Crazy for Kit-Kats

Kitto Katsu! 

I've been dying to travel to Japan for years and for a multitude of reasons. I want to tour the Tsukiji Fish Market, sample blowfish,  photograph cherry-blossom season, meet Kogepan,  and do some serious retail damage at Omotesando Hills.  But my reason du jour is to eat a Kit Kat bar. The Soy Sauce flavored Kit Kat bar, in particular.

Nestle's Kit-Kat bars are the leading confectionery brand in Japan, and the Soy-Sauce Kit-Kat is the top selling flavor, out of a vast array of flavors.  Ad Age reports: " Kit Kat varieties now range from yubari melon and baked corn from Hokkaido island to green beans and cherries from Tohoku in northeastern Japan to uzu fruit and red potatoes from Kyushu island at the southern-most tip of the country. The Kanto region, including Tokyo, contributed the sweet potato, blueberry and kinako (soybean) flavors."

These varieties of the brand were developed for the palates of specific regions in Japan and only sold in those respective markets. So, the only way to taste them is to book a flight!

For kicks, I've included a a list of all the crazy kinds of Kit-Kats (standard bars)  that are out there in the world, courtesy of my wise, knowledgeable, and dependable friend, Wikipedia:

1. Kit Kat Original — (different taste and texture in different countries)
2. Pickled Plum — Japan
3. Bubblegum — Japan (made with blue chocolate)
4. Mango — Japan (made with yellow chocolate)
5. Rose: Japan
6. Lemon vinegar — Japan
7. Kit Kat Fine Dark — UK, Spain & Germany variant of Kit Kat Dark Chocolate
8. Kit Kat Cacao 61% — Japan (newer version of Kit Kat Bitter with 61% cocoa content)
9. Kit Kat Sakura (Cherry blossom) — Japan —
10. Kit Kat Cacao 72% — Japan — dark chocolate petits with 72% cocoa content
11. Kit Kat White Creme — US permanent edition (current version of US Kit Kat White made with vegetable oil based candy coating rather than pure white chocolate)
12. Kit Kat White — Japan & Spain
13. Kit Kat Iced Tea — Japan
14. Kit Kat Wasabi — Japan
15. Kit Kat Caramel and Salt — Japan
16. Kit Kat Cucumber — Japan
17. Kit Kat Kinako (soybean flour) — Japan
18. Kit Kat Wa Guri (Chestnut flavour) — Japan
19. Kit Kat Green Tea (Matcha) — Japan
20. Kit Kat Milky White — Germany variant of Kit Kat White Chocolate
21. Kit Kat Mint — UK permanent edition, US limited edition (mint flavoured milk chocolate coating)
22. Kit Kat Mint Chocolate — Australia (mint green colour wafers)
23. Kit Kat Apple — Japan
24. Kit Kat Orange — UK permanent edition, US, Japan, Malaysia limited edition.
25. Kit Kat International Recipe — Malaysia, Singapore and selected East Asian countries (the chocolate was made from Ghana cocoa beans and thus had the tendency to melt down very easily when compared to Kit Kat Original)
26. Kit Kat Café Latte with Hokkaidō Milk — Japan
27. Kit Kat Kiwifruit — Japan
28. Kit Kat Strawberry — Japan
29. Kit Kat Peach — Japan
30. Kit Kat Caramac — UK
31. Kit Kat Chocolate Overload — Australia (milk chocolate outside, chocolate creme filling and chocolate wafers)
32. Kit Kat Gold — Japan — petits with fudge-like covering and dusted cocoa powder on outside
33. Kit Kat Noisette (Hazelnut) — Germany
34. Kit Kat Lite — India — two finger bar with 50% less sugar
35. Kit Kat Carb Alternatives — US (low carbohydrate version with 50% less sugar)
36. Kit Kat Low Carb — UK
37. Kit Kat Cantaloupe — Japan
38. Kit Kat Pineapple — South Africa
39. Kit Kat Cappuccino — Poland and UK
40. Kit Kat Triple Berry — Japan
41. Kit Kat Mango — Japan
42. Kit Kat Azuki (red bean) — Japan
43. Kit Kat Green Grape Muscat — Japan[19]
44. Kit Kat Caramel Macchiato — Japan (September 2008)[20]
45. Kit Kat Zunda — Japan (only in Yamagata and Miyagi prefecture,mashed edamame beans)
46. Kit Kat Beet — Japan (only in Hokkaido prefecture)
47. Kit Kat Hascapp (Hokkaido blueberry) — Japan (only in Hokkaido prefecture)
48. Kit Kat Soy Sauce — Japan "Tokyo Limited Edition"
49. Kit Kat Yakimorokoshi (grilled corn) — Japan (only in Hokkaido prefecture)
50. Kit Kat Jyagaimo — Japan (only in Hokkaido prefecture, potato)
51. Kit Kat Daigakuimo (candied sweet potato) — Japan
52. Kit Kat Pepper: Japan
53. Kit Kat Kobe pudding — Japan "Kobe Limited Edition"
54. Kit Kat Houjicha (Japanese roasted tea) — Japan
55. Kit Kat Kokuto (black sugar) — Japan
56. Kit Kat Watermelon and Salt — Japan
57. Kit Kat Pumpkin — Japan
58. Kit Kat Edamame — Japan
59. Kit Kat Banana — Canada
60. Kit Kat Lemon Chocolate — Japan (Valentine's limited edition)
61. Kit Kat Cookies & Chocolate — Japan
62. Kit Kat Cookies PLUS — Japan
63. Kit Kat Dark Chocolate — Italy
64. Kit Kat White Chocolate — Italy
65. Kit Kat Apple Vinegar — Japan
66. Kit Kat Veggie — Japan [19]
67. Kit Kat Ginger Ale — Japan
68. Kit Kat Ramune — Japan

Via: Ad Age
Photo: Inventorspot.com