Anime, Games, and Snacks - Pop Culture in Japan's Snack Scene!
It’s no secret that anime and gaming are two foundational, world-renowned aspects of Japanese culture that are some of the biggest points of interest for both people in and outside of Japan. So when it comes to the world of Japanese snacks and food, it’s common for people to see collaborations between their favorite characters and series as well as their favorite snack brands, so let’s dive in and take a look at the world of these collaborations in Japan!
In Japan, both the anime and entertainment industry is as massive as the snack industry itself, so from a marketing perspective it’s a match made in heaven for both worlds to collide. Often times, special edition anime snacks are made as tie-ins for new seasons or releases in a certain franchise, such as the recent convenience store collaborative food items showcasing Pokemon to promote the series’ new title Pokemon Legends: ZA. Companies will also create special flavors that are in some way related to the IP being marketed, but with the biggest point often being the packaging showcasing characters and key art from anime and games. These often limited-time runs also draw more attention and excitement for the series being promoted.
In addition to snacks, there are a myriad of anime and video game related products that allow fans to casually enjoy their favorite series while also picking up a small treat. One of these iconic convenience store staples is what’s called a collection card gum, which is a small package that contains a piece of gum and one to two random, collectible cards featuring characters from a popular anime or game franchise. In addition to gum, there are also collection wafers and other snacks, with the “collectible” in each varying between cards, magnets, stickers, and more. Some of these also spark the collection side of fandoms by having different rarities in the kind of designs you can pull, making them similar to blind boxes or trading card packs but with an edible bonus.
Anime and gaming food collaborations also take the form of collaboration cafes and regional items as well, with franchises often opening limited-time pop-up restaurants to promote new installments or seasons, occasionally also collaborating with existing restaurants to do the same as well. Some regions in Japan will also collaborate with characters to promote tourism to certain areas, with that same character or franchise appearing on regional snacks and limited-time goods. Social media popularity also plays a huge role in expanding the reach of these goods and collaborations, as fans often take to social media just to catalogue the items and scoop many up for their own collections.
Whether it be in the form of a restaurant, a snack, a pre-packed meal or simply a collectible card or wafer, anime and gaming goods are a quintessential, foundational part of both Japanese culture and the Japanese snack scene as a whole. While many of these may be particularly rare outside of Japan, we have you covered, as Oyatsu Mart ships goods directly from the manufacturer in Japan to wherever you are in the world! Check out our full lineup of anime and gaming goods here so you can experience this iconic part of Japan for yourself.
