Japanese KitKats get a new regional flavor, straight from a Tokyo island

It’s been a while since we last saw a new KitKat flavor in Japan, but now that the country is reopening to tourists from next month, a new regional flavor has appeared, celebrating a specialty from Ogasawara Town, located in Tokyo’s Ogasawara island chain.

Despite being miles away from Tokyo — literally — Ogasawara, on the island of Chichijima, is still part of the metropolis.

The Ogasawara island chain is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that isn’t easy to get to, as it can only be accessed from the mainland by boat, with the journey taking 24 hours one way. However, we can all now enjoy a taste of the region thanks to the new KitKat, which is made with “island lemons”, an Ogasawara specialty.

Island lemons were first cultivated in Ogasawara in 1973, and are harvested from September to October every year while the skin is still green, as that’s when they’re sweet and prime for eating as-is. The fruit, which is around 1.5 times the size of a regular lemon and has a more rounded shape, is characterised by a mellow sourness and refreshing aroma, and is ideal for processing into jellies and jams, and as an ingredient in confectionery. In Ogasawara, locals love to add the juice as a mixer with water and shochu (a clear alcoholic spirit), calling it “mizu lemon” (“water lemon”).

The little-known island lemon is now getting its time in the sun as the star ingredient in the new “Tokyo Island Lemon” KitKat. Made by kneading island lemon juice powder (equivalent to 0.6 percent juice) into cream, which is then sandwiched in between the wafers, the new KitKats are said to have a refreshing sweetness.

▼ The chocolate itself has a hue that resembles the green skin of island lemons.

The new release contains ten mini KitKats, packaged in a box with an all-new “modern Japanese design." This new design style is being introduced on all 10 of the regional-exclusive KitKats currently on the market, making them look totally different than before.

While we’re not sure whether we like the new designs, we are looking forward to trying the new Tokyo Island Lemon KitKats when they’re released in the Tokyo area on October 3.

Source, images: PR Times

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