This month, Häagen-Dazs is releasing two special flavors in Japan to mark its 30th anniversary in the country. And, let me tell you, they look pink. But special Häagen-Dazs flavors are not new to Japan.
The anniversary flavors are "Sakura" (which is Japanese for "cherry blossoms") and "Rose" (which is English for, uh, "rose"). The Sakura ice cream tastes like sakuramochi. Here, have a look:
You'll be, perhaps, saddened to know that people on Twitter are saying the Rose flavor smells like bath powder or toilet freshener. Others say it smells and tastes good.
Häagen-Dazs releases unique flavors in the West, such as Peanut Butter Pie, Peppermint Bark, and Coconut Macaroon—which don't quite translate to Japanese tastebuds. And while Häagen-Dazs hasn't quite hit the unique flavor quotient that Kit-Kat or Doritos has in Japan, it has released some interesting tastes. Most of them, however, are standard fare!
Many of these unique ones are seasonal and only offered for a "limited time only" (期間限定 or "kikan gentei"). Let's check them out:
Purple Sweet Potato (紫いも or "Murasaki Imo").
Tropical Cream Cheese.
Cocoa Cookie and Coffee Almond.
Green Tea Truffle (better than regular old green tea, no?).
Pumpkin (not totally unusual as Pumpkin Cranberry was released outside Japan).
But Pumpkin Pudding? M'kay.
Forêt Noire (black forest).
Green Tea and Cookies and Cream. Yes.
Coffee Milk. Not just coffee. There's milk, too!
Butter Cookie and Caramel Scotch (not an odd flavor, but damn, I want this).
"Japonais" (not evident from the name, this is green tea and red bean ice cream).
Royal Cassis Milk (blackcurrant milk).
These all look highly edible! Unlike Japanese viper, eel, and horse ice cream.
Photos: 小野コーポレーション, Green_Tea26, SA22C_RX8, u_saki0511, rin3_3, midumidu31, burabuono, kana_928, lushlife_1973, locoalisha, lilacblueblue, ta9mi2500dt, うんまいもん日記やちゃ,気分しだいで食べりゃんせ♪, アイスクリームソムリエ ぜんざえもん のBlog
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.