Average Reading Time: ~7 minutes
The world of Japanese snacks is huge and vast, and the same goes for chocolate here. We know that it can be overwhelming to think about what you or others might like when ordering from Japan. That’s why we want to take a moment to introduce you to some of the best and biggest Japanese chocolate brands!
We put together a list of brands with amazing products that we love (and that we sell here)! So read on to learn more!
Glico
From Osaka to the rest of the world, this one of the brands that has come to represent Japanese chocolate! Image via Instagram (@rhgaroyalhotelkyoto)
Let’s start our list off with the iconic brand from Osaka! Glico first started selling sweets way back in 1922, starting with a nutrition-fortified caramel candy that featured the iconic Glico Man on the box!
Nowadays, Glico is known for tons of amazing treats, but the ones that make them one of the top Japanese chocolate brands is their most iconic treat—Pocky! Glico's Pocky is a chocolate-covered biscuit stick that comes in a wide variety of delicious flavors.
However, they also produce other chocolate treats, like the ice cream-shaped Calpico, the tasty chocolate sandwich Bitte, and their mentally relaxing chocolate called GABA.
Meiji
Meiji was recently in the public eye for their Sailor Moon collab with all kinds of designs of the Sailor Scouts! Image via Instagram (@hobby_len4649)
Meiji is another long-standing snack maker, dating back to 1917! While their fruit juice Kajiru Gummies are extremely popular, they are probably most well-known for their classic Meiji chocolate bars, their nut-filled chocolates, strawberry-and-chocolate Apollo, and the Kinoko no Yama and Takenoko no Sato.
That being said, those are only a few lines within their huge lineup of chocolate, with there being 19 lines on their website! Our favorites are the Kinoko no Yama and Takenoko no Sato for their tasty cookie centers!
You may also know Meiji for their Hello Panda chocolate-filled shortbread treat. However, this product actually isn’t sold in Japan (anymore), only being available in other countries!
Morinaga
Some of the best Dars flavors feature a soft, nama chocolate-like center, like this Milk Tea flavor! Image via Instagram (@daidai_55)
Next up is yet another long-time powerhouse in the Japanese snack industry. Morinaga is even older than the other two, dating back to 1910, and having a huge line of products, including the famous Hi-Chew!
But we’re here to talk about chocolate. Morinaga is most well-known for their Dars series, which is a box that features smaller blocks of chocolate. Part of why people love Dars is because of the seasonal flavors which often feature two-flavor chocolates!
They also produce Chocoball, a chocolate ball with a flavored filling, Carre de Chocolat, a fancier chocolate with various fillings, and Koeda, chocolate sticks with puff pieces inside for a sweet crunch!
Bourbon
Alforts are a great snack item that make for a great gift. My family (especially my sweet toothed father) loves these treats! Image via Instagram (@takaiseika_0628)
No, we’re not talking about the alcohol. Bourbon is another big hitter in the snack industry, starting in 1924. While they have a really diverse range of products, the one that comes to mind when you say ‘Bourbon’ is the Alfort line. Alfort is a delicious chocolate with a cookie embedded right in it and it comes in tons of flavors if you include the seasonal flavors!
However, they’re also known for the Jaga Choco chocolate-covered chips, the chocolate-covered crispy crepe Lumando, their tasty chocolate brownie line and the bite-sized chocolates called Bit!
Royce’
Although most popular in winter, Royce' creates delicious nama chocolate in various flavors year-round, like this tasty Grapefruit Mango flavor! Image via Instagram (@royce_jp)
Royce’ (yes, the apostrophe is part of the name) is an amazing brand that we’ve talked about here before, but we had to mention them again here! This is a more recent Hokkaido chocolate brand, being established in 1983. With amazing quality, Royce’ has spread from Sapporo to the rest of the world.
While they have tons of products, including tasty matcha bar chocolate, "drinking chocolate" and chocolate-covered potato chips, their biggest product is Nama Chocolate. Their nama chocolate is similar to a ganache and it’s made in such a way that it just melts in your mouth!
Due to its low melting point, you have to get it to the refrigerator quickly in summer!
Ishiya
This simple yet iconic treat makes for a popular souvenir for those who visit Hokkaido. Partially because it's easy to share! Image via Instagram (@furusato_nippon)
Let’s stay on the Hokkaido chocolate train with Ishiya, a confectionery company that goes back to 1947. We’ve also talked about Ishiya before, but they’re too good to pass up! This brand is most famous for their Shiroi Koibito line, which includes several products, but most notably, the Shiroi Koibito langue de chat cookies that sandwich decadent white chocolate.
The line also includes white chocolate roll cakes, white chocolate pudding, white chocolate Baumkuchen cake and chocolate tablets. They also have the Saqu Langue de Chat cookie line and the Mifuyu chocolate wafer bar line!
Lotte Japan
The fun thing about Ghana is that, even in the same series, they have various ways to enjoy their chocolate, like these macaron-inspired ones in square, drop and ball forms! Image via Instagram (@termantak)
Lotte is our first company on the list that started outside of the country. This snack company came from South Korea to Japan way back in 1948 and has made a huge variety of products, including gum, chocolate, candy and ice cream. Even their chocolates have tons of variety.
