Spring is one of the sweetest seasons in Japan! Once the temperature starts getting a bit warmer and sakura blossoms begin budding on cherry trees, everyone goes outside to celebrate hanami! This flowery Japanese tradition involves sakura viewing parties filled with laughter, drinks, and, of course, the tastiest sakura food to share with your family and friends.
Like the pink, fluttery flowers that last only for a week, sakura season in Japan is fleeting. That’s why it’s meant to be enjoyed to the fullest by celebrating hanami! And what would a hanami be without the tastiest sakura treats to nibble on while sitting underneath the cherry trees?
Let's Jump Right In!
- Sakura Kit Kats
- Sakura Pocky
- Sakura Caramel Corn
- Sakura Potato Chips
- Sakura Shrimp Crackers
- Sakura Rice Crackers
- Sakura Candy
- Sakura Donuts
- Sakura Mochi
- Hanami Dango
- Sakura Starbucks Drinks
To prepare you for the season, we’ve compiled a list of some of the yummiest sakura snacks that you can find in Japan. Some are sweet, some are a bit savory, but all of them are worth the sakura hype!
1. Sakura Kit Kats
Serious Japanese snack lovers know that there are hundreds and hundreds of Japanese Kit Kat flavors. That’s why it should come as no surprise that during spring, Nestle Japan offers a special assortment of Sakura Kit Kats that you can nibble on while watching the cherry trees bloom!
There's the regular Sakura Kit Kat, which is only available during the spring. You can also find Sakura Mochi Kit Kat, a treat made to imitate a traditional Japanese dessert made with glutinous rice, red bean paste, and sakura leaves. Sakura Kinako Kit Kat, on the other hand, combines sakura flowers with kinako or roasted soybean powder.
If you're looking for something that screams Japan in every single way, there's also Sakura Matcha Kit Kat, which combines two iconic Japanese flavors. Last but not least is the Sakura Sake Kit Kat. They're slightly alcoholic, which makes them a great treat to eat if you want to toast the coming of spring!
On the prowl for rare Japanese Kit Kats? With Japan Candy Box, you get the chance to taste all sorts of rare, tasty, limited-edition Japanese Kit Kats. Oishi!
2. Sakura Pocky
Imagine this: you're a cute Japanese schoolgirl headed back home in the afternoon, sakura blossoms are fluttering all around you, and you're nibbling on special spring-time Pocky. Like Nestle Japan, Glico releases a bunch of sakura-flavored Pocky during spring, for everyone to enjoy during their hanami. Pocky biscuit sticks make great sakura picnic treats because you can always share them with your friends.
What sakura flavors does Pocky have? Well, first up is regular Sakura Pocky which lets you have a taste of Japan's delicate cherry blossoms. Then there's Mousse Sakura Pocky which is dipped in thick and floral sakura chocolate. Glico also has Sakura Almond Pocky, which combines sakura chocolate with crushed almonds.
Last but not least is Sakura Matcha Pocky! This one's a bit different from the others since each stick is made with sakura dough. It's coated in slightly bitter matcha, which complements the subtle sweetness of the sakura. Oishi!
3. Sakura Caramel Corn
Loved by Japanese snackers ever since it was released in 1971, Tohato Caramel Corn is a brand of light, airy corn puffs that are normally coated in a buttery caramel glaze. Tohato has a bunch of fun and unique flavors that come out during each season. That includes a couple of special spring-time releases.
First up is the Sakura Cherry flavor. This limited-edition Caramel Corn is bright pink with a super fragrant sakura cherry aroma to it. Tohato also has Sakura Milk Caramel Corn which combines the mellow creaminess of milk with the delicate taste of cherry blossoms.
4. Sakura Potato Chips
Potato chips are meant for sharing during sakura picnics! Hoping to join in the joyfulness of the season, Japanese snack companies have come up with fun sakura-flavored chips to pass around the hanami picnic circle.
Calbee has the limited-edition Sakura Butter chips in the "Taste of Japan Line." It also has Sakura Pepper Chips. Sadly, these chips are only available in certain areas of Japan during the springtime. If you're looking for a more familiar brand, Japanese Lays also has a limited-edition sakura flavor, which is subtly sweet and salty.
