In a bold move to appeal to fans of the famous snack and lovers of seafood, Nestle Japan has announced that they will sell a limited edition of seafood Kit Kats.
At a press conference yesterday, Nestle Japan’s Odd Flavors Manager Daisuke Warau announced that the seafood lineup would include clam, salmon, squid and prawn. He added that these fresh new tastes would be a nod to Japan’s long maritime history as well as a semi-sweet farewell to the current home of Tsukiji Fish Market, which is scheduled to move to a new location later this year.
“With this new lineup of Kit Kat flavors, we are paying homage to Japan’s long connection to the sea and to the storied location where fishermen have sold their catch for generations – also, to be honest, we were running out of ideas and this seemed like a good one at the time.”
Warau noted that this was not an entirely unprecedented snack trend, mentioning the occasional release of the “chocolate shrimp chip” collaboration between Lotte’s Ghana and Calbee’s Kappa Ebisen. However, he added that no other company had gone so far as to include small chunks of fish and seafood in their products. “This will be a truly unforgettable product,” adding as a warning that “customers might want to watch out for bones.”
The lineup will be sold in limited supplies at a pop up shop in Tsukiji’s Uogashi Yokocho starting on Saturday morning; lines have already begun forming in front of the temporary store. Asked why he had gotten up so early to join the rapidly growing queue, 24-year-old Hiroki Kurihashi said, “I’ve made it my mission to try every new flavor that Kit Kat has produced. I’ve been down to Okinawa to try purple sweet potato and up to Hokkaido to eat red bean. I have an entire wall in my apartment that I’ve turned into a giant Kit Kat display case. There’s no way I’m missing the chance to eat a squid Kit Kat!”