Their Ghana line, which started in Japan and expanded to South Korea, is their main line and features tons of flavors as well as bars, fancy squares, filled chocolate bites and more!
They’re also the minds behind the Crunky chocolate with puffs, the chocolate-filled Pie no Mi, the koala-themed chocolate-filled shortbread Koala’s March, and the chocolate-stuffed pretzel sticks, Toppo.
Nestle Japan
The Japanese version of this famous treat has tons of variety that keeps them fun and interesting! Image via Instagram (@shinsuke.13)
We have another company that made its way to Japan from overseas. Nestle came to Japan from Europe way back in 1913, but wasn’t established as Nestle Japan until 1933. If we had to pick one item that represents Nestle Japan, it would be the Japanese Kit Kat, which has had tons of flavors over the years.
Supposedly, over 300 flavors have been created since it came to Japan from Japan's standard Kit Kat flavors to regional ones like Tokyo Island Lemon! While Hershey's (Kit Kat's producer in the US) is a bit averse to making new flavors due to production costs, Nestle Japan embrace the changes. This huge variety has made Kit Kat a representative of Japan’s chocolate game.
Yuraku
Black Thunder is another Japanese chocolate brand that embraces variety, with a new flavor, like these cookies and cream, coming out almost constantly! Image via Instagram (@black_thunder_0906)
Yuraku is another company that made a hugely popular Japanese chocolate treat that you’re sure to have seen before! Established in 1955, Yuraku started with producing wafers to be used for ice cream. However, they soon created their most popular hit product, Black Thunder!
Black Thunder is a tasty chocolate treat with a chocolate, cocoa cookie and plain biscuit center. They have tons of varieties and flavors and even include cakes and toast spreads! You may actually know this treat under a different name—Big Thunder, which is just a slightly larger version of the treat.
Some of our favorites include the Osaka-exclusive Caramel flavor, their Kyoto Matcha Chocolate flavor and the Tirol Milk collab flavor!
Yuraku actually makes fancier chocolates under their Deluxe Milk Chocolates line (although the line includes dark chocolate, white chocolate, cookies and more).
Fujiya
One of the great things about Fujiya's Look is that they have variety boxes that let you sample various flavors in one box, like this strawberry sampler! Image via Instagram (@waa.stagram)
Let’s look at another one of the OG Japanese chocolate brands. Fujiya dates back to 1910, selling cakes, but became an official company in 1938. Fujiya is actually best known for its Milky hard candy featuring their now-mascot Peko-chan. However, their chocolate lineup is nothing to scoff at.
First is their Milky chocolate, a chocolate square with a milky filling. They also have their Look series, which comes in either flavored chocolate pieces, like this strawberry chocolate, or chocolate drops with a variety of fillings, such as this matcha chocolate. They also make a character snacks, including Anpanman and Sanrio chocolates!
Mary’s Chocolate
Mary's Chocolate is actually the company that made these super cool Pokémon collab tins and designs for Valentine's Day 2025! Image via Instagram (@ancororiin)
This Japanese chocolate brand is actually a part of the greater Lotte group but is decidedly its own company with a long history. Mary’s Chocolate was established in Tokyo in 1950, becoming popular for high-quality chocolate, popularizing the idea of “real chocolate” here.
Even now, they make a variety of amazing chocolate, with their most popular products being their Fancy Chocolate line, their Fruit chocolate line, and their Mixed Chocolate boxes. However, their Millefeuille bars are also a much-loved treat (that our office absolutely demolished in one day).
Nanaya Sweets Factory
Nanaya is another company that has been really popular lately thanks to their matcha chocolates, a great gateway for folks to try matcha! Image via Instagram (@sacchi_matcha)
Nanaya is a tea and sweets shop located in Shizuoka, the prefecture known for both Mt. Fuji and being the producer of 40% of Japan’s green tea! It’s no wonder that Nanaya Sweets Factory, their online shop, has tons of green tea and green tea chocolates!
Their Premium Matcha 7 chocolate sticks are super popular and create a gradient from thick matcha to light matcha (plus a couple of hojicha options). Their Black Cup series is also a great way to sample this company’s chocolate as well. These cups feature flavors that range from white chocolate to light matcha to super bitter matcha.
Tirol
Tirol's nougat-filled chocolates are popular, but their mochi-like filling chocolates, like this caramel mochi one, has become super popular. Image via Instagram (@tirolchoco_official)
Tirol is the newest company on our list, only being established in 2004, but actually comes from the Matsuo Seika company which started in 1903. Tirol actually has a wide variety of snack products, but they’re bread and butter is in bite-sized chocolate.
Of course, there’s the classic Tirol chocolate, with either a coffee nougat or milk nougat based on whether you get the black (coffee) or white (milk) package. However, they’ve also branched out into the Milk line, which has a delicious milky center, the Bis Milk Choco with a biscuit center, and the cookies & cream White & Cookies version.
You can also find different limited-edition flavors, like kinako mochi, caramel mochi or the current Chiikawa Tin Chocolate collection!
Chocolate in Japan has tons of fun and tasty varieties and twists, like mochi fillings and regional exclusives. That's why we fully recommend trying Japanese chocolate! Image via Instagram (@miyuki_ribbon.358)
And that’s our list! We hope that you found some new suggestions and tasty ideas for your next chocolate shopping spree!
