Halloween isn’t just about trick-or-treating in Japan! There are big Halloween street parties in public squares and parks like the Scramble crossing at Shibuya. There are even Halloween train parties where the normally quiet train cars get filled to the brim by people dressed in all sorts of wild costumes. But the best thing about All Hallows' Eve in Japan is the yummy Japanese Halloween candy and treats!
Let's jump right in!
- Halloween Kit Kats
- Halloween Starbucks
- Halloween Donuts
- Halloween Ice Cream
- Halloween Puku Puku Tai
- Aoki’s Zombie Pizza
- Marukawa Halloween Candy
- Halloween Character Snacks & Candy
- Halloween Pocky and Pretz
- Halloween Dagashi
Halloween candy and snacks in Japan are on a different level from those that you get in the US. Japan is a country that loves to eat with the seasons, so when All Hallows Eve comes rolling around, almost all the big Japanese snack and food companies come up with the most unique Halloween treats.
Grab a candy bucket and say goodbye to boring chocolate bars and regular lollipops. We’re going on a little Halloween adventure to check out the tastiest Halloween candy and snacks in Japan!
1. Halloween Kit Kats
In the US, Kit Kats might be considered regular chocolates, but in Japan, they’re extra special treats. Because of their lucky-sounding name (Kit Kat sounds a lot like the phrase “kitto katsu” in Japan, which means “you’ll definitely win”) these chocolate-coated wafer treats have been welcomed with open arms in Japan. Now, Japanese Kit Kat has more than 300 flavors in its roster!
There are seasonal Kit Kats, collaboration Kit Kats, alcoholic Kit Kats, souvenir Kit Kats - Japanese Kit Kats have all the flavors of the rainbow. During Halloween, Kit Kat has special Kit Kat packages decorated with spooky monsters and ghosts! These Kit Kats have special Halloween flavors too like apple pie, apple cinnamon, and Satsumaimo or sweet potato (which is a popular autumn flavor in Japan).
2. Halloween Starbucks
Earlier, we mentioned how Japan loves eating with the seasons. The Japanese believe in the tradition of shun, which means eating local, seasonal ingredients that are at the peak of their flavor. Following this tradition, Japanese Starbucks loves creating new flavors for every season, like sakura-themed drinks for spring and winter-themed goodies for Christmas.
In autumn, Starbucks Japan releases fun, exciting new Halloween-themed flavors for coffee-lovers to enjoy. During Halloween 2022, Starbucks released the Purple Frappuccino, a dark violet drink that tastes like Japanese purple sweet potatoes. In 2024, Starbucks fans got the Mela Mela Frappuccino, a magical-looking drink that had red and blue hues that resemble dancing flames!
3. Halloween Donuts
Like Starbucks, Mister Donuts in Japan follows the tradition of shun and releases exciting limited-edition creations during each new season. During Halloween, the beloved donut shop releases kooky and spooky-looking donuts for its fans. Some of its Halloween creations include the White Fashion Cat donut, the Black French Cat, the Pon de Choco Devil, Strawberry Franken, and Choco Zaku Wolf. Each year, Mr. Donut comes up with something new for Halloween, so there's always something to look forward to!
Besides Mr. Donuts, Krispy Kreme in Japan also usually creates fun Halloween donuts during the season of spookers. Back in 2024, Japanese Krispy Kreme released a set of “scary-cute” donut characters. There was the Pumpkin Jack Caramel donut with caramel cream center, the White Chocolate Skull inspired by skull heads, the Spider Choco Custard, which was a fan-favorite in 2023, and then the Purple Sweet Potato Monster which features the popular Japanese autumn flavor, sweet potato.
4. Halloween Ice Cream
In Japan, Baskin-Robbins usually joins in the fun during everyone’s favorite spooky season. Each year, the ice cream shop comes up with unique Halloween-themed creations. There's the Funky Franken, a limited-edition Halloween flavor inspired by Frankenstein's monster. Vampire's Snack is another Halloween-only flavor which has is made up of blood orange-flavored sherbert mixed with Grand Marnier liqueur. Witches' Trick is another spooktacular flavor made up of red apple, grape, and white sherbet.
5. Halloween Puku Puku Tai
If you’re a lover of Japanese snacks and Japanese candy, then you’re probably familiar with Puku Puku Tai. This yummy wafer treat filled with aerated chocolate is inspired by taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped cake dessert. During Halloween, Puku Puku Tai releases a special, spooky, limited-edition treat called the Zombie Black Currant. One side of the fish is grey while the other looks sea green. Its filling tastes just like black currant!
Want to nab kooky Halloween snacks from Japan for trick-or-treat? Then check out Japan Candy Box. No tricks, just the spookiest Japanese Halloween candy & treats!
6. Aoki’s Zombie Pizza
Hopping in on the horrific bandwagon during Halloween, Japanese pizza chain Aoki's Pizza offers a limited-edition pizza during All Hallows Eve. Called the Zombino of Hell Pizza, this grotesque-looking dish is topped with realistic eyeballs, bloody-looking goo, and zombie fingers that look like they're going to drag you into hell. The pizza doesn't just look scary, it tastes scary too. It's a super spicy pie doused with habanero sauce and littered with tons of jalapenos. Eat it if you dare!
7. Marukawa Halloween Candy
Marukawa is a manufacturer of kooky Japanese gums. The company has a lot of fun and unique gums that you can share with your friends during Halloween! There's the Marukawa Mysterious Witch Gum, which lets you mix flavors together. The Markuwa Witch Color Change gum series can paint your tongue into different flavors. You can also paint your tongue different colors with Marukawa’s Frank no Moto gum ball,s which feature Frankenstein in its packaging!
8. Halloween Character Snacks & Candy
Japan loves its kawaii characters that’s why it should come as no surprise that when the spooky season comes rolling in, cuties like Kuromi, Gudetama, and the Sumikko Gurashi come trick-or-treating! During All Hallows’ Eve you’ll find a lot of iconic characters on the packaging of Japanese Halloween candy and snacks. They’ll be dressed as ghosts, oni (Japanese monsters), witches, and other fun Halloween characters!
9. Halloween Pocky and Pretz
Pocky and Pretz biscuit sticks are a staple in the Japanese snack community. These crunchy biscuit sticks are so popular that you see them everywhere in Japan, from popular school games to anime series to Japanese shows. During Halloween, Glico, the manufacturer of Pocky and Pretz, releases fun new Halloween packs for fans to share with family and friends. The flavors aren’t extraordinary but the packaging showcases a ton of monsters and spirits that go perfectly with the spooky season.
10. Halloween Dagashi
Dagashi are brightly colored Japanese snacks and candies that are affordable enough for children to buy with pocket money. During Halloween, dagashi snack and candy companies come up with spooky treats to fit the occasion. Lots of parents buy these inexpensive Japanese Halloween candy and treats to give away to kids during parties. You can buy these treats in dagashi packs so you can share them with your friends!
Okay, so we’ve come to the end of our haunted food trip. These are some of the spookiest, kookiest, and tastiest Halloween candy and treats that you can find in the dark corners of Japan. Which Japanese Halloween candy are you brave enough to try? Don’t be afraid to share your Japanese Halloween snack stories in the comment section below. We promise, we won’t bite (or will we?) mwahahahhaa!
