The Japanese fondness for all things limited edition—sneakers, cell phones, luxury apartments—may well be linked to that country’s emphasis on seasonal cuisine. Food culture is part of the mainstream there, and eaters and producers alike place a great deal of emphasis on provenance and seasonality. So it makes perfect sense that the sakura matsuri, or cherry blossom festival—which lasts several weeks and generally arrives in late March or early April—calls forth a crop of tasty tie-ins. Every year, as much of the nation’s landscape takes on a rosy hue, restaurants and shops brim with sakura-flavored delicacies, like dango, a chewy rice-flour dumpling, and sweet mochi (glutinous rice cakes) wrapped in cherry blossom tree leaves.

But the must-have items at this time are always sakura Kit Kats. In general, the Western chocolates are really popular in Japan, owing in part to their name’s similarity to the phrase “kitto katsu” (roughly, “I’m sure you’ll win”): parents often buy their children the candy bars to bring them luck on grueling school exams. This popularity, and an incessant demand for novelty, have lead Nestlé to release an ever-changing roster of limited edition varieties there. (The trend—like many others started in Japan—has made it to the U.S. with far less interesting results.)

Still, it’s the cherry blossom Kit Kats that sell out around Japan, often long before the first pink flower petals have floated to earth. And with good reason—they’re delicious. Photo by JoJo Li