Flavored Kit Kats the rage in Japan

Wasabi, green tea and sake aren’t just foods in Japan, they’re also a few of the more than 300 flavors of Kit Kats offered in the country.

While the wafer-and-chocolate snacks have been available for more than four decades, recent offerings — from custard pudding to ginger — have made the nation the go-to destination for picking up odd variations of the candy bar.

They’re so popular among tourists that Nestle is building its first Kit Kat factory in 26 years to meet booming demand.

It’s no surprise, then, that Japan boasts the world’s second-largest consumption of Kit Kats, behind the US.

Nestle Japan will start operating a second factory in the western city of Himeji in August, dedicated to making upscale, pricier versions of the snack.

That’s probably a safe bet, thanks to Japan’s tourism boom. Spending by visitors surged to a record $22.5 billion in the six months through June, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

They’re also spending more on confections, with candy consumption more than tripling over the past four years to almost $13 billion in 2016, according to the Ministry of the Environment.

“We have Kit Kat back in Germany, but it’s not the same,” said backpacker Matt Borscak, 34. “The cultural touch makes it interesting. I bought a few packs of the wasabi ones, and I can’t wait to shock my friends.”

A popular destination for fans of the snack is the Kit Kat Chocolatory in an underground shopping center connected to Tokyo Station, where Nestle sells high-end flavors that can fetch more than 1,500 yen ($13.50) per package.

Boxes of gourmet seasonal flavors like raspberry and grapefruit — with some costing as much as more than 10 times a regular bag of Kit Kats — are stacked across a counter, wrapped in gold paper.