Superman swoops into US immigration debate
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SoraNews24
an hour ago
- SoraNews24
Flower Ice Cream becomes Japan's newest breathtaking dessert
Inventive anko experts hand-craft edible sweets bouquets, offer Flower Shaved Ice too. As you can probably guess from their name, Japanese confectioner Oh! huggy!! cares a lot about visual presentation. The reasons for the increasing exclamation points and the lowercase H aren't clear, but the 'huggy' part itself is meant as an allusion to the identically pronounced 'hagi' portion of 'ohagi,' the type of Japanese sweets that Oh！huggy!! specializes in. Ohagi are normally made by covering a mound of mochi rice with anko (sweet red bean paste). They're tasty treats, but not much to look at unless you're already familiar with their flavor. ▼ Typical ohagi Oh! huggy!!, though, does things differently. Instead of just plopping the anko down on top of the rice, they shape them into beautiful 'Flower Ohagi.' And with the summer heat in full force, Oh! huggy!! is now applying its artistic sensibilities to ice cream too, and is serving up Flower Ice Cream. The anko petals, pistil, stems, and leaves of each exquisite blossoms are handcrafted by the Oh! huggy!! staff, and top a cone of matcha, hojicha (roasted green tea), or vanilla ice cream. Oh! huggy!! describes the cone as having a delicate consistency so as not to interfere with your enjoyment of the other flavors and textures. Of course, ice cream isn't the only dessert whose popularity rises with the temperature of the weather. The Oh! huggy!! menu is also currently featuring Flower Shaved Ice topped with anko flowers, like the strawberry version pictured below. And if you're worried that the flower visuals could be a sign that Oh! huggy!! is more concerned about how its desserts look than how they taste, you can set your mind at ease with the knowledge that it sources its anko from Kineya Tonomitsu, an anko maker in the town of Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture that's been in business for more than 100 years. The Flower Shaved Ice is exclusive to the Oh! huggy!! main branch in Kobe's Okamoto neighborhood, where it can be ordered as either an eat-in or half-size take-out version for 1,540 yen (US$10.40) or 880 yen, respectively. The 680-yen Flower Ice, though, is being offered at Oh! huggy!! branches, including those in Tokyo and the greater Tokyo area. Related: Oh! huggy!! location list Source: PR Times Top image: PR Times Insert images: Wikipedia/Tomomarusan, PR Times (1, 2) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
3 hours ago
- SoraNews24
This is one of Starbucks Japan's rarest Frappuccinos, but is it worth tracking down?【Taste test】
Starbucks Japan's second pink Frappuccino of the summer is a flavor that's only available at a fraction of its branches. Variety and consistency are usually opposite ideals, but Starbucks Japan manages to pull them both off with aplomb. Particularly when it comes to Frappuccinos, every few weeks the chain rolls out a new seasonal flavor, and yet, no mater which of the chain's many branches you happen to be at, you can expect the staff to make yours perfectly. However, there do exist Japanese Frappuccino that you can't get at just any Starbucks location. The My Fruit³ Frappuccino series is only available at a very small number of select branches, which meant that with the newest one, the Golden Pineapple and Guava Yogurt Frappuccino, now on sale, our resident Frappuccino connoisseur K. Masami was going to have to do some legwork if she wanted to taste-test it. And want to taste-test it she did, even though out of the mere 31 Starbucks nationwide where it's being served, only two of them (the Aeon Mall Kyoto and Nara Konoike Undokoen branches) are in the Kansai region, where Masami lives. Now, the reason for that 3 in the My Fruit³ Frappuccino name seems to be that these Frappuccinos give you free customization options, with three official suggestions listed on the menu. Out of them, Masami was most intrigued by the combination of the golden pineapple Frappuccino base and guava yogurt customized with the addition of black tea and whipped cream. Since this was a rare opportunity to drink this ultra-rare Frappuccinos, though, Masami wanted to make sure she'd have the best possible drinking experience, so she asked the clerk at the register for their recommendation, and the Starbucks staff member clued her in to using Passion Tea instead, and skipping the whipped cream