The Japanese are masters at creating interesting snacks. OK, not all of them are delicious; I remember a horrendous rice cracker flavoured with sakura (cherry blossom) and many people find fault with Strawberry Pocky or green-tea Kit Kats.
The most popular snacks from the Land of the Rising Sun incorporate uniquely Japanese flavours that have been accepted in the west. Wasabi-flavoured snacks wouldn't have cut it 20 years ago, when eating raw fish was considered strange. And these snacks are not for the faint of heart - they can knock your socks off and clear your sinuses at the same time. Despite the name, they are flavoured with green-tinted horseradish; wasabi is more expensive.
Wasabi peas, which seem to be the most common, are crunchy and addictive. The peas have the benefit of seeming to be good for you; after all, they are a vegetable and supposedly healthy. Wasabi peanuts - larger and even more garishly green than the peas - are also delicious.
Recently, though, I tasted something that's even better - wasabi pistachios. The nuts are tender and their sweetness is a lovely balance to the fiery horseradish. Unlike the other two products, which are available in bulk, wasabi pistachios - at least the ones I've come across - are packaged with only four nuts in each sealed bag. This is bad for the environment but good for your health, as the packaging tends to prevent overindulgence.
Wasabi nuts and peas can be found at shops selling Japanese snacks, such as Okashi Land, Aji Ichiban and the food hall of Sogo, Causeway Bay.