We Sampled 12 Random Japanese Snacks & Tried To Guess What They Were

Japanese snacks, like all Japanese food, have a reputation for being awesome. Flavors, shapes, and even colors we'd never see on our prepackaged delights are commonplace — from the 7-Elevens found nearly everywhere (there are around 17,000, twice as many as in the U.S.) to the equally ubiquitous vending machines.

So, on a recent trip to Japan, I decided to load up and bring back as many snacks as I could carry for my coworkers. Rather than just share my spoils as gifts, I enlisted their help see what (if anything) we could figure out using just our five senses. Afterwards, I used the internet (and Google Translate) to see how close (or far) we were from getting it right.

Ahead, 12 of the stand-outs that surprised us. As it turns out, marinated cod roe might not be immediately obvious.