Me: Hi, my name’s Kristina, and I’m addicted to ice cream.
The circle, in unison: Hi, Kristina.
I’ve learnt to limit my ice cream intake somewhat at home in Australia, but when I’m on holidays, my general stance is TREAT YO SELF! Actually, when I was living in Japan the first time, I used to collect the quarterly flavour pamphlets from Baskin & Robbins (or ’31’ as it is called in Japan) and tick the weird and wonderful flavours off the list as I tried them. That is, until I gave myself a new challenge: to try all of the different soft serve flavours across all of Japan.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, What Have You Got To Lose? – and 4 other reasons why you should book that long trip to Japan, each prefecture in Japan has a unique personality. Because of the varied climate and geography of Japan, each region is famous for their own different produce and specialties. The flavours on offer also change with the season (think cherry blossom flavour in Spring, pumpkin flavour in Autumn e.t.c.). These flavours are then made into just about any limited edition souvenir you can think of, including one of a kind soft serves. It’s a fantastic marketing strategy, really.. and heck, I’m hooked! I must travel to Hokkaido now because I need to try their milk flavoured soft serve.
Here are my TOP 11 Japanese soft serve flavours to date… enjoy!
11. Ume – Kuroshio Market, Wakayama
Ume are Asian stone fruit relatives of plums and apricots. Sweet, tangy and fragrant, they are often used in pickles, like umeboshi, or made into a liqueur called umeshu (my favourite). Wakayama grows some of the best ume in Japan, and it was at the Kuroshio Fish Market that I tried this subtly flavoured ume soft cream.
10. Purple Sweet Potato – Arashiyama, Kyoto
Purple sweet potato, murasaki imo, is a seasonal flavour, and so I just had to try it when I saw it at a stall in Arashiyama last October. Although not the most refreshing thing to eat on a hot day, it was delicious nonetheless.
9. Gold Leaf – Kanazawa, Ishikawa
A bit more expensive than your standard soft serve for obvious reasons. But if you are ever in Kanazawa, you must try it. Kanazawa has been producing gold leaf since the end of the 16th century, and currently produces 99% of all domestic gold leaf. Near the entrance of Kenrokuen are numerous stalls selling these novelty soft serves (ranging in price from about 800 yen – 1100 yen) and other gold leaf related omiyage. It’s basically a vanilla soft serve, but hey, it’s the local specialty so you know you have to try it.
8. Wasabi – Daio Wasabi Farm, Matsumoto
Matsumoto has some of the best conditions in Japan for growing wasabi. The flavour of the wasabi at Daio Wasabi Farm is said to be attributed to the pristine snow melt that runs off the mountains into the irrigation system here. So naturally, I had to see for myself what a wasabi soft serve was like. (Personally, I would have preferred more of a wasabi kick!)
7. Soba – Zenkoji, Nagano
Nagano = soba (buckwheat noodles). We went to Zenkoji on a freezing afternoon in January, and I saw this soba soft cream in one of the shop fronts. It was totally worth freezing just that little bit more.
6. Sakuranbo – Yamadera, Yamagata
Driving to Yamadera, you pass that many cherry farms that by the time you get there, eating some cherries is all you can think about! We went there on a beautiful warm Spring day with all of the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and got to tick this baby off the list.
5. Sake – Horyuji, Nara
I went to Japan on a work trip last year, and had a day off to explore historic Horyuji in Nara. Next to the bus stop was this little stand where I got a sake flavoured soft serve, and let’s just say, it was goooood. So much so, I don’t even remember getting back to the hotel.
4. Nashi – Tottori Sand Dunes, Tottori
Imagine. A hot day. The sun’s out, scorching. You find massive sand dunes.. in Japan. You are so excited by said sand dunes because you didn’t know that they even existed in Japan. You spend a good few hours exploring them, climbing to the top, looking out over the ocean, then running and jumping all the way down. Then, you see a mirage. An oasis, if you will. A stall near the carpark selling crisp nashi (pear) flavoured soft serve. And it’s the most refreshing goddamn thing you have ever tasted in your life.
3. Mikan – Kuroshio Market, Wakayama
I tell you what, Kuroshio Fish Market in Wakayama comes up with the soft serve goods. Wakayama is not only famous for its ume, but also for its mikan (mandarin). This mikan soft serve was so juicy and delicious it was like I was eating the actual fruit itself.
2. Matcha – Uji, Kyoto
Now.. is any flavour more synonymous with Japan than green tea? You can find matcha green tea soft serve all over Japan. It’s one of the staples – Vanilla, Chocolate, and Matcha. BUT! If you want the best matcha green tea products, you buy Uji matcha. Simple. Uji is a charming little town in Southern Kyoto, and was only an hour from where I lived in Nara. It is also home to the Byodoin, the temple featured on the 10 yen coin.
1. Kurogoma – Miyajima, Hiroshima
We are at the pointy end of this list, and number one may upset some people. But my absolute favourite soft serve flavour to date is kurogoma, or black sesame. Kurogoma is another flavour that you can find in desserts all over Japan, and with good reason. It balances sweet and savoury, nutty and creamy, and goes together well with the bitterness of matcha. I recommend you give this one a go!
Have you tasted some weird and wonderful soft serve flavours on your travels around Japan? Leave me a comment!
Crane & Maple 