Japan does Kit Kats better than anywhere. Although a UK confection, most people here will tell you Kit Kats are a distinctly Japanese treat. Can you blame them? It’s practically a cultural phenomenon. Japan is Nestle’s best in sales and profits, and the company has released around 400 flavors nationwide. But what better flavor than something of your own invention?
The new Miyashita Park shopping complex recently opened in Shibuya, and with it, the Kit Kat Chocolatory. Here, KitKat devotees and chocolate lovers, in general, can design their own personalized KitKat using the store’s My KitKat program.
Having a bit of a sweet tooth myself, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make my own KitKat. Want to try yourself or learn if the experience is worth your time? Read below to find out.
Become a KitKat chef
Photo: Aaron BaggettAfter you sit down at the KitKat Chocolatory’s My KitKat station, you’ll receive a checklist to select your flavor of chocolate, four toppings, and a gift box. It’s available in English so no worries.
The chocolates available are milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and ruby chocolate, which tasted a bit like raspberry. There were 19 different toppings to choose from, such as pretzels, fruits, nuts, and marshmallows.
Truthfully, this was a bit disappointing. I was expecting to make a jalapeno-infused bacon KitKat with Gummy Bear garnish if that’s what my heart desired. This is more like decorate your own KitKat. So lower your expectations if you were planning to go all out with wacky flavors.
Photo: Aaron BaggettNevertheless, I chose dark chocolate with pretzels, coconut, cacao nibs, and silver dragees because I’m a sophisticated gentleman.
After handing over your checklist, you’ll start making your KitKat. The store provides you with all the tools you’ll need, and a guide will help you along the way. During my experience, they only spoke in Japanese, but everything is pretty straightforward and you can watch the guide and other participants if you get lost.
Cut your wafers
Photo: Aaron BaggettFirst, you’ll be given a wafer which you need to cut into four pieces with a butter knife. This was without a doubt the most difficult part of the process. All around me people were crying out in pain as their little wafers snapped in half. You’ll feel rushed but take your time. Besides, you won’t even notice the break once you add the chocolate.
Shape your chocolate
Next, you’ll get an official Kit Kat shaping tray and your chocolate. It didn’t look like a lot of chocolate at first, but the tray was overflowing with excess chocolate by the end.
You then have to carefully press the wafers into the chocolate enough for them to be completely submerged. My wafers may have survived the butter knife, but they did not survive my awkward bony fingers. But, again, you’ll hardly notice.
Just piece them together and spread the chocolate over them.
Decorate that bad boy
Photo: Aaron BaggettFinally, you get to add your toppings and decorate your Kit Kat however you want. Because I could not make the monstrosity I had in mind, I considered just making the ugliest Kit Kat imaginable, but as soon as I added the cacao nibs, I couldn’t help but make sure every inch of my Kit Kat was evenly garnished.
Afterward, the staff will take your Kit Kat to cool it in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes. During this time you’re free to explore Miyashita Park which has tons of restaurants and chill outdoor seating, or just hang out at the Kit Kat Chocolatory.
Exploring the Kit Kat Chocolatory
Photo: Aaron BaggettThe Kit Kat Chocolatory is a small, but cute store with a gorgeous chocolate fountain at its center. The My Kit Kat section is the main attraction, but the cafe space features a colorful Kit Kat inspired piano with all the cafe seats facing toward it like an auditorium.
If you can play the piano and feel like showing off, this is for you. As someone who just started learning piano a few weeks ago, I felt pretty proud of myself playing a couple of video game tunes. Then a guy sat down immediately after me and nearly brought everyone to tears.
Photo: Aaron BaggettYour My Kit Kat ticket also comes with a free drink which you can use at this time. If you’d rather splurge on something fancy, you can also try a Kit Kat waffle cone, an exclusive Kit Kat Chocolatory treat.
My chocolate masterpiece
Photo: Aaron BaggettAfter checking out Miyashita Park for a bit and getting a bite at Panda Express, my friend and I arrived back at the Kit Kat Chocolatory to receive the fruits of our labor. My own personal Kit Kat, complete with an official brand was presented to me in a charming Mount Fuji box.
Not only did it look like a Kit Kat, albeit one that fell onto a movie theater floor, but it also tasted like one too. And, no lie, it may have been the best Kit Kat I’ve ever had. Now, that may be because it was freshly made, but I like to think it was really because of all the love and sweat I put into it.
I had a lot of fun, and I can definitely see it as a couple’s attraction, as well as something families can do. Especially those with young children. The kids I saw making their own Kit Kat were having a blast. Tourists will also enjoy the novelty of it, as well as the cool gift box you receive.
In Japan, Kit Kat is synonymous with the phrase kitto katsu, which roughly translates to “absolutely win” in Japanese. Students receive the chocolate as a sort of omamori, or charm for good luck. What more thoughtful Kit Kat omamori can you give a person than one that you personally made?
Try it yourself
The entire experience takes just under an hour and isn’t expensive. The first thing you’ll need to do is make an online reservation using the official website. My Kit Kat is a popular activity, especially on the weekend, but you can find availability if you book a spot far enough in advance. I didn’t have much trouble purchasing two tickets for a weekday afternoon.
Have you tried making your Kit Kat yet? Tell us how it went in the comments!
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