Nippon snacks

baby crab snacks. Narita Airport, Tokyo

No secret that the Japanese have a wonderful obsession with snacking. Actually, relative to the monolithic meal model of Americans, much of the rest of the world "snacks" all day. I'm not going to argue the health benefits of that, but the smaller meals also results in a diversity that can be mind boggling. One blog in particular, Japanese Snack Reviews, does just that: reviews a different Japanese snack each post. It's wondrously entertaining, and I encounter things like Mango Chocolate. Of course, on my recent layover in Japan, I had to see what was available.

Jewel-like bean paste filled snacks.

Cake decoration of a different level.

Cold Stone Creamery here attends to the lower lactose tolerance of the Asian populace. 

Masterful and meticulous packaging.

I think these are plastic replicas, but they're so good, I couldn't tell. 

Small cakes in the form of baby chicks. 

No secret that the Japanese have this odd obsession with KitKat. Here's Green Tea flavor.