
The SoraNews24 ice cream showdown: A frozen nine-way battle【Taste test】
We assemble an array of accessible frozen treats for a man with very vanilla tastes.
When it comes to food, our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori contains multitudes. On the one hand, his desire to broaden his palate and culinary skills is so strong that he's succeeded in getting fried rice recipes from two different online scam artists while they were in the process of trying to steal Go's money or identity. But on the other hand, he's got next to no first-hand experience with anpan, one of Japan's most popular baked-good sweets.
So every now and again, we put together a selection of some of the tastiest treats to be found in Japan, with each member of our panel making a recommendation from a certain category for Go to taste, and today's theme is ice cream.
We should start by explaining that Go (pictured above) doesn't dislike ice cream. It's just that he pretty much always eats the same kind, Lady Borden-brand vanilla ice cream, which he keeps stocked in his freezer at home. We've got a whole slew of other kinds for him to try, though, so let's take a look at the lineup and see if they can get Go to consider shaking up his ice cream-eating habits.
● Mr. Sato's recommendation: Kubota Ice Candy Strawberry Milk (216 yen [US$1.50])
'You can only find this at stores that carry high-quality stuff, like the supermarkets attached to Isetan department stores or the Natural Lawson convenience store chain. It's made by the company Kubota in Kochi Prefecture, and the combination of rich milk and tart strawberries is hard to resist. For 216 yen, you won't find many other ice creams that are this genuinely tasty.'
● Ahiruneko's recommendation: Mow Vanilla (183 yen)
'I think I remember Go saying once that he likes Mow Vanilla, and I thought it'd be nice to suggest something that our readers can easily find at just about any supermarket or convenience store in the country.'
● Seiji Nakazawa's recommendation: Baskin-Robbins Happy Friends Panda Rum Raisin (450 yen)
'I think Go will like the strong contrasts in not just the flavors, but also the textures in rum raisin ice cream, even if they don't feel like the most obviously complementary combinations. Plus when I went to Baskin-Robbins to pick some up, I found out about the 'Happy Friends' option, which adds a topping of chocolate and whipped cream.'
● Masanuki Sunakoma's recommendation: Giant Cone Chocolate and Milk (214 yen)
'This is the one to pick for people who want a big contrast in textures. The chocolate is crisp as you bite into it, and the combination of chocolate with milky vanilla is a time-tested classic. Factor in the secret weapon of the crunchy almonds, and this can go toe-to-toe with even premium ice creams, and it's my personal favorite brand of ice cream to boot.'
● Yuichiro Wasai's recommendation: Taberu Bokujo Milk (248 yen)
'For someone like Go, who likes a straightforward creamy vanilla flavor, I thin he'll love Taberu Bokujo Milk [which translates loosely to 'Farm-fresh Milk that You can Eat']. Really, if that's what you're into, it doesn't get any better than this.'
● Mariko Ohanabatake's recommendation: Black Mont Blanc (200 yen)
'I don't know how well known it is in Tokyo, but Black Mont Blanc is the ice cream pride of Kyushu. The chocolate coating is covered in crumbled cookie bits for a crunch, and the deliciousness of the vanilla ice cream is something that anyone who's eaten it can sing the praises of. If Go doesn't pick this as the best of the bunch, he'll be making an enemy of everyone in Kyushu, and will never be able to set foot on the island again.'
● Takamichi Furusawa recommendation: Häagen-Dazs Vanilla (278 yen)
'I've heard that Go like Lady Borden vanilla, so I figured another premium-brand vanilla ice cream should be right up his alley.'
● P.K. Sanjun's recommendation: Chateraise Choco-baki Kajigon (108 yen)
'It's always hard to get a read on Go's tastes, since he likes both basic traditional stuff and bold surprises. He's kind of all over the place like that. For this time around, I'm guessing he wants something unique, so I'm going in with these vanilla ice cream bars with a super-hard chocolate coating, and putting my faith in the crunchy texture to win him over.'
● Yoshio's recommendation: Ohayo Brulee (397 yen)
'This is the brand of cream brulee ice cream from 7-Eleven. The caramelized sugar topping is nice and crunchy, and when you mix it together with the ice cream they taste great, and even smell great. It's also my kids' number-one ice cream recommendation.'
Now, with the entrants assembled, it was time for Go to carry out his professional duty and eat a whole bunch of ice cream.
▼ Go: 'OK, I'm gonna start with the Giant Cone!'
▼ Go: 'Oh, yeah! This is really good! No two ways about it.'
▼ P.K. Sanjun: 'He's really going to town, isn't he? Not pacing himself at all.'
▼ Go: 'All right, time for the Kubota Ice Candy Strawberry Milk. Hmm…this feels more like the kind of thing to eat outside on a hot summer day.'
▼ Go: 'Ah, Taberu Bokujo Milk? This is the one that made a really big stir when they tarted selling it at Family Mart convenience stores, right?'
▼ Go: 'Häagen-Dazs? Don't mind if I do!'
▼ Mr. Sato: 'He's scooping up as much as he can with every bite…'
▼ Go: 'Oh, hey, I know this one too! Black Mont Blanc. Once you try it, you'll always remember the texture.'
▼ Masanuki: 'I mean, I know it's a taste test and all, but I didn't expect him to keep eating and eating them all after taking a taste.'
Mariko: 'Shouldn't he be full by now? Where's he putting it all?'
▼ Go: 'I think I may have tried the Ohayo Brulee before. It's even better once it gets a little melty.'
▼ Go: 'Oh, wow, this Baskin-Robbins is awesome! And it's rum raisin? I never would have thought to order that flavor on my own.'
So when Go had finished tasting (and eating quite a bit of) all nine entries which were his top three? He gives the third-place prize to 7-Eleven's Ohayo Brