The Vanilla Beans Kit Kat was not unlike a regular white version found back home, but as you can see in the image, little flecks of vanilla bean had been suspended in the white chocolate coating, which actually provided the mildest hint of vanilla.

This red bean/green tea (matcha) version was, I guess, meant to represent a traditional tea ceremony where whipped matcha is served alongsidewagachi (a Japanese confection, sometimes made of adzuki or red bean paste). The exterior was slightly bitter and chocolate green tea flavoured, whilst the interior wafers were sandwiched by a very sweet red bean fudgy paste. Once again, top marks for the idea and the taste.

The Red Bean (Adzuki) version for me was just a lil’ high on the sweetness scale for this refined palate (which has got to say something!). Coming as a multi pack of mini Kit Kats, I really could only eat one.It was just too pink, too sweet and too bleh.

Now back to regular flavoured Kit Kats for a moment - this is an 8 pack of Petit’s. They are probably only 3 or 4cm long, and each is individually wrapped. I think this as a dieters treat food - you could allow yourself one Petit a day, until you got Petit yourself

Next up, Orange and Chocolate. The distinct tang of citrus/dark chocolate reminded me of a Terry’s somewhat - so yeah, this was good. I’m not a huge choc-orange fan though, but heck, I wouldn’t say no if someone offered.

And here is some more seasonal fun, this time in the form of a Pumpkin Pie Kit Kat in celebration of Halloween. Yes, you read right -Halloween. The Japanese have taken to this festivity like Michael Myers did to Jamie Lee Curtis (thanks EG for the analogy), and I have taken to this treat in a similar fashion.It just rocks because it straddles the quirky in theory, and tastes damn good in a spicy/nutmeg way. Love it.

Now I also loved the original Matcha (green tea) flavour, which is different to the one I’d had previously, which I actually found out was Green Tea Latte. This Matcha version bordered on the bitter, whilst retaining a mild sweetness.It was just like a whipped cup of powdered green tea, but only made of chocolate and crunchy.I think this is the Queen of Japanese Kit Kats. Ooh…I want one now!

Now this one was all but an illusion, spied in one of those Skill Tester lucky dip machines in Hiroshima. I’m kind of glad that I couldn’t get to it, as I think it may have been a little gross. Phew.

I found this one near Mt.Fuji, and was absolutely delighted that it was made with Hokkaido Milk, which is apparently famed for it’s Jersey Cows.To be honest, I couldn’t tell much of a difference between this and the regular white Kit Kat, although word around town is that it is meant to be creamier.

Rockmelon/cantaloupe flavour - urgh, I won’t even begin to describe the sheer travesty of this version.

Now this seasonal Spring variety was actually found in Singapore. Perhaps the Japanese sold their excess when they didn’t sell in the Spring? Either way, it was actually lovely and delicate, with a nice cherry hint. Not at all sickly sweet as I would have expected it to be.

Back to Japan again and the Kit Kat Little. Personally, I think it’s just another way of value adding to the production line by utilising all those broken up Kit Kats.And why not? It tastes like a Kit Kat, just a little one.

Now for some cross platform utilisation of this magnificent snack - the Kit Kat ice cream is absolutely ingenious. Basically it is vanilla ice cream in a biscuit cone (kind of like a drumstick) with an original Kit Kat finger wedged right down the centre. So cool…literally.

Now to the finale.

So was this going to be a twee tourist trap experience? Hmm…maybe just a little. But I must digress by saying that Japan has a certain fascination with the thematic and quirky (…and if there is a bit of Edo stylin’ thrown in, so much the better). So it didn’t end up being all that twee. In fact, it was a great dining experience with some butt-kicking food.

Upon entering, you are greeted by ALL the staff who loudly shout their welcomes in unison. The throbbing taiko-drum soundtrack also adds to the exciting atmosphere.

This branch of Gonpachi specialises in kushi “skewered meats” and soba noodles, and as such, we thought the lunch set would be a great way to sample some of their specialities. And at 2,000 yen (approximately $20AU), it was an absolute bargain.

The grilled miso glazed black cod was as delicious as it looked. Served simply alongside a mound of grated daikon, the skin of the cod was caramalised and sticky, made earthy and sweet by the miso marinade.

Next was one of their house specialities - kushi, or skewers. In this instance cherry tomatoes had been wrapped in the thinnest slice of home made bacon and thrown on the grill. I can not begin to describe how fantastic the little skewers were. The tomato was practically liquid on the inside, and barely held together by the bacon/tomato skin. So when you popped it in your mouth, it literally exploded in your mouth, flooding it with sweet tomatoey juice. But that’s not all - you still get to crunch your way through the salty bacon (…and we all know how good that is).

This next skewer was not part of the lunch set, but how could we not try some toro, the fatty belly of the blue fin tuna. This was so incredibly amazing - caramalised on the outside, and fattily rare on the inside.

Tsukune, or chicken meatballs seasoned with salt, was again another sweet/salty combination. The chicken had been ground to a paste, and then re-moulded around the skewers and grilled. The sweet sticky soy was just the icing on the cake (so to speak), making for a finger licking experience.

The next dish was also one of their specialities, ‘Inako Seiro’ soba, served cold with a dipping sauce, wasabi and sliced green onions. The noodles are apparently made daily using Japanese buckwheat ground in stone mortars. It was served in a zaru, which is a Japanese draining basket made from bamboo, and the noodles were wonderful and firm to the tooth. Afterwards we were given a teapot of the hot soba cooking liquor, which we could mix with the remainder of the dipping sauce to drink like a soup. I must admit to not having much appreciation for soba prior to my visit to Japan, but I am now a convert.

For dessert we had a choice of black sesame ice cream with two baby mochi sprinkled with nutty kinako or vanilla bean ice cream with some little cubes of jelly. Both choices were wonderfully good, but for me the black sesame won hands down.

The service was wonderfully professional, and I found it quite amusing to see the wait staff running around the Edo themed restaurants with PDA’s and walkie talkies (somewhat discordant with the surroundings). The toilets were also very nice, and the walk up the stairs to get to them, provides a nice overhead view of the entire place. Gonpachi is highly recommended and great value, so don your yellow jumpsuits or Kato masks and dive right in!