BODY: Two of Japan's most beloved snack and noodle brands are shaking hands for the very first time, and the result is landing on convenience store shelves nationwide.
Toyo Suisan's "Maruchan Yakisoba" and Calbee's "Potato Chips" both turn 50 this year, and the two companies are celebrating the shared milestone with a collaboration that has never happened before. Starting Monday, August 24, 2026, shoppers will find two new limited-edition products: Potato Chips Maruchan Yakisoba Flavor and Potato Chips Wonton Soy Sauce Flavor.
The first chip channels the tangy, savory punch of Maruchan's signature instant yakisoba sauce—the sweet-and-sour Worcestershire-style seasoning that has defined the pan-fried noodle staple for half a century. The second riffs on wonton soup, delivering a mellow soy-sauce broth flavor in crunchy chip form.
Both products are convenience-store exclusives and will be sold only for a limited time, so the window to grab them is narrow. Toyo Suisan and Calbee have never collaborated in their five decades of coexistence on Japanese shelves, making this pairing a genuine novelty rather than a routine seasonal flavor drop.
The insider take
In Japan, the korabo (collaboration) is practically its own marketing genre, and convenience stores are the battleground where these limited runs live or die. What makes this one notable is the symmetry: two 1975-born icons that grew up alongside each other but never shared a bag until now. Expect these to sell out fast in Tokyo—chip collaborations with nostalgic hooks tend to vanish within days as collectors and curious snackers clear the shelves. If you spot them at a 7-Eleven, Lawson, or FamilyMart, don't hesitate. Convenience-store exclusives rarely see a second printing, and "I'll grab it next time" is how Japanese limited editions become the ones that got away.
Originally reported by GIGAZINE (Japanese).