Dragon Quest's Slime is now a geisha (and delicious)
Like a lot of long-running role-playing video game series, Dragon Quest brings in a new cast of heroes and villains for pretty much every installment. From the very beginning, though, Slimes have been a constant in the Dragon Quest creature cast.
Over the past four decades, Slimes have appeared in dozens of Dragon Quest games, and have evolved into an even greater number of subspecies. Starting with the original trio of the standard Slime, Red Slime, and Metal Slime, we've also seen such unique variations as the jellyfish-like Healslime and regal King Slime, but we've just encountered what might be the most surprising Slime of all: the geisha Slime.
Much like how the Slime has become the face of Dragon Quest, geisha, and apprentice-level geisha called maiko, are seen as representatives of Kyoto, which is where the Maiko Slime hails from. Another symbol of Kyoto is nama yatsuhashi, a traditional Japanese confectionary made of a folded triangle of soft, chewy mochi with a dollop of anko (sweet red bean jam) inside.
▼ Nama yatsuhashi
Nama yatsuhashi are one of the top souvenirs for travelers to Kyoto, and they're also an in-game item that players can win in mobile geolocation game Dragon Quest Walk by completing missions within the city. Naturally, though, the in-game sweets aren't just any nama yatsuhashi, they're Slime nama yatsuhashi.
Dragon Quest Walk periodically partners with local companies to bring its in-game foodstuffs into the real world, and for the Slime nama yatsuhashi they're working with Shogoin Yatsuhashi, a Kyoto-based confectioner that's been in business since 1689 and remains one of the most popular nama yatsuhashi brands more than 300 years later. The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi went on sale in mid-May and immediately sold out, but thankfully new supplies are now in stock and you can get them either at Shogoin's shops in Kyoto or through their online store, like we did.
The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi come as a double-pack with 10 pieces total. With Japan in general prizing hospitality and Kyoto in particular seeing it as a virtue, Shogoin places the Maiko Slime inside an extra layer of protective bubble wrap, ensuring that it arrives with its beauty unmarred.
The contents are an even split of five nama yatsuhashi dusted with cinnamon (the most traditional flavor) and five wrapped in matcha-infused mochi (the most popular alternative version). The way they're arranged, it really does look like a bunch of slimes are nestled together inside the packs.
However, this is a good time to mention that the 'nama' part of nama yatsuhashi means 'raw,' referring to the soft texture of the mochi. It's actually too soft for searing or branding, and so those adorable Slime facial features…
…are actually on the wrapper, not the sweets themselves.
▼ Though on the plus side, this does mean that you can turn whatever you want into a Slime but putting it inside the wrapper after you take the nama yatsuhashi out.
And how do they taste? Fantastic. You don't stay in business for more than three centuries without a satisfying product, and Shogoin's sweet but not sugary recipe, combined with an invitingly pillowy texture, makes their nama yatsuhashi one of the best examples of why it's become Kyoto's representative dessert. Slightly bigger than bite-sized, they pair especially well with green tea, and aren't bad with coffee either.
▼ And, of course, any beverage is a suitable choice is you pour it into a Slime glass, like we did.
The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi is priced at 1,080 yen (US$7.50), will be available until July 15, and can be ordered online here.
Dragon Quest Walk illustration: Square Enix
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 ]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SoraNews24
13 hours ago
- SoraNews24
Crane games in Japanese convenience stores getting more and more popular, especially with tourists
Popularity with customers, including foreign tourists, leads to chain hitting crane game target months ahead of schedule. Up through the early '90s, it was pretty normal for convenience stores in America to have an arcade video game cabinet or two in the corner for customers to drop a few quarters into. Here in Japan, though, despite, or perhaps because of, the rich arcade culture, arcade games have never had a presence at major convenience store chains. However, these days you're more and more likely to see a different form of coin-operated entertainment at one chain: crane games. Back in 2022, the manager of a branch of Lawson, one of Japan's big-three convenience store chains, approached the head office to discuss the idea that customers might be interested in not only purchasing items at the store, but spending on experiences as well. This got the wheels turning to start installing crane games inside Lawson stores, chosen for being an easily accessible form of fun with an affordable price point that are popular with people across a wide variety of ages and other demographics. ▼ Crane games inside a Lawson branch The cabinets are more compact than the full-size ones found in dedicated arcades/game centers, and in some two different gameplay areas may be operated by the same controls, with the player pressing an arrow-shaped button at the start to select which prizes they're trying for. The prizes tend to be compact too, but are generally plushies and figures of popular characters, like the ones from One Piece , Dragon Quest , and the Super Mario franchise seen above. After starting out in Japan's central Kiki region in 2022, Lawson has continued to expand its crane game operations. A year ago, when the machines were in 623 branches nationwide, Lawson said it wanted them in 1,000 by the end of 2025, and it's actually hit that milestone before we're even done with summer, as there are now 1,109 Lawson branches with in-store crane games. With a price of 100 yen (US$0.68), Lawson isn't getting rich off single plays. Really, though, the greater benefit to the chain is bringing in extra foot traffic. While convenience stores in Japan do try to differentiate from one another with their private-brand items, there's a lot of overlap between chains too, often with little to no difference in prices, as manufacturers