I've never been to Japan, and have no point of reference in terms of how the country actually is aside from what I see on TV or on YouTube videos, but we do definitely get an impression of its food product side whenever my wife and I go to the local Asian food market in town. There's Asian food and then there is Japanese food store products.
The latter stands out immediately because almost inevitably there is some kind of cartoon character on it, as if every food product has to be toy-related for some reason.
Even the soda's are associated with a character or game in some form or manner.
Japan doesn't corner the market on foods, and there are plenty of other options at the local market, especially in the sweets category, but there is a distinct marketing factor involved that sets Japanese products apart on the shelf almost instantly. I'm surprised when the vegetables are prancing around in superhero capes. 
And, of course, it doesn't hurt that the local market carries a hefty selection of Japanese toys and model kits too. That's probably why I keep annoying my wife and bringing her to the same market all the time.