for a lighter, more refreshing flavor. So that's exactly what Masami did, and her 770-yen (US$5.20) Golden Pineapple Guava Yogurt Passion Tea Frappuccino was very pink, thanks to the colors of the guava and Starbucks' Passion Tea, which is a non-caffeine herbal tea with hibiscus, orange peel, cinnamon, and licorice. Masami expected a complex flavor, but there turned out to be even more stimulation for her taste buds than she'd imagined. It's been her experience that with pineapple-flavored beverages the taste of pineapple tends to dominate the flavor profile, but to her surprise it's actually the guava that most assertively makes its presence felt in this Frappuccino. The pineapple notes come on later, starting off with the impression of pineapple fragrance that gradually triggers your taste receptors, and the creaminess of the yogurt helps make a smooth transition between the two types of fruit. And after those three ingredients have played their parts, the Passion Tea comes in with a spritz of sharp tartness to clean your palate and get you ready for the next sip. ▼ Or spoonful. No judgement. So yes, Masami feels that the Golden Pineapple Guava Yogurt Frappuccino is totally worth going out of your way to get your hands on. In Tokyo, it's available at Starbucks' Azabujuban Nichome, Urban Dock Lalaport, Omotesando Hills, Shibuya Stream, Meets Kokubunji, Minami Machida Grandberry Park, and Machida Tokyu Twins East branches, with the complete list of Starbucks Japan branches serving it can be found here. And if you can't make it to any of those, don't forget about the other pink Frappuccino that's out there right now. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
a day ago
- SoraNews24
Poké-summer fun is here with Baskin-Robbins Japan's limited-time Pokémon collaboration
A new Pikachu-inspired flavor, arcade game tie-ins, and collaboration merchandise are great ways to celebrate the peak of summer right now. Baskin-Robbins Japan (known popularly as '31' in Japan) kicked off its 31 Poké Summer! Campaign on August 1. The ice cream chain teaming up with Pokémon over the summer has become an annual event for Poké-fans to look forward to, and we couldn't wait to get our hands on this year's goodies for ourselves. The main draws of the campaign are some creative Pokémon tie-ins. For instance, with purchase of a Pokémon Double Cup (Small for 51o yen [US$3.44], Regular for 610 yen), you'll receive one of 20 randomly selected stickers and one of two special yellow spoons. With purchase of a Pokémon Sundae (600 yen each), you'll receive a Frienda Pick, which is a rectangular plastic tile with a Pokémon's information for use in the Pokémon Frienda arcade game. Of course, given our unofficial motto of 'Go big or go home,' we sprung for a pricier option in the form of the Pokémon Exciting Ice Cream Box (Small) for 3,500 yen, which also comes in a Regular size for 4,140 yen. For this deal, you select nine flavors of ice cream to go home with you in special box which is in turn placed inside a Pokémon-patterned refrigerated bag. We were quite pleased by our haul when we got home and laid it all out on the table. The refrigerated bag in particular is remarkable for its two-way functionality. It initially comes as a smaller-sized bag that's a perfect fit for the Ice Cream Box. However, when you release its side buttons… …the bag transforms into a tote! This point makes it a perfect addition for all of your summer picnicking needs. Honing in on the box, it has a colorful design with Poképals old and new. We were delighted to open the lid and find a coloring page as well. Let's check out the ice cream itself now. This summer's special flavor of note is Pikachu's Toropika Soda, meant to evoke the taste of a nostalgic soda float and perfect for a hot summer day. Combining sorbet with vanilla cream, it has a refreshing base with a mix of creaminess to it. It also comes with candies in the shape of Pikachu's face that taste like white chocolate and have a crunchy texture somewhere between chocolate and ramune soda-flavored candies. All in all, everything was simply, summery sweet! The Baskin-Robbins Japan x Pokémon campaign will be around through September 3, so swing by your local branch when you need to add a boost of Poké-power to your day. On your way, you might also want to stop by several JR East train stations to earn yourself one of these giant Pokémon cards while supplies last. Reference: Baskin-Robbins Japan All images © SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
