Browsing the shelves of Tokyu Hands the other day, a member of the Japan Pulse team came upon a display of weird and wonderful sweeties. Among the items on sale were various cans of bizarrely flavored sweets including: from Aisu and from Kakura. After marveling at these canned items, a story in caught our attention: From May this year, visitors to the volcanic island of will be able to buy cans of volcanic ash to commemorate their visit. Once we¡¯d read that, we had to satisfy our craving for more weird and wonderful canned goods being sold as souvenirs in Japan. Here¡¯s our roundup of what we found:

: These three cans each contain aromas that are designed to conjure up the atmosphere of the city. Each can is meant to contain a smell that sums up a particular area of the city. The smell of thick stage makeup in one can is supposed to conjure up an image of Dotonbori¡¯s theatrical past. In another can, the smell of the sea is meant to make you think of kimono-wearing mama-sans from the Kitashinchi entertainment district. The aroma of Tenpouzan, Osaka¡¯s harbor village, is billed as a ¡°scent of memories¡± ¡ª that first date on a Ferris wheel. Ahhh. Surprisingly, there¡¯s no?takoyaki (fried octopus ball) scent.