Oh EPCOT, we just love ya.
EPCOT
Between your retro-futuristic vibes and multicultural representation, delicious eats, and stellar shopping — we can’t seem to get enough. Even though we’re in Disney World every single day, we’re still learning new things. And, there’s plenty to learn at one pavilion in particular!
If you’re heading to EPCOT soon, we highly recommend visiting the Japan Pavilion! Between the shopping, dining, and entertainment, we could spend hours in this part of the park — and we have. There’s also a brand new restaurant to check out — Shiki Sai: Sushi Izakaya.
Mitsukoshi Department Store is one of our favorite places to kill some time. Not only is there plenty of stuff to look at and shop around, but it’s in the A/C! That’s a win for us. On a recent stroll through the store, we spotted something we hadn’t seen before.
Mitsukoshi Department Store
Look at this cute little assortment of Japanese snacks! It looks like there are a couple different types of Kit-Kats and a snack called Toppo. In the back, there’s a little “Marketplace Spotlight” with information about these snacks and why it is that they’re being showcased.
Snacks!
Apparently, these are the favorite snacks of Rina, one of the Cast Members who works at Mitsukoshi. She shared that they remind her of when she was taking her university exams. In Japan, candy companies sell limited edition snacks with encouraging messages during “exam season,” and she would use these to help her study.
According to Rina, Kit-Kat sounds like “kitto katsu” and means “Surely, I (or we) will win.” Her other favorite snack, Toppo, means “breakthrough” when translated from Japanese.
How cool is this?
Rina would eat these snacks when she took breaks during her exams and they kept her motivated — she eventually passed her exams! We had no idea Kit-Kats could be so inspiring, but now we know how we’re going to be motivating ourselves in the future.
The next time you’re in Mitsukoshi, check the snacks out or whichever other new Cast Member favorites may be on display — you just might learn something while you’re at it!
Matcha Kit Kat
Whew. We know that planning a Disney World trip is A LOT. And this Genie+ thing can be so confusing – which is why we bring you posts like this so often But we’ve also put together a complete guide in ebook format that gives you all of the info you need, all in one place! Use code WDW2023 for 25% off our DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World.
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Have you noticed this in Mitsukoshi before? Tell us in the comments!
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When we are at Disney, we bring back treats for the Countries in World Showcase. Last time we chose Japan. we purchased all the kinds of Kit-Kats they had and we had a “tasting”. We love all of them, though some are VERY different. The staff was wonderful at translating for us so we knew what we were buying and could tell our staff. It was so popular, I have a list for my “alone” trip in October.
What a fun vacation tradition, Jean!
I’d love to purchase these for my upcoming exams! How inspiring
I love the ‘pocky sticks’ that you can see in the photo. I really enjoy those little cream filled sticks.