Häagen-Dazs Japan is bringing back its Hana Mochi series of mini cup ice creams this year in two flavours: Chestnut Paste and Ginsen Soy Flour Brown Sugar Syrup, both of which will be released across Japan on September 29, 2020 for a limited time.

The Hana Mochi series takes Häagen-Dazs’s smooth and rich ice creams and adds soft, chewy mochi to it. The Ginsen Soy Flour Brown Sugar Syrup was released last year and proved hugely popular, while the Chestnut Paste is a new mouth watering contender this time around.

The Ginsen Soy Flour Brown Sugar Syrup ice cream is made using dark roasted soy flour and is mixed with brown sugar syrup before being topped with mochi and a blend of yellow and black soybeans.

The new Chestnut Paste is a super sweet chestnut infusion and has an authentic Japanese wagashi confection taste to it. The ice cream is also laced with a chestnut sauce as well as salt to bring out the sweetness of the chestnut even more.

Both are the perfect flavours for autumn-time this year.

Baskin-Robbins has created an exclusive flavour for Japan, the “Houjicha Brûlée,” which was released on September 1 and will be served for a limited time only.

The ice cream is laced with rich and fragrant houjicha green tea and irresistibly mixed with caramel-infused brûlée. It’s a fusion of Japanese and Western flavours here for the autumn season and is the first time Baskin-Robbins Japan has sold it.

The ice cream recreates that same burnt look that crème brûlée has. You get the full-bodied aroma of the houjicha tea balanced by the sweetness of the custard and caramel.

This is the choice of ice cream for autumn this year, so if you’re in Japan to see the beautiful autumnal colours, don’t miss out.

Häagen-Dazs Japan released its new “Honey Sweet Potato” flavour of mini cup ice cream on September 1, 2020. The ice cream is a combination of two types of potatoes with high sugar content.

Roasted sweet potato is a popular food eaten in Japan during the autumn season. By roasting them slowly, you allow the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes to come through, giving them that distinct autumn-time flavour. And it’s these potatoes that are used to make Häagen-Dazs’s new ice cream.

Sweet and rich honey-loaded ice cream

Sweet potatoes are naturally very sweet and have a syrupy texture to them, something which has been recreated to make this ice cream. As you spoon the ice cream, the melty honey sauce laced throughout the ice cream trickles.

Preserving the natural sweetness of the sweet potato

Roasting the sweet potatoes actually draws out their natural sweetness. Combined with Häagen-Dazs’s full-bodied milk, they have created a rich and subtly sweet ice cream.

Create your own Häagen-Dazs autumn recipe

Häagen-Dazs has also created a video using their vanilla flavour to showcase how to make your own ice cream dessert using pumpkin and cinnamon.

McDonald’s Japan has announced the release of four limited-time drinks which will be sold at McCafé by Barista branches of McDonald’s from September 2. The line-up includes the ‘Houjicha Frappe Shiratama Kuromitsu Kinako,’ ‘Houjicha Frappe,’ Matcha Frappe Shiratama Kuromitsu Kinako,’ and ‘Matcha Frappe.’

The beverage lineup is the perfect pink for an autumn-time dessert drink, each made with authentic flavours from Japan.

Houjicha Frappe Shiratama Kuromitsu Kinako | Regular ¥490, Large ¥530 (Tax Included)

Made using 100% Japanese houjicha powder and delicious milk, this houjicha frappe is topped with soy flour, sweet brown sugar syrup from Okinawa, chewy rice flour dumplings, and a squirt of whipped cream. This is the ultimate McDonald’s Japanese dessert drink, laced with fragrant houjicha tea with a creamy texture.

Houjicha Frappe | Regular ¥450, Large ¥490 (Tax Included)

Houjicha frappe is used as the base for this one, and if inished with whipped cream and a dusting of houjicha powder. The subtly sweet houjicha and creaminess of the whipped cream is a deliciously perfect match.

Matcha Frappe Shiratama Kuromitsu Kinako | Regular ¥490, Large ¥530 (Tax Included)

Just like the houjicha variant, except this time it’s a latte made with matcha and matcha powder from Uji, Kyoto. A truly all-star Japanese dessert drink.

Matcha Frappe | Regular ¥450, Large ¥490 (Tax Included)

The matcha frappe too is sprinkled with matcha powder from Uji, combined with full-bodied milk, and topped with whipped cream.

McDonald’s Japan is celebrating Japan’s annual Tsukimi (moon-viewing) festival this autumn by releasing a Tsukimi-themed menu line-up of four burgers and McMuffins, two desserts, one side, and two drinks, on September 2, 2020.

The food lineup captures the Japanese custom of moon-viewing during autumn. McDonald’s Japan celebrates the festival every year, and this year is not only bringing back their signature “Tsukimi Burger” and “Cheese Tsukimi,” but the all-new scrambled-egg packed “Fuwatoro Tsukimi” burger and the “Tsukimi McMuffin” which was last seen back in 2017.

McDonald’s will also serve their first ever McFlurry® made using warabimochi, the McFlurry® Tsukimi, drizzled in brown sugar syrup. The Tsukimi Pie from last year is also back on the menu, filled with red bean paste and mochi. Customers can also order tempura flavoured fries, and to wash it all down, the McFizz® or McFloat® Kyoho Grape.

