To be fair, it’s always weird ice cream season in Japan, but as climate change stretches the unbearably hot and humid Japanese summer into October, never have we craved a nice cold cone more than we do in now-steamy <sob!> September. But maybe not these flavors.
You might think from the sign that this is apricot-flavored soft serve…
but only those who aced their N1 kanji test will avoid disappointment when it turns out to be made from apricot pits instead.
And, nothing against banana-flavored foods for those who partake, but wherever you plant your flag in the green-vs-brown-spots debate, I’ve never heard anyone say they prefer the ones that are black.
Speaking of that’s-not-the-flavor-I-thought-it-would-be, if I were hoping for green tea, that virulently green melon-flavored one on the left would surprise and not delight. Equally odd is the not-grape one in the middle. It’s purple sweet potato. And the one on the right? Not coffee. Not salted caramel. Soba. If your idea of the perfect dessert is one that tastes like Japanese buckwheat noodles, you’ve come to the right place.
And guess what this flavor is? Hint: it’s technically a fruit, but not the one you think it is.
And speaking of vegetables…no. Just, no.
Running neck and neck with the veggie desserts: food that tastes like flowers. Haagen Dazs is not alone in attempting to capitalize on cherry blossom season by making foods that are pink-flavored, but they’re one of the few that actually try to make this ice cream taste like cherry petals. I’m sorry to say, they succeed. Zero out of five stars.
In a triumph of hope over experience, Ashikaga Flower Park dishes up a “wisteria-flavored” cone…
and Kyu Furakawa Garden will scoop you one that tastes like <shudder> roses.
Rounding out the Things That Should Not Be Ice Cream Flavors category, bran-flavored soft serve sounds about as thrilling as having a bowl of Grape Nuts for dessert…
and turning one of the few treats that make summer bearable into a snack that is hot and fried is at the top of my definitely-not-willing-to-leave-my-air-conditioned-cave-to-eat-one-of-these list.
Coming in a close second, the twice the guilt and half the pleasure award goes to…
And now it’s about to get weirder. Much, much weirder.
I saw a convenience store selling a sundae with seaweed on top…
and a shop in Odawara that specializes in ice cream WITH EYES. Yes, this soft serve is chock full of the little dried fish you usually encounter sprinkled harmlessly on salad. If you didn’t know what “shirasu” is, now you do.
Or how about a scoop that’s tentacle-flavored? The Ikebukuro shop specializing in ice cream flavors you’d only eat on a dare sells octopus ice cream…
Indian curry…
and lots of even weirder flavors. (Does ordering wasabi and squid together count as a sushi lunch?)
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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