- Japan Tips
Top 46 hard-to-find items in Japan
Teachers who have just moved to Japan often struggle to find certain foods, especially American foods not sold in Japan. They regularly struggle to find their favourite brand of something in the local shops, such as chocolate or drinks. Sometimes the reason is that these American and Western foods aren’t popular here in Japan, so they aren’t stocked.
A lot of items on the list are food or drink based, with a few exceptions such as clothing. Our list shows each item’s ‘findability’ score, the easiest way to find it and a recommended substitute for the foods not sold in Japan.
Here are the top 26 hard-to-find items in Japan, according to Interac teachers.
1. Ranch Dressing
Ranch dressing is a very American salad dressing, that isn’t sold in Japan. This western salad dressing hasn’t taken off overseas like it has in the USA, mainly due to Japanese cuisines not using salad dressings as condiments.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Import food stores in large cities
Substitute: Sesame “Goma” dressing
2. Licorice
Even though this is a popular sweet in mainly England and Australia, a large amount of the Japanese population consider the taste to be too ‘medicine like’. However, we wouldn’t recommend it as an omiyage gift for your friends!
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Japanese “gumi” candy
3. Root beer
Much like the licorice taste, Japanese locals aren’t a fan of Root Beer as it is very medicinal. There are some antiseptic gargles such as ‘Isojin’ which share a similar flavour to Root Beer, so it’s no surprise that it’s not a big hit in Japan.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Import food stores in large cities
Substitute: Plum “ume” soda
4. Poptarts
Toast and toaster foods are usually very popular in Japan, however Poptarts seem to be the exception. They’re hard to find in stores anywhere across Japan.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Sugary toast spreads found in supermarkets
5. Spices and Spice Mixes (Tex-Mex, Mexican)
As most Japanese meals mainly include ingredients such as salt, sugar, rice wine, soy sauce & vinegar, it’s difficult to find pre-packaged spices. Some teachers do get bored by these ingredients and want to branch out with different spices. It’s easy to Chinese and Korean spices, however Mexican and other spices will be harder to come by.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Import food stores in large cities
Substitute: Liquid mixes like “Cook-Do”
6. Egg Whites in a Carton
As a staple of body building diets and baking, it’s often impossible to find. Some mentions online about pasteurisation and sanitation requirements, but it’s not available anywhere. This item is usually seen as convenient in the west, but you won’t find it in Japan.
Findability Score: 0/5
Best way to find: Unfortunately this is one American food that isn’t available in Japan at all either in store or to ship online.
Substitute: Separate real eggs
7. Strong deodorant/Antiperspirant
There are lots of theories regarding this product, one being that Japanese people don’t sweat as much as the Western population or that the Japanese diet prevents bad body odour. These are definitely urban legends, as Japanese versions of these products do exist, however they are slightly lighter versions.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Lighter Japanese deodorant
8. Turkey
Turkey has never made it to Japan as a meat, only inside a Subway sandwich. This is a top American food not available in Japan. Around Thanksgiving & Christmas, when the Western population are eating Turkey, it’s still not a seasonal import to Japan.
Findability Score: 0.5/5
Best way to find: Subway, however, selected stores & butchers may stock them around Christmas.
Substitute: Chicken
9. Water Enhancers
Carrying around your own personal bottle of water flavouring is something that hasn’t caught on in Japan. With flavoured waters available, this is the preferred choice. However, the flavoured waters are only available cold and in bottles.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Bottled Flavoured Water
10. Gatorade
This band of sports drink from America never made it to Japan. The sports drink market in Japan is dominated by Coca-Cola ‘Aquarius’ and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals ‘Pocari Sweat’.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: online
Substitute: Aquarius or Pocari Sweat
11. Crackers - Cheezits, Goldfish, Triscuit, Wheat Thins.
This category of savoury, salty snacks seems like something that most Japanese people would like. As Ritz biscuits are also sold here and are a big brand, it seems that most of the crackers not available in Japan are American. For some unknown reason, these brands didn’t make it.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Import store in a large city or online
Substitute: Japanese salty snacks
12. Large Shoes and Large Clothing
The average height of a Japanese person is 5ft 7, so finding clothes and shoes for overseas teachers can sometimes prove difficult. There are some stores in the cities which have larger sized clothing and shoes, however online shopping may be easier for those teaching rural areas.
