Bontan Ame — a soft candy featuring the flavor of the bontan pomelo fruit and a specialty of Kagoshima Prefecture — is gaining attention in South Korea following media reports on the candy’s boom in Japan, which was prompted by rumors about its potential urination urge suppression effect circulating on social media.
The popularity of the traditional candy, which this year marked a century since its creation by Seika Foods — based in the city of Kagoshima — is spreading across the Genkai Sea off the coast of Kyushu and into South Korea.
The candy was temporarily in short supply earlier this year after it became popular among those attending concerts or movies in Japan as a way to reduce the need to use the restroom.
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