in Japan have a strong say in what retailers charge for their products. If Lawson can earn a spot in people's minds as 'the convenience store with the fun crane games,' though, at least some of the people coming in to try their luck will also happen to be thirsty or hungry, and since they're already inside a Lawson, they may as well pick up a bottle of Pocari Sweat or a box of shape-trademarked Pocky there too, right? Of course, Lawson wouldn't be installing more crane games unless people were enjoying playing them, and the company says they're particularly popular in branches in sightseeing areas and that foreign tourists have been especially enamored by them, and the chain is now looking into creating Lawson-exclusive prizes to stock them with. There doesn't currently appear to be any complete list of crane game-equipped branches or way to search for them through the chain's official website, but Lawson says it plans to continue adding them to more of its stores. Source: Narinari, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Lawson Top image ©SoraNews24 Insert image: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
NHK
17-07-2025
- NHK
'Demon Slayer' manga series global circulation tops 200 million copies
More than 200 million copies of the popular Japanese manga series "Kimetsu no Yaiba," or "Demon Slayer" have been published worldwide. Publisher Shueisha said on Thursday that the number of copies of the 23-volume series in global circulation has reached 220 million, including digital editions. Created by Gotouge Koyoharu, the story was serialized from 2016 to 2020. It is set in Japan in the early 1900s, and features a boy who fights demons which killed his family members. He goes on a journey in search of a cure for his sister, who has transformed into a demon. An animated film based on the series was released in 2020 and earned 40 billion yen, or about 270 million dollars, in box-office revenue. That made it the highest grossing film in Japan. Among other popular manga series, "One Piece" has more than 510 million copies in circulation worldwide, followed by "Case Closed," also known as "Detective Conan," with over 270 million. "Dragon Ball" has more than 260 million copies. Those three series have more than 40 volumes each, while "Demon Slayer" has topped 200 million copies in circulation with just 23 volumes.
SoraNews24
13-06-2025
- SoraNews24
Dragon Quest's Slime is now a geisha (and delicious)
Dragon Quest Walk's Kyoto strolls inspire collaboration with local confectioner that's been in business for more than 300 years. Like a lot of long-running role-playing video game series, Dragon Quest brings in a new cast of heroes and villains for pretty much every installment. From the very beginning, though, Slimes have been a constant in the Dragon Quest creature cast. Over the past four decades, Slimes have appeared in dozens of Dragon Quest games, and have evolved into an even greater number of subspecies. Starting with the original trio of the standard Slime, Red Slime, and Metal Slime, we've also seen such unique variations as the jellyfish-like Healslime and regal King Slime, but we've just encountered what might be the most surprising Slime of all: the geisha Slime. Much like how the Slime has become the face of Dragon Quest, geisha, and apprentice-level geisha called maiko, are seen as representatives of Kyoto, which is where the Maiko Slime hails from. Another symbol of Kyoto is nama yatsuhashi, a traditional Japanese confectionary made of a folded triangle of soft, chewy mochi with a dollop of anko (sweet red bean jam) inside. ▼ Nama yatsuhashi Nama yatsuhashi are one of the top souvenirs for travelers to Kyoto, and they're also an in-game item that players can win in mobile geolocation game Dragon Quest Walk by completing missions within the city. Naturally, though, the in-game sweets aren't just any nama yatsuhashi, they're Slime nama yatsuhashi. Dragon Quest Walk periodically partners with local companies to bring its in-game foodstuffs into the real world, and for the Slime nama yatsuhashi they're working with Shogoin Yatsuhashi, a Kyoto-based confectioner that's been in business since 1689 and remains one of the most popular nama yatsuhashi brands more than 300 years later. The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi went on sale in mid-May and immediately sold out, but thankfully new supplies are now in stock and you can get them either at Shogoin's shops in Kyoto or through their online store, like we did. The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi come as a double-pack with 10 pieces total. With Japan in general prizing hospitality and Kyoto in particular seeing it as a virtue, Shogoin places the Maiko Slime inside an extra layer of protective bubble wrap, ensuring that it arrives with its beauty unmarred. The contents are an even split of five nama yatsuhashi dusted with cinnamon (the most traditional flavor) and five wrapped in matcha-infused mochi (the most popular alternative version). The way they're arranged, it really does look like a bunch of slimes are nestled together inside the packs. However, this is a good time to mention that the 'nama' part of nama yatsuhashi means 'raw,' referring to the soft texture of the mochi. It's actually too soft for searing or branding, and so those adorable Slime facial features… …are actually on the wrapper, not the sweets themselves. ▼ Though on the plus side, this does mean that you can turn whatever you want into a Slime but putting it inside the wrapper after you take the nama yatsuhashi out. And how do they taste? Fantastic. You don't stay in business for more than three centuries without a satisfying product, and Shogoin's sweet but not sugary recipe, combined with an invitingly pillowy texture, makes their nama yatsuhashi one of the best examples of why it's become Kyoto's representative dessert. Slightly bigger than bite-sized, they pair especially well with green tea, and aren't bad with coffee either. ▼ And, of course, any beverage is a suitable choice is you pour it into a Slime glass, like we did. The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi is priced at 1,080 yen (US$7.50), will be available until July 15, and can be ordered online here. Dragon Quest Walk illustration: Square Enix 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 ]
