This Tokyo snack shop can send your taste buds on a trip around Japan for just 1,000 yen

There's a new sweets curator in downtown Tokyo. The shop, named Edited Japan Shinjuku, opened in September on the first floor of Marui Annex department store in Shinjuku neighborhood. "Edited" in this context refers to an "editor's selection," meaning the store acts as a curator of Japanese regional sweet and salty snacks. The store houses over 100 different items, representing all of Japan's prefectures.

Unlike other food souvenir shops that offer large quantity boxes, Edited Japan specializes in individual-serving sizes, allowing customers to pick out a variety of treats without making a major commitment. The focus of the shop is on snacks that are a genuine part of everyday life in their local communities. The shelves are filled with items that offer both high quality and reasonable price, rather than fancy and expensive treats for showing off.

To test the store's offerings, a budget of 1,000 yen (US$6.30) was set, with the goal of tasting snacks from as many prefectures as possible. Most items at Edited Japan range from 100 to 200 yen, so the budget allowed for a variety of snacks. Six different prefectures were represented in the selection, with the total cost amounting to 995 yen.

The first entry on the list was Corn Soup (130 yen) from Hokkaido Prefecture. While soup may not be considered a snack in some cultures, in Japan, certain varieties are treated as such. Corn pottage is a common snack, especially during fall and winter, due to its tasty and moderately filling qualities. This powdered mix is made with a sweet variety of Hokkaido-grown corn, containing no artificial flavors or preservatives.

Next up were Dutch Senbei rice crackers, a product from Yamagata Prefecture's Sakata Beika. These rice crackers have been popular in Yamagata since 1962. The "Dutch" in their name stems from two theories, but more on that later. At just 45 yen, Dutch Senbei proved to be a value all-star of the shopping trip.