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Sometimes I'm struck by how Japan is far less politically correct than the U.S. when I see certain things for sale. Here is a display of dagashi (cheap kid's snacks) which includes not one, not two, but three types of candy cigarettes. These were declared verboten in the U.S. some time back because people feared sucking on the candy version would lead kids to real smoking habits. The one on the left in the red box is "cola" flavored and the light blue one is "sour". Both are promoted using "little Bob Dog", a character that is licensed and used to promote a lot of goods in Asia in a similar vein to "Felix the Cat". I imagine those who felt Joe Camel was wrong would be apoplectic over the use of this cute little character to push candy cigarettes toward kids.
The bland-looking box of candy cigarettes (dark blue) are cocoa. They are actually the most common variety in my area. I see them sold at Family Mart convenience stores and Seiyu supermarket. One of these days, when I run out of other more obvious options, I should review these (though I expect they'll be similar to what I grew up with when I was a kid).
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