Genovese flaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrggghhyawn – I am so bored with pizza flavored anything I can’t even be bothered to fini

Very rare to see packaging with images of your lower intestine two hours after eating the product – kind of like those gruesome photos on cigarette packaging where they show what your lungs look like after 10 years of smoking – oh wait that’s a pizza and these are – oh I get it! Mmm mouthwatering…

Mmmm…  you know what I’m in the mood for?  A  good clam chowder, but crunchy – you know what I mean? Crunchy and dry and preferably in the form of potato chips but … you know clam chowder… is that even possi—weeeelll heelloo! My short term near sighted self indulgent impulse driven prayers have been answered!

As chemical technologies increase so do the capabilities of companies to come up with more sophisticated flavors for potato chips. A pinnacle of human achievement really.

Not be outdone by rivals - another competitor joins the fray.

Rayu is gaining momentum with many food producers as a potato chip flavor.

Rayu meet bandwagon, bandwagon meet Rayu.

Oh and please, please keep Kit Kat off this particular ride. Thanks.

Since Japan is one of the top 3 seafood consumers in the world (after China and ahead of the US) seafood snacks abound. At least it’s not whale or dolphin flavor… yet.

This may be the first true evidence of the existence of god — or at least a god. Even if it is an overworked salaryman assigned to product marketing (despite his major at universty being English Literature) or a stoned food scientist heady on fumes from his flasks, whoever actually pushed this idea through the myriad meetings and meetings about meetings to actual production and distribution deserves, if not outright worship, at least a medal of some kind — covered in chocolate of course.

Basil is getting very popular in Japan these days and chicken is a popular staple, so it’s only natural to slam the two together on a potato chip.

Ra Yu is a popular spicy sauce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayu booming in popularity in recent years in Japan.

The only thing missing is mayonnaise.

This is “modern Yaki” (popular okonomiyaki style) flavor chips.

The title says: “Baby Star meets Coco Ichibanya” So  then this must be  a collaboration between the Coco Ichibanya curry house chain and Baby Star chips brand. The flavor is katsu curry.

Pizza potato chips are a great invention, almost dripping pieces of cheese in a regular chip packet. Think of a version of Nachos with smaller pieces of cheese and without the sauce. You can see what I mean on the packet.

I really like these, but my arteries creak when I have them so I am staying away.

This is a US edition that made it to Japan in an international supermarket. Honey and mustard smell comes though strong and the taste is there but not overwhelming. Of course being US sized as well, the package is a little bigger than the standard Japanese Pringles packages.

Submitted by Rene.

While we are on the Yuzu theme, we also have Yuzu Salt Potato Chips. Yuzu is a citrus fruit similar to a lemon.

As Rene says “The taste is reminds me of vinegar chips – only much milder, the hint of it is quite light and pleasant.”

Karaage is a Japanese dish of chicken fried in a soy based batter often served with mayonaise. Think of it as Japanese fried chicken. Its great that someone thought to put this into potato chips, and actually they taste great.

There are some great crisp flavors in Japan, and this is one that really stands out. Not just a scallop flavor, but they are also infused with a dash of mayonaise. Taste is pretty good too, very more-ish.

This one comes from Calbee who bring out a lot of different flavored crisps.

Wasabeef is a wasabi and beef flavor. Apply to chips and you have a full tasting crisp with a punch at the end. I’ve had a lot of different flavored chips in Japan and this is not even the first with a wasabi flavor, but this one still caught my eye.