Findability Score: 1.5/5
Best way to find: Large-size clothing store in a large city or online
Substitute: N/A
13. High Fiber Items & Fiber Supplements
“‘Extra Fiber’ isn’t a label you will see on most Japanese foods. The ‘high-fiber food craze’ didn’t make it to Japan, so it’s not promoted here as an extra benefit. Lots of Japanese cuisine has plenty of high-fiber dishes and ingredients, which is why fiber supplements are seen as a ‘beauty product’ not a commonly used product.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Japanese cuisine diet
14. Medical and Health Items
Certain types of medical and health items aren’t sold in Japan as they are overseas. Mainly diabetic supplies are hard to find, such as syringes, test strips etc as they’ll be only available in clinics rather than over the counter. This applies to CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) supplies also. It’s common for locals to get these supplies from a clinic rather than over the counter.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Clinic or a Doctor
Substitute: N/A
15. Grape Jelly
Jams, jellies and marmalades do exist in Japan with both domestic and import types available. However, grape jelly is not available. This may be due to most grape jelly being made with grape juice and not the actual fruit. Grape jelly is one of the most popular American foods that aren’t sold in Japan.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Strawberry or another similar jelly flavour
16. Pretzel Snacks
Similar to the Cheezits and other salty biscuits, Pretzel snacks are a popular American snack not available in Japan. There is a local type of pretzel snack called Pretz’ however it isn’t shaped like a traditional American pretzel and resembles a stick shape. Chocolate pretzels are rare in most imported food stores also.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Imported food stores in large cities
Substitute: Japanese Pretz
17. Applesauce
Japanese locals are fond of apple, however apple sauce is not sold anywhere. Apple sauce would compliment certain Japanese sweets or desserts, but it’s not a popular condiment. It’s easier to create this sauce at home, so you can sweeten it to taste.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Make your own
18. Protein & Protein Bars
Recently, the idea of taking protein powder to increase your intake has taken off in Japan, but it’s still not like overseas. Supplements and bars do exist, but their quality, flavour and variety aren’t like most other countries. Many Japanese ‘extra protein’ products have +5 grams more per servings than the normal version of the products. For advanced protein users, ‘sports’ versions are available, which are high in quality but very expensive.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Online or in sporting goods store
Substitute: Import from overseas
19. Fruit Roll-ups
One of the most popular American snack foods not available in Japan are, fruit rolls-ups. There are other fruit flavoured snacks in Japan, but this particular brand remains a Western firm favourite.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Dried or fresh fruits, other fruit flavoured snacks
20. High-Dose Vitamins & Supplements
High-quality vitamins and supplements exist in Japan, with most drug stores having a supply of the basics. For higher doses, it is tough to find suitable products in Japan.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online
Substitute: Import from overseas
21. Hot Sauce (Other than Tabasco)
Tabasco is very popular in Japan, as most Japanese don’t have experience with hotter condiments. Chinese and Korean spicy foods are more common than super-hot hot sauce. Spicy hot sauce lovers need to dig around to find their fix.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Import food stores in large cities
Substitute: Import from overseas
22. Peanut Butter
Jars of peanut butter started showing up a few years ago, but it’s far from being a universal item in every store. The typical size is a smaller jar, as the larger jars are usually found in America and not available in Japan. The smaller jars are often more expensive or if you do choose to import peanut butter then you will have to pay for the shipping.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Online or import food stores in large cities
Substitute: Use a blender and make your own nut butter
23. Egg Nog
This famous holiday drink is the hardest to source in this list. This is one of the most popular American foods that isn’t sold in Japan.
Findability Score: 0/5
Best way to find: Unfortunately this is one American food that isn’t available in Japan at all either in store or to ship online.
Substitute: Make your own egg nog
24. Candy
A lot of candy and sweets, sold in supermarkets and stores overseas, is not available. Basic products like ‘Hershey’s’ and ‘Mars’ chocolate products are available in some places however, some such as ‘Rolos’ and ‘Charleston Chews’.
Findability Score: 1.5/5
Best way to find: Online or import food stores in larger cities
Substitute: Import from overseas
25. Eucalyptus Drops
These are Australian favourites and are one of the more sought after products in this list. It seems to be anything with Eucalyptus is a rare find in Japan.
Findability Score: 1/5
Best way to find: Online or import food stores in larger cities
Substitute: Import from overseas
26. Beans
There are beans available in Japan, but the variety is limited. Lots of teachers have mentioned how hard the beans are to find, having to travel to other larger cities for lentils and kidney beans.
Findability Score: 2/5
Best way to find: Online or import food stores in larger cities
Substitute: Import from overseas
For every item on this list that you can’t find, there will be a Japanese substitute for you to try. When teachers find their way past periods of culture stress while living in Japan, they tend to pick up new items that they prefer just as much as the ones they left behind in their home country.
If you’re interested in the opportunity to live and work in Japan, consider teaching English as a foreign language, with Interac. For more information on life and culture in Japan, explore our wealth of informational articles to discover something new.
About the Author
Brian McDonough is a consultant at Interac, Japan’s largest provider of ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers). Originally from the US, Brian has lived in Japan for over 25 years, giving him a unique perspective on the cultural differences and challenges people face when moving to Japan. He has first-hand experience of working in Japan as an American.