It’s been a long, long time since I last posted a Kit-Kat Densetsu (photo posts about Japan’s near-infinite array of unusual Kit-Kat candy bars), but while I was in Tokyo last week I achieved the Kit-Kat equivalent of defeating the final boss. That, to me, warrants dusting this thing off.

So: As the internet’s original White Dude Struck With Awe At The Breadth Of Kit-Kats Available In Japan, when I learned that they would be selling limited-edition sushi-themed Kit-Kats while I happened to be in Tokyo, I absolutely had to get my hands on them. Thankfully friend of Retronauts and all around world-class host Kyle McLain helped me navigate the tricky waters involved here. Turns out they only made 500 of these, which are given out in limited quantities of about 30 per day, for people who spend ¥3000 ($25) or more at the Kit-Kat Valentine’s pop-up shop in Ginza (not the permanent one in Ikebukuro!). It’s not too difficult to spend $25 at the Kit-Kat shop, though. Everything they sell is marked up about 200%, since they’re packaged as premium gifts, and they had a few flavors I knew my wife would enjoy (including the Raspberry Champagne, wow). And so:

Yes, these are given to you in a leaf of some sort. (I don’t know what kind, I’m afraid.) Pretty posh!

Inside the leaf, they packed three Kit-Kat “nigiri.” The “rice” is a (slightly stale, I’m afraid) Rice Krispy treat. The nori is… well, it’s actually nori. I don’t think you’re actually meant to eat the seaweed, because it doesn’t really pair at all with the sweetened (not vinegared) puffed rice or the not-actually-fish-flavored “sushi.”

While it would be interesting if the Kit-Kats actually tasted like the sushi they’re meant to resemble (from left: Tamago/egg, uni/sea urchin, maguro/red tuna) we’re all very fortunate that the creators decided to go with more sensible fruit flavors.

The “egg” nigiri is, I believe, jackfruit. Maybe durian, I’m not entirely certain. It’s the least sweet of the trio, with the sort of earthy richness of jackfruit with sort of subtle, melon-like sweetness underneath. It’s a pretty convincing simulation of the flavor, actually. Sometimes Kit-Kat flavors require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but we were able to identify this one without being sure of its identity. I think.

The second nigiri, once liberated from its nori wrapper, turns out to be pumpkin-flavored. When I say “pumpkin-flavored,” I don’t mean “pumpkin spice.” I mean it actually tastes like pumpkin with a small hint of those spices, which is a rare and precious thing in confectionary. They should go nationwide with these.

And finally, it turns out raw tuna tastes like… raspberry. A different, richer kind of raspberry than the super-sugary take on the fruit you usually find in candy. (And a different kind of raspberry than the aforementioned Raspberry Champagne flavor, which is sweeter than this.)

Overall, these were some of the best Kit-Kats I’ve ever had. And the fact that they’re a limited, one-time experience really captures the innate Japanese love of the ephemeral… the “mono no aware” flavored Kit-Kat trio, in other words.