Do you enjoy Pop Rocks? Mitsukoshi in Epcot’s Japan sells Meiji’s slightly-different-than-ours variety! The packaging still screams the idea of the candy contained inside, much like our American version does. Although, for the vast majority of Americans, it takes the English translation to understand a little bit more of what we’re getting ourselves into! 
From the English label, we can see that the flavor will be melon. The green packaging can easily throw us into thinking the flavor is possibly green apple, or even muscat for those a bit more familiar with Japanese flavor favorites (not saying Melon isn’t one of them!).
There’s a small amount of actual candy in the packet, but don’t underestimate it. There are white, slightly chalky bits of sweet & sour candy interspersed with the crystal shaped candies. Eating one alone of the white bits, it seemed to have absorbed a bit of the essence of the surrounding jade crystals. Otherwise, it felt like it was there more for a textural element. Eating one alone, Matt liked it.
He also grabbed a crystal, and I guess he’s just not a fan of Pop Rock-style candy in general. He was very “meh” about it, and once I got his reaction, I tossed back what remained. Forgive me, but I LOVE Pop Rock-style candy. The way it crackles and snaps, the nostalgia from enjoying such a candy as a child… And BONUS! The melon flavor was prominent! It was unlike the bold, neon flavors I had in my youth. And I had a blast letting them pop away with my mouth agape to hear them echo in my own ears!
I found such simple joy in this candy. It’s always great for me to find a sweet I enjoy, but this one in particular holds a slightly more special place for me as it really carried some memories of its American sister treat. At $0.99, it’s probably one of the lesser expensive items in Mitsukoshi’s snack section, and a bit more comparable in price to its American counterpart. I think I may have spotted a Ramune flavor when I picked up this package – I definitely want to pick up another pack, especially in a new-to-me flavor, soon!
If you’ve tried Meiji Pachipachi Panic Melon Soda, or any other flavor, what did you think of it? If you’re a fan of Pop Rocks, do you think you might give these a try?
I *think* I saw this when I went to visit family in Tokyo… but I already had too many things in my shopping basket and decided not to get it…
I would definitely try it… so hopefully I’ll be able to find it the next time I’m in Epcot.
Hopefully it’s still there! Some of these smaller items get rotated out more frequently than the larger ones.