Everyone knows the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers, but do you know their "youngest son" — the Dancing Potato Chips? ...

Frequently traveling between China and Japan and interacting with some Japanese snack manufacturers, today I’m going to write about the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers (Jagapokkuru) and their2-year-old "youngest son," the Dancing Potato Chips (Dancing Potato Chips).

Walking into the popular "Jogai Market" in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, I found the largest general gift shop there, "OKADA Shop."

Upon entering, on the left-hand side, there was a whole row of shelves dedicated to the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers, which was very eye-catching.

After asking the shop owner, indeed the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers still firmly hold the top spot among snack-type souvenirs, with no other brand able to challenge them.

A package of 7 boxes, which just meets the tax-free amount, was originally designed for the convenience of overseas tourists, but unexpectedly, many Japanese also buy it.

The Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers have even been dubbed "the most delicious in the world" in China, and online reviews are overwhelmingly positive: "Can’t stop eating once you start," "Bought it for the second time, first heard about it from a friend, the taste is great," "Delicious, I bought one box when I went to Japan last time, and after finishing it, I realized I bought too few!! Really tasty!", "I always carry two packs with me, great for snacking during breaks..." It seems the charm of the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers remains undiminished. The minimalist combination of potatoes and salt still attracts people from near and far who come specifically for them.

So what makes the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers so special? After talking with staff from Calbee POTATO FARM (the producer of the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers), two things left a deep impression on me.

(Screenshot from official promotional video)

The first is their dedication to "Hokkaido." Using 100% Hokkaido-grown potatoes and seasoned with Hokkaido-produced salt, their commitment is so strong that it results in a product with such a distinct "Hokkaido imprint."

(Screenshot from official promotional video)

The second is their dedication to "ingredient quality." Calbee has a dedicated company for managing potatoes, selecting Hokkaido potatoes suitable for becoming the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers based on factors like size and variety, supplying them to the POTATO FARM production line — truly carefully selected.

Moreover, only the longer parts of the whole potato are used to makethe Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers. The slightly shorter ones from the edges of the potato, though equally tasty and high-quality, were not made into products in the past. A factory worker, moved by the producers' dedication and lamenting that such good ingredients weren’t fully utilized, proposed a new production idea to management — and that’s how the "youngest son" of the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers, the "Dancing Potato Chips," came to be.

The Dancing Potato Chips (Jagarimuse), where "Jagarimuse" means dance in the Ainu language.The short potato chips are mixed with seasoning powder, shaken evenly, and then eaten, making it seem as if the chips are dancing.

The shop owner said not many people know about this product yet, but after explaining its backstory, they often receive amazed and curious looks.

The Dancing Potato Chips come in four unique Hokkaido flavors: scallop salt, grilled corn, soup curry, and salmon kelp (a type of dried salmon strip with skin). The shop owner recommends the "salmon kelp" flavor because no other snacks have this taste — it’s truly unique !

When you buy it and open the package at home, you’ll find four kinds of seasoning powders neatly tucked into paper sleeves, corresponding to four bags of chips.

The back has illustrated instructions for how to eat them — even if you don’t understand Japanese, you can get it from the pictures. Let’s start by making the shop owner-recommended salmon kelp-flavored Dancing Potato Chips:

(1)Tear a small opening horizontally on the chip bag and pour in the seasoning powder.

(2)Roll up the opening and pinch it tightly.

(3)Let the chips dance inside the bag~

(4)After shaking it all up, tear off the excess part from the middle and start enjoying !

—— It really does have the same deliciousness as the "Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers," and adding seasoning brings an extra sense of freshness ! The moment you open the seasoning packet, you’re hit with a rich seafood aroma, and the taste in your mouth exceeds expectations in terms of deliciousness.

If you want an even stronger seafood flavor… you can also try adding a bit more of the scallop salt flavor. For the remaining bag, eating it plain or in its original flavor is fine too.

Grilled corn is a famous item from Sapporo Odori Park, and the smoky sweetness of the corn is equally addictive.

Soon, only the soup curry flavor remains. Soup curry is one of Sapporo’s representative dishes, and it’s exciting to imagine what kind of deliciousness it can recreate on a chip.

The "youngest son" of the Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers, the "Dancing Potato Chips" — this concept and name really fit. For gifts, go with the well-known Hokkaido Potato Chips Three Brothers, but for personal enjoyment or sharing with friends, choose the Dancing Potato Chips with their richer flavors and more fun eating experience.

However, not every store in Hokkaido that sells Hokkaido Potato Chips "Three Brothers" also carries Dancing Little Fries. For example, at the Outskirt Market, only OKADA Shop has them. Be sure to keep an eye out for them when you visit Hokkaido.