To promote the limited-time menu, McDonald’s Japan released a cute online commercial starring Ken Mitsuishi and Yukino Kishii who play a father and daughter respectively. Check it out below.

With just a small bit of ingenuity, turn everyday food into something cute using Kaori’s Easy Recipe! With a few simple ideas, an ordinary recipe magically transforms into a cute dish.

Today’s recipe will show you how to make a simple ice cream made with frozen strawberries and a blender.

Ingredients

500g frozen strawberries (either store bought or self-frozen)

120ml condensed milk

Sliced white chocolate to make Hello Kitty

1.

Defrost around 3/10 of the frozen strawberries until they are more soft than frozen, allowing them to be blended more easily.

2.

Throw the defrosted strawberries into a blender along with the condensed milk and blend.

3.

Place the blended mix into a ziplock bag and place into the freezer. After about an hour, massage the mix while it’s still inside the bag. Repeat this whole process 2-3 times. Doing this will make the ice cream tastier.

Once fully set, place into a serving cup of your choice, use sliced white chocolate to make your chocolate Hello Kitty, and serve!

Kaori invites you into her world of character-themed food dishes in her recipe series. Be sure to check out her Instagram where she has uploaded many pictures of her character dishes!

Last week, McDonald’s Japan revealed Part One of its Doraemon collaboration in celebration of the series’s 50th anniversary which included a collection of Happy Meal toys. They have now revealed Part Two of the McDonald’s Doraemon Festival which will see the arrival of yogurt flavoured McShakes® on August 19 at most McDonald’s restaurants in Japan.

The Doraemon McShake® in Japanese is named “Yogurudo,” a portmanteau of “yogurt” and “Doraemon.” Its refreshing yogurt flavour is perfect for summertime. Small size cups feature original illustrations of characters from the series, such as Doraemon himself and Nobita. These cups are already being served for vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate flavoured McShakes®.

Don’t forget about the science-themed Happy Meal sets either which come with one of nine toys. That includes a secret toy which you have to get in your Happy Meal to find out what it is.

McDonald’s Japan is also holding a Twitter campaign for 100 random people to win a ¥2,000 McCard. All you need to do is be in Japan, follow their official Twitter account, and retweet this Tweet with the hashtag #ヨーグル_ドでドひんやり and comment how you want to cool down this summer. The campaign is running until August 18 at 23:59 (JST).

©Fujiko Pro・Shogakukan・TV Asahi・Shinei・ADK

McDonald’s Japan will begin serving Happy Meals with science-themed Doraemon toys in them starting from August 14 for “Part 1” their McDonald’s Doraemon Festival which is being held to celebrate Doraemon’s 50th anniversary.

There are nine toys in the science series, and that includes a secret toy which you have to get in your Happy Meal to find out what it is.

The toy line-up includes Doraemon with his Take-copter which spins when you press a button, a mysterious torch which shines shapes when you turn it on, an artist tool that lets you draw Doraemon’s face, and many more fun items.

All toys come with a leaflet that explains how to use them. And on August 15 and 16, those who order a Doraemon Happy Meal can sign up to win a special Doraemon DVD.

In “Part 2” of McDonald’s Japan’s Doraemon collaboration, they will serve up some Doraemon-inspired desserts.

Nestlé Japan is opening a new branch of KitKat Chocolatory inside Shibuya’s new shopping mall Miyashita Park on August 4, 2020.

KitKat Chocolatory is a direct-to-consumer chain, serving premium, handcrafted KitKats made with top quality ingredients and production methods under full direction by Takagi Yasumasa―the owner and chef of LE PATISSIER TAKAGI. Its product line-up features a range perfect as gifts to friends, family and co-workers, or as a treat to yourself.

Japan is home to eight KitKat Chocolatory branches. The new Miyashita Park Shibuya branch will open as the fourth in Tokyo, as well as the first where you can create your own KitKat products.

My KITKAT: ¥2,000 (Before Tax)

“My KITKAT” comes as the world’s first KitKat service where consumers can create their own original chocolate bars.

KitKat Waffle: ¥1,000 (Before Tax)

KitKat Chocolatory Sublime Soft Cream: ¥630 (Before Tax)

KitKat Chocolatory Miyashita Park Shibuya will also sell a variety of unique and exclusive KitKat desserts, like luxurious soft serve ice cream topped with couverture chocolate. It will also offer a cafe menu created by Nespresso, where customers can pair Chocolatory desserts with seasonal coffee menus, and more.

Shibuya-esque wall art will decorate the interior of the shop, making for plenty of photo opportunities.

McDonald’s Japan will release their new “Mango Creamy Frappe” and “Muscat Creamy Frappe” at McCafé by Barista branches on July 22, 2020.

Mango Creamy Frappe: Regular ¥470 / Large ¥540

The Mango Creamy Frappe is made with Alphonso mangoes, which is considered by some at the king of mangoes. The beverage is a combination of McDonald’s regular “Mango Smoothie” topped with whipped cream for a sweet and tropical flavour explosion.