5. Sakura Shrimp Crackers
It might be a bit hard to imagine delicate sakura flowers and umami-filled shrimp together, but somehow, Calbee makes it work with its popular shrimp cracker brand, Kappa Ebisen. In Japanese, the special flavor is called Sakuraebi, which combines the Japanese word for cherry flowers, "sakura," with the Japanese word for shrimp, "ebi." It's sweet, salty, savory, and surprisingly really addictive!
6. Sakura Rice Crackers
Hoping to join the hanami but worried about your diet? Well then, you can snack on special sakura-flavored senbei or Japanese rice crackers. These light and healthy treats have sakura powder kneaded into the dough before cooking, so you can taste the subtle sweetness of cherry blossoms with every bite!
7. Sakura Candy
If you have a serious sweet tooth, there are a lot of different Japanese candy brands that offer special sakura flavors during the springtime. There are the flower-shaped Hello Kitty Sakura Candy from Senjaku. Asahi has limited-edition sakura mints from Mintia. You can also find special gummies from Orion that taste just like white peach and sakura combined.
8. Sakura Donuts
Who doesn't love a good donut during a picnic? During springtime, Japanese donut companies come up with elaborate limited-edition sakura flavors for hanami lovers. In 2025, Mister Donut came up with 4 special sakura-flavored donuts. The Sakura Mochitto Kuroso Kinako donut is chewy, nutty, and sweet. Meanwhile, the Sakura Mochitto Strawberry Custard donut had a sakura glaze and a filling made of custard and strawberry!
We know that Krispy Kreme isn't a Japanese company, but in Japan, the donut shop loves joining in the sakura season madness! For 2026, Krispy Kreme is offering a Sakura Cream donut overflowing with a cherry blossom filling. It's coated in a special ruby chocolate glaze and topped with shaved sakura chocolate bits.
9. Sakura Mochi
Looking for a traditional Japanese sakura snack? Then you have to try sakura mochi. This wagashi (traditional Japanese confection) is a pink-colored rice cake that's usually wrapped in a pickled sakura leaf. It's sweet, it's pink, and it's filled with anko or red bean paste.
There are two major types of sakura mochi. The Kanto Style in Tokyo is known as the Chomeiji mochi, and it looks like a bit of a rolled crepe pancake. The second one is the Kansai Style of sakura mochi, which is also known as the Domyojimochi. It's round and looks more like a rice cake than the Kanto Style one!
10. Hanami Dango
You've probably seen this colorful treat in anime series and in Japanese dramas. As the name implies, Hanami Dango is a special traditional dessert made especially for cherry blossom viewings during the spring. Made with rice flour and silken tofu, these ball-shaped wagashi are skewered on sticks.
They traditionally come in three colors! Pink to represent sakura buds, white to represent sakura in full bloom, and green to represent leafy cherry blossoms after they've fallen! Hanami Dango is one of the best treats to eat while strolling underneath the sakura trees!
Bonus: Sakura Starbucks Drinks
We wouldn’t want to leave you thirsty after you’ve drooled over all the tasty sakura snacks in this list! So we decided to let you in on a little secret - Starbucks Japan also offers specialty sakura drinks every year during cherry blossom season!
For 2026, Starbucks Japan has a tasty trio. There's the highlight drink, the Sakura Blooming White Peach Frappuccino. It's a layered frap which combines together a white peach-based blend with white peach jelly, milk pudding, and cherry blossom sauce. It also has two-toned sakura chocolate toppings!
The second drink is a Sakura Blooming Latte, which pairs the comforting taste of cherry blossoms with milk. It's finished with sakura-inspired toppings and chocolate sauce. Last but not least is Sakura Blooming White Peach Soda. It's a refreshing drink option that has white peach soda as a base, blended with notes of sakura, lavender, cassis, and vanilla!
Alrightee! We hope you enjoyed our Japanese snackfest today! Which sakura snack do you want to try the most? Want to gobble down some sakura Kit Kats? Or maybe you're curious about sakura shrimp crackers? Whatever it is, feel free to share away in the comment section below. We're down to snack with you!
