Spring has finally arrived, and Japan’s favorite time of the year is knocking at the door: sakura season, along with the blossoming of the cherry trees; cafes, convenience stores, and supermarket shelves have started blooming with limited edition sakura snacks and beverages.
Let’s have a look at some of the best sakura-themed and flavored sweets and drinks for this year!
Cafes, Restaurants, and Chains With the Best Sakura Snacks
McDonald’s
McDonald’s might not be the first place to come to mind when discussing delicious and out-of-the-ordinary desserts. Still, McDonald’s Japan always offers season-limited menus that, despite coming from a global chain, have a big following and gain rapid popularity among foodies. McDonald’s returns the Teritama Burger, teriyaki-glazed pork with a fried egg, a not-so-Sakura snack but more of a meal. Along with this mouth-watering burger is a selection of seasonal drinks and desserts that reflect cherry blossoms, like the strawberry daifuku pie with red bean paste and rice cake. Quench your thirst with their Mcfizz peach lemonade or their Mcfloat peach lemonade.
Lindt
The Swiss Chocolatier who landed in Japan in 2010 quickly understood how to keep up with the pace of Sakura season lovers. This year, Lindt reintroduces their famous chocolate balls in the flavor of Sakura and cream, along with various cherry blossom-themed gift bags and boxes to purchase. After or before buying your goods, head over to the Lindt cafe to enjoy Lindt’s Sakura snack, a limited edition Sakura & Pistachio Chocolate drink. Using only the best ingredients, like cherry blossom syrup made from concentrated domestic Sekiyama cherry blossoms, two types of Italian pistachios, and an espuma made from Sicilian pistachio paste and chopped pistachios; you won’t want to miss out on tasting this seasonal drink.
Starbucks
Starbucks’ season-limited drinks are always very popular throughout the year, and without a doubt, the sakura limited-edition drinks are the most awaited.
Photo credits: @ausud_cafe (Instagram)
This year’s sakura season-limited drink is the “Sakura Strawberry Shiratama Frappuccino,” which became available from March 16th. It features sakura-colored shiratama (ball-shaped mochi) and “sakura” strawberry-flavored sauce, topped with whipped cream, sakura strawberry shaved chocolate, and cherries. The soft pink color of this Frappuccino is reminiscent of cherry blossoms in full bloom.
Even better, Starbucks roastery offers its own limited sakura-infused brews if you feel like a caffeine booster in keeping with the season. Their “sakura jasmine tea” is a soy latte with jasmine tea and vanilla bean syrup, with a hint of cherry allure, while their “sakura macchiato” is a simple and smooth macchiato with shaken espresso poured over strawberry cream.
A Happy Pancake
A Happy Pancake (幸せのパンケーキ) is a very popular chain with various locations around the country, which specializes in Japanese-style pancakes, tall, wobbly and fluffy. The seasonal special, which became available from March 7th, is their signature sakura pancakes, available almost every year around cherry blossom viewing season. Two large fluffy pancakes are served with chunky sweet red bean paste and a sakura-scented whipped cream.
Convenience Stores
Convenience stores offer a wide selection of sakura-themed limited-edition sweets and drinks that you can easily grab 24/7. You will be spoilt for choice!
Seven-Eleven
Seven-Eleven’s sakura lineup starts with the “Sakura An and Mochi Parfait” released on March 8th. This is a Japanese-style parfait consisting of Sakura warabimochi jelly, sakura, and green tea flavored mousse, whipped cream, sakura flavored red bean paste, and two kinds of small mochi on top. A sweet treat perfect for bringing along to along cherry blossom viewing.
The “Sakura Creme Chiffon Cake,” which was also launched at Seven-Eleven stores throughout the country on March 8th, is a sakura pink chiffon cake filled with sakura flavored whipped cream. Not only delicious but also aesthetically pleasing.
Another dessert, the “Sakura An Pie,” is a Japanese-style sweet with white bean paste and pickled, salted cherry leaves wrapped in a pie crust, and then baked.
Credit: Canva
Family Mart
Family Mart won’t disappoint either!
The “Cherry Blossom Roll Cake,” released on March 1st, marked the debut of sakura season: an airy cake with a soft dough shaped into a roll filled with cream and mixed with cherry blossom sauce.
The “Sakura Hitokuchi Daifuku” are cute bite-size daifuku (chewy mochi filled with sweet red bean paste) that have had pickled, salted cherry added to the red bean paste filling. The pink color and the small round shape will remind you of small, pink cherry blossoms.
Lawson
Lawson stands out with two interesting products for the sakura season. The first is the “Tabemasu Sakura Flavor Doraemon,” a colorful wagashi shaped like Doraemon and filled with Sakura-flavored anko (sweet red bean paste).
The second, created by Lawson’s cafe brand Uchi cafe, is a sakura green tea latte with roasted green tea and salted sakura leaves infused in cold milk.
Get Out and Find Your Favorite Sakura Snacks!
Spring is the season to be in Japan if you have a sweet tooth. Whether you gave tried sakura flavored sweets and beverages this year or not–gotta have them all!
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Featured image credit: Unsplash