Muscat Creamy Frappe: Regular ¥470 / Large ¥540

The new whipped cream-topped Muscat Creamy Frappe uses fresh and fruity muscat grapes for a sweet and sour kick.

Just when you thought McDonald’s couldn’t get more yellow, the world-famous fast food restaurant is now teaming up with Illumination Entertainment’s lovable yellow minions, creating a new line of tasty treats,  fun toys and more. The new line includes the Banana McShake®, Waffle Cone Chocolate Banana Ice Cream, a Minions Happy Meal® and much more. The minions will be taking over the menu from July 17, 2020 for a limited time only.
*Unavailable at certain branches

The minions are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. From the packaging of the food to McShakes and toys, there’s just so much going on this summer.

Banana McShake® Small: ¥120円/ Medium: ¥200
*Image for illustration purposes only

Enjoy the mild flavour of banana embraced in sweet cream. As the flavours melt on your tongue, you will feel refreshed. The small-size cups are decorated with original illustrations of the main minions Bob, Kevin and Stuart and are in limited supply. Enjoy the sight of mischievous minions joke around on your drink as you get refreshed.

Waffle Cone Chocolate Banana Ice Cream: ¥250 (Price may vary)

*Image for illustration purposes only

A crispy waffle cone filled with milky, rich soft serve ice cream and drizzled with a rich chocolate sauce and sweet banana sauce – a minion’s favourite flavour. Your ice cream will be served wrapped in collaboration-limited packaging. During the collaboration period, all waffle ice cream cones (plain, strawberry, chocolate and almond) will be served in special minion-themed wrapping.

Minions Happy Meal®

Selling: July 17, 2020 ( approximately four weeks)
Bonus Toys: A total of 30 minions toys and 30 golden versions.
*All minion toys are in limited supply
*You cannot choose which toy you will get with your meal

The Minions Happy Meal® comes with a toy. There are a total of 30 different minion toys and each one is pulling a hilarious and mischievous pose. Which one will you receive? From dancers and sporty minions to firefighters, the toy collection represents the large variety of minions that we’ve seen over the ten years. There’s even a Bob holding a teddy bear and a King Bob. There are also gold versions of the toys too, however, these are very rare to come across. Each toy will be sealed in an exciting minion capsule, adding to the excitement.

If you purchase the set on July 18 or July 19, 2020, you will be given a holographic minion stickers so you can enjoy the mischievous minions even more. There is also a campaign on twitter where 32 winners will be rewarded with the complete minions set!

Campaign Running: July 13 (13:00) ー July 15, 2020 (23:59)
How To Apply:
1. Follow the official McDonald’s Japan account （＠McDonaldsJapan）
2. Reply to the post with the tweet that contains the hashtag #わたしのミニオン愛はミリオン級 by copy and pasting the hashtag and writing a message to declare that you are a minions fan.
Prizes: 32 winners will be chosen to receive a Complete Minions Happy Meal®

From July 10, 2020, McDonald’s will be sharing eight different minion-themed backgrounds on their website. These collaboration-limited backgrounds are perfect for spicing up your online video calls and web meetings.

McDonald’s Minions Virtual Background Download: https://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/minions/cmp01/
Accessible From: July 10, 2020 (Available for approximately 5 weeks)

*8 different backgrounds available

Join in the minions fun at McDonald’s this summer!

*Food and item names have been translated from Japanese
© Universal City Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved. 

Devoted to selling authentic coffee, McDonald’s Japan’s McCafé by Barista coffee service is all set for the hot summer days ahead with delicious Hokkaido melon drinks. The Hokkaido Melon and Milk Frappé is making a return to the menu along with the brand new Hokkaido Melon Choco Frappé. The drinks will appear on the menu from June 24, 2020 for a limited period.

Enjoy the luscious flavour and fragrance of Hokkaido melons in the form of a refreshing frappé. Although the Hokkaido Melon and Milk Frappé has returned to the McDonald’s menu year after year since 2018, this year marks the debut of the Hokkaido Melon Choco Frappé.

Hokkaido Melon and Milk Frappé M Size: ¥470, L Size: ¥540

Vibrant Hokkaido melon is pureéd into a fruit sauce (2% fruit content). This is mixed with milk to bring out its full-bodied fragrance. The juicy, melt-in-the-mouth sweetness will leave you wanting more. The whipped cream topping is drizzled with more melon sauce. Mix the drink to enjoy the delicious combination of juicy melon and sweet cream.

Hokkaido Melon and Choco Frappé M Size: ¥490, L Size: ¥560

Enjoy a sweet smoothie of rich and juicy melon punctuated with notes of Belgian couverture chocolate sauce (54% Belgian chocolate) and whipped cream. With 2% fruit content Hokkaido melon pureé as the base of the smoothie, milk is added to create a mellow flavour. Crunchy chocolate Oreo® pieces are sprinkled on top along with a drizzle of chocolate sauce, adding a hint of bitter chocolate flavour.

As the weather gets hotter, make sure to cool down with a refreshing cool drink. If you’ve never tried Hokkaido melon, now’s your chance!