10 Japanese Reactions To Classic American Candy

We brought a bunch of nostalgic American candy to Tokyo for our Japanese colleagues to try. They didn't really like it!

1. Jelly Belly Beer Flavored Jelly Beans

These are jelly beans that are supposed to taste like beer. Some of the folks who tried them were fans of beer, some of them didn't like beer at all, but one thing everyone agreed about was that they thought these were awful and tasted pretty gross!

Aki: "This is SO WEIRD and I hate it. Possibly because I hate beer."

Mayumi: "So ... this tasted like flat old beer in the bottom of a can."

2. Payday Peanut Caramel Bar

The reactions to the Payday "peanut caramel" treat were similarly mixed. People liked the first bite, but then hated how ridiculously sweet the candy bar was.

Asami: "Honestly, this was pretty tasty, but there was so much sugar in it that there's no way I'd be able to finish a whole one."

3. Flix Candy Box Of Boogers

These are gummy candies that are supposed to look and feel just like real boogers! Why would anyone want that? Very, very difficult to say. But possibly because the whole "boogers" element of the candy was lost in translation, most people blandly enjoyed these.

Daichi: "To be honest, this one is terrible. Just sweet, and… that’s it."

"Why the hell are some American foods green or purple? These are not colors that make me think something's going to be tasty."

4. Pearson's Nut Goodies

The nut roll – which largely consists of milk chocolate, peanuts, and nougat – had a similar reaction to the Payday. Good, but too sweet to eat the whole thing.

Misato: "After the disappointment of the beer gummies, which just tasted like beer, these nut rolls were fucking amazing!"

5. 100 Grand

100 Grand is chewy caramel milk chocolate, with some crunchy bits in it, and it went over about as well as the Payday and the Nut roll. Something of a theme is developing here – American candy is just too sugary to live.

Sumire: The first bite was rich and tasted so good! But then I realized how sweet it was and couldn’t finish it.

Hikaru: “After the first bite I felt like I was in danger of getting fat. I could only eat half, but if I ate the whole thing I think I would be wide-awake from the sweetness. but it was really good."

6. Butter Corn Gummi Candy

Boy, everyone HATED this stuff! Yikes. It's a gummy candy that is supposed to taste like buttery popcorn, but it was universally reviled by our elite team of American-candy-tasting professionals.

Aki: "This is really, deeply strange. The smell is of popcorn, but the taste is .....oil? Or butter. I don't understand this candy at all. If people want to eat popcorn, they should eat actual popcorn."

7. Lemonheads

Finally, we had a hit on our hands. The Lemonheads, which are sweet, with a hint of lemony sourness, were the perfect antidote to the sugary-sweet chocolate bars no one could finish and the novelty popcorn flavors nobody liked.

Daichi: "Yummy! I love it!"

「これ大好き！」

Aki: "I love this!!!"

8. Toxic Waste Sour Candy

Described as "hazardously sour candy" these hard candies lived up to their name, "Toxic Waste." Nobody liked them, though one person was mysteriously unaffected by their agonizingly sour taste.

Yuria: "This was sour, tasted bad, and I literally couldn't stop drooling. I was so relieved when it became sweet. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to eat something that sour any longer."

Daisuke: "I have never tried any real toxic waste, but I believe that it would taste roughly like this."

Rumi: Uh? It' not sour at all ......😀 !? Oh, wait a second ....... 😩!?!?

THE QUICKEST WAY TO DEATH. 😇

Aki: "THIS IS DANGEROUS!!!!!"

Emi: "This candy tastes like an acidic, science lab experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong."

Mayumi: "I didnt feel anything! LOL. Apparently, it's extremely acidic or something, but I just didn't feel any taste at all. Just a bit of lemon flavor but it was not at all strong for me. Disappointing, frankly."

9. Dip-N-Lik Sweet Fire Sriracha Popping Candy

A spicy Sriracha-flavored sugar powder that you dip a lollipop into. The sugar pops in your mouth. It's really an all-around flavor experience that is probably trying to do way too much at once.

Akari: "I thought it smelled kinda spicy, but it tasted like strawberry and was surprisingly pretty good. It reminded me of my childhood when I would have those candies that explode in your mouth."

10. Big League Chew Bubble Gum

Classic, all-American, baseball-themed bubble gum. This was the biggest hit of the day.

Aki: I like this! Even though I tried to blow a big bubble with it and failed."

Emi: "After the horrible experience of the toxic waste candy, the bubble gum tobacco tastes like sweet, innocent, childhood memories."

In conclusion, American candies are either too sweet, too sour, taste too much like butter, taste too much like flat beer, or ... they're Lemonheads. Which are perfect. The one thing we can agree upon across this ocean that divides us is that Lemonheads, with their slightly sweet / slightly sour vibes, are the perfect American candy.

~ FIN ~