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Ten snacks that are easy to find in Japan, hard to find elsewhere, and actually worth the shipping cost. Ranked loosely by how strongly we would recommend them to someone who has never bought Japanese snacks before.
1. Seasonal Kit Kat
The flagship example of Japan-only flavour rotation. Quality varies wildly by flavour; the regional ones are usually better than the novelty ones.
2. Jagarico
A potato stick that behaves like a crisp and a chip at the same time. Travels well.
3. Umaibo
Cheap, enormous flavour range, and the closest thing Japan has to a national snack mascot.
4. Pocky, but the good ones
The standard bars are everywhere. The thicker, single-origin and seasonal lines are the reason to buy from Japan.
5. Karinto
Fried dough with brown sugar. Old-fashioned, extremely good, almost never exported.
6. Shrimp crackers
Better than the version you already know, mostly because of texture.
7. Konjac jelly pouches
Not chocolate, not crisps, and one of the best things in a Japanese convenience store.
8. Black thunder
An industrial chocolate bar with a cult following and a price that makes no sense.
9. Senbei from a real shop
Mass-market senbei is fine. Shop-made senbei is a different snack entirely.
10. Whatever is on the seasonal endcap
The single best rule for buying snacks in Japan: whatever is stacked at the end of the aisle is new, and new things are usually the interesting ones.
Shipping notes
Chocolate in summer is a mistake. Crackers and dry snacks are safe year-round.