to teach and came back to the States in '01, but still love a Pocky now and then.
What are your favorite ones? Why?
Strawberry dipped chocolate Pocky and Monaka- an ice cream bar, but still a snack as far as I'm concerned.
How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
Every so often (how's that for a crappy answer).
Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
They are lighter than American munchies and are tastier.
Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
Share? What is this share you speak of? Strangely, nobody seems to like my squid jerky, though it's very good with beer.
Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
"Snack" is a cute word. Why not give it a cute image?
Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)?
Yes! Especially because you don't have to eat the thing in one go. Most snacks come in little boxes or resealable bags, so it's not a committment or a meal, just a tasty treat.
What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
Cute sells. That's it.
How long have you been eating Japanese snacks for?
since childhood
What are your favorite ones? Why?
Kasugai wasabe peas - they taste better than other wasabe peas...they don't taste like powder
Calbee potato chips, bbq flavored - these beat doritos, pringles, even the chilli cheetos!
Fried seaweed, regular and salted
How often do you eat Japanese snacks (besides the ones you like the most)?
3-4 times a year (I'm on a diet most of the time)
at present, none because I'm on a tight budget
Why do you eat Japanese snacks?
c.o.m.f.o.r.t. f.o.o.d.
Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
Either ones, but I keep extra for myself...O.I.N.K.!
Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
not when they're on the packaging of the little round crackers
i go for sanrio characters
Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the Us (or where you live in) Why or Why not?
I live in the UK, I would love it if there were more japanese stores here
What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
It wouldn't be a Japanese snack for me if it didn't come in a package with cute characters. It's part of the whole package for me.
: This is the 
* How long have you been eating Japanesesnacks for?
(Childhood? Recent addiction?)
Since childhood.
* What are your favorite ones? Why?
Rice crackers wrapped in seaweed
* How often do you eat them?
Every few months
* Why do you eat them?
They're crunchy, savory and I like how the seawood feels around my tongue.
* Do you usually eat them alone or share them?
I usually eat them alone (MINE ALL MINE.
* Do you find the cuteness of them appealing or not? How come?
The cuteness is appealing because its small and i can put several in my mouth.
* Do you find them more appealing than snacks in the US (or the country you live in)? Why or why not?
I find them more appealing because they're a greater range of flavors and textures.
* What kind of role do you think cuteness plays in selling Japanese snacks?
A huge role. Marketing is everything.
Posted by: Amy at December 10, 2005 3:29 PM [#]