Must-Try Snacks at the Japanese Convenience Store & Supermarket

Any Japanese travel itinerary is going to be absolutely packed with sightseeing, shopping, and exploration, and your travel schedule is likely to fill up fast. But amid all the excitement, there’s one thing you simply can’t skip: the joy of eating! Japan is famous for its endless array of delicious restaurants, but anyone who’s been knows there’s another essential dining destination that defines the Japanese travel experience: convenience stores! Japanese convenience stores (as well as the country’s many small and conveniently located supermarkets) offer cheap, quick, and shockingly tasty food – and with so many uniquely Japanese products on the shelves, they’re ripe for discovery.

Of course, there’s a lot to choose from! But if you’re looking for some popular Japanese convenience store and supermarket snacks for any time of the day or night, we’ve chosen a few fan favorites from
MEGMILK SNOW BRAND Co., Ltd. (雪印メグミルク) – a 100-year-old Japanese dairy producer – so you can get a head start on snacking during your time in Japan!

Popular Japanese Desserts for Any Time & Anywhere

Japan’s Best-Selling Desserts

You’ll find a whole line of Cream& (クリーム&) desserts in Japanese shops, and you might find yourself reaching for them throughout the day. They’re some of the most popular sweets in Japan*, providing a convenient choice on mornings when you’re craving something light and sweet, on afternoons when you need a pick-me-up after hours of sightseeing, or at the end of any busy day, when you want a little treat as you relax and unwind. These little cups are ideal mood boosters!

^{*The “Cream&” series of products ranked No. 1 in cumulative sales volume in the individual chilled dessert finished product market according to INTAGE SRI+ data from March 2021 to February 2025.}

Cream& Coffee Jelly

For most travelers arriving from overseas, coffee jelly is the kind of dessert only ever seen in anime – the kind of treat you long to try when you finally put together the trip of your freams. For locals in Japan, coffee jelly a classic retro dessert, seen on “kissaten” menus for decades! Of course, these days, you can also pick up cups of coffee jelly in convenience stores and supermarkets.

To try the golden standard of coffee jelly, we recommend trying the Cream& Coffee Jelly, a ready-made dessert with a passionate fanbase. The product’s jelly base has a robust flavor with just the right hint of coffee’s inherent bitterness, balanced by a velvety cream layer on top. The flavors blend as you make your way through the jelly, with the cream adding a silky sweetness to each bite of deep coffee flavor – many people like to mix the whole thing up before digging in. For those who appreciate a balanced dessert, or for any passionate coffee lover, this one is a must-try. (Just be careful when you peel back the top, since the cream can sometimes splatter!)

This coffee jelly is delicious right off the shelf, but if you want to take it up a notch, you can mix the whole thing up and top it with whipped cream – maybe even a drizzle of chocolate syrup – to transforms it into the kind of dessert you’d find at a retro cafe! But at the reasonable price of just 145 yen, it’s no big deal to grab a few from the store and keep your hotel fridge stocked to enjoy throughout your time in Japan!

Cream& Coffee Jelly (クリーム＆コーヒーゼリー)
Price: 145 yen (tax not included)
Product Details

Cream& Uji Matcha Pudding

Prefer tea to coffee? This one is for all the matcha lovers! Whether you’re a long-time green tea lover or you’ve only just discovered matcha thanks to the recent boom in popularity, you’ll want to give the Cream& Uji Matcha Pudding a try.

Among Japan’s many famous varieties of matcha, the kind produced in the little town of Uji, Kyoto is perhaps the most beloved, renowned for its rich, fresh flavor. And while you might not expect it from a dessert found in grocery and convenience stores, this pudding uses authentic Uji matcha to maximize the matcha flavor! Each spoonful is overflowing with matcha’s unique green-tea aroma, enhanced even further by the smooth cream on top, offering a luxurious Kyoto matcha experience whether you choose to add the city to your travel itinerary or not. If you’re a true matcha devotee who can’t live without your daily dose, or just a curious traveler searching for a uniquely Japanese treat, this elegant dessert is a great option – and priced at just 145 yen, there’s really no reason not to give it a taste.

Just like Cream& Coffee Jelly, the Cream& Uji Matcha Pudding reveals its true flavor when the cream and pudding are eaten together, so we recommend mixing the contents as you eat. But even if you’re desperate for a taste, you’ll still want to open the package carefully, so you can enjoy the vibrant green matcha pudding without making a mess.

We recommend trying the pudding as-is first, so you can really appreciate the richness of the matcha flavor. But for an elevated experience, you can also try topping the pudding with a dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of matcha powder over the top!

Cream& Uji Matcha Pudding (クリーム＆宇治抹茶プリン)
Price: 145 yen (tax not included)
Product Details

A Japanese Yogurt Drink for Busy Mornings

Megumi Bifidobacterium Yogurt Drink

When you’re traveling and trying to make the most of every second, the old addage rings true – time is money!
And we sometimes see busy travelers in Japan skipping breakfast because they’re trying to catch an early train or beat the crowds at a popular destination. But starting the day on an empty stomach isn’t a great plan when you’re going to be on your feet exploring Japan all day. You’ll be exhausted before you even make it to lunch! On those busy mornings, we recommend reaching for the Megumi Bifidobacterium Yogurt Drink. With its triple-capsule technology, the drink’s probiotic bifidobacterium is delivered alive all the way to the intestines, helping health-conscious travelers feel good throughout their trip. Plus, the refreshing, pleasantly tangy flavor makes it easy to enjoy even on early mornings when you don’t have much of an appetite.

Above all, the convenient little bottle of yogurt drink is especially convenient on mornings when you’re short on time, making it easy to start your day off right. Light yet nourishing, the Megumi Bifidobacterium Yogurt Drink is a travel essential on busy days when you want to set out feeling refreshed and energized.

Megumi Bifidobacterium Yogurt Drink (恵 megumi ビフィズス菌SP株ヨーグルト ドリンクタイプ)
Price: 150 yen (tax not included)
Product Details

A Delicious Break From Your Packed Schedule

Prune Fe Daily Iron Yogurt Drink

If the highlight of a Japan trip is the food, then all that rich ramen and sweet red bean can leave you feeling a little heavy. When you start to crave something refreshing, to reset your palate and your digestive system, you might want to reach for a Prune Fe Daily Iron Yogurt Drink.

Flavored with a sweet hint of tart plum, we actually recommend this refreshing yogurt drink after dessert, to cleanse your palate and supplement your diet with nutrients like iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid – all easy to miss while you’re traveling. If you want to feel as good while you’re exploring Japan as you do back home, this refreshing, nutrition-packed drink will help you feel light and energized, even in the midst of a decadent food tour.

Prune Fe Daily Iron Yogurt Drink (プルーンFe 1日分の鉄分 のむヨーグルト)
Price: 145 yen (tax not included)
Product Details

Asian Teahouse Almond Tofu & Mango Pudding

Need an energy boost during your travels? These “Asian Teahouse” (アジア茶房) branded sweets include some other refreshing options, like the popular Almond Tofu and the Mango Pudding.

Variously referred to as Almond Tofu, Almond Jelly, or Annin Tofu (杏仁豆腐), this sweet dessert is only called “tofu” because of the visual similarity. It’s actually a sweet pudding flavored with apricot kernels, which give the dessert a light almond-like aroma and a luxurious melt-in-your-mouth texture that will have you hooked after the first bite. The recipe’s origins come from China, but nowadays it’s widely enjoyed in Japan too, to the point that it’s an obvious dessert choice while you’re visiting the country. Choose the Asian Teahouse Almond Tofu at the convenience store, and you can even find restaurant-level quality on any street corner. If you want to try something new, this is a great choice – this sweet and simple dessert will win you over in no time.

If you’re in the mood for something fruity, with vibrant flavors, try the Asian Teahouse Mango Pudding instead! Made with the “king of mangoes,” the Alphonso, each cup is sweet and refreshing, and the deep mango flavor is a great palate cleanser after a heavy lunch!

Asian Teahouse Almond Tofu (アジア茶房 杏仁豆腐) / Asian Teahouse Mango Pudding (アジア茶房 マンゴープリン)
Price: 180 yen (tax not included)
Product Details: Asian Teahouse Almond Tofu / Asian Teahouse Mango Pudding

Treat Yourself in Japan: A Sweet Treat to End the Day!

Cream& Pudding & Asian Teahouse Black Sesame Pudding

No matter how much fun you might be having, a full day of walking, eating, and exploring Japan can leave you exhausted, mind and body! To bring such a busy day to a close, what you really need is a moment of peace – and maybe a sweet little treat to enjoy as you relax! Of course, you don’t need to go out of your way on your aching feet when there are tasty desserts just around the corner at the nearest convenience store or supermarket. We recommend trying the classic Cream& Pudding or the Asian Teahouse Black Sesame Pudding.

Rich and lightly eggy, the Cream& Pudding offers a sweet custard flavor with an added layer of rich cream. Combine those flavors with the deep bittersweet caramel sauce at the bottom of the cup, and you get a dessert with a satisfying balance of sweetness and depth. Great for a midnight snack.

The Asian Teahouse Black Sesame Pudding is actually more of a rare find, only occasionally stocked on convenience stores shelves, but it has a devoted fanbase who love the pudding’s nutty sesame flavor. The black sesame blends with a milky base to create a unique, sophisticated flavor that tends to grow on you the more you try, until you find yourself wishing you could bring it home with you!

Cream& Pudding (クリーム＆プリン) / Asian Teahouse Black Sesame Pudding (アジア茶房 黒ごまプリン)
Price: 145 yen / 180 yen (tax not included)
Product Details: Cream& Pudding / Asian Teahouse Black Sesame Pudding

Why Try MEGMILK SNOW BRAND Co., Ltd. in Japan?

These sweets from MEGMILK SNOW BRAND Co., Ltd. can not only be found at convenience stores and supermarkets all across Japan, but they’re also incredibly budget-friendly, with most products coming in at the 100~200 yen range. This makes it easy to satisfy your sweet tooth with all kinds of tasty treats, whether you want to grab a yogurt on the go, go all out dressing up your coffee jelly with whipped cream, or do a Japanese pudding taste test with your friends in your little Japanese hotel room. Since the cups are small and compact, it’s easy to stop by the store and toss a few in your bag on the way back to the hotel, and store them in a hotel mini-fridge. From morning to night, these puddings, yogurts, and jellies make it easy to satisfy your cravings, and add a little extra flavor to your trip to Japan.

Add More Delicious Moments to Your Japanese Itinerary

If you love good food, then you probably already know that it’s not enough to make sightseeing plans for your trip to Japan – you need to get started on your food plans, too! Whether you’re searching for efficiency and convenience, budget-friendly choices, or just aiming for great flavor, these choices from MEGMILK SNOW BRAND Co., Ltd. are popular for a reason. Slip a few extra snack breaks into your schedule and stop by the conbini to really make the most of your time in Japan!

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