Kit Kat in Japan
Hundreds of limited editions and a lucky charm turned emblem of the edible souvenir.
- Original brand
- Kit Kat (created 1935, UK)
- Maker in Japan
- Nestlé Japan
- Launch in Japan
- 1973
- Wordplay
- "Kitto katsu": you will surely win
- Flavors released
- Several hundred editions
In Japan, the famous Kit Kat chocolate bar, originally created in the United Kingdom, has taken on a dimension unique in the world. The country has become the brand's innovation laboratory, with hundreds of different flavors launched over the years: matcha tea, sweet potato, wasabi, sake, strawberry and melon.
This success owes much to a happy linguistic coincidence: "Kit Kat" resembles the Japanese expression "kitto katsu" (きっと勝つ), which means "you will surely win." The treat has thus become a lucky charm, offered in particular to students before their exams, and a regional souvenir prized by travelers.
A lucky charm by linguistic accident
Kit Kat arrived in Japan in the early 1970s, distributed locally by Nestlé. The brand owes part of its popularity to a coincidence: pronounced the Japanese way, "Kit Kat" evokes "kitto katsu," an encouragement roughly meaning "you will surely succeed."
From the 2000s, it became customary to give Kit Kats to high-school and university students the night before entrance exams, often tucking a small note of encouragement into the wrapper. Nestlé even worked with the Japanese postal service to offer a card-style pack that can be mailed like a letter.
The flavor factory and the regional souvenir
Japan has become Kit Kat's most creative playground. Since the first strawberry flavor in 2000, the brand has launched an avalanche of tastes, many of them playing the unexpected card: matcha, red bean, purple sweet potato, sake, wasabi or Hokkaido melon.
This strategy leans on the Japanese concept of the local souvenir, omiyage: each region offers its own exclusive editions, bought as travel gifts. Nestlé has also opened upscale Kit Kat Chocolatory boutiques and now makes some of its Japanese bars with plastic-free wrapping, using a paper that can be folded into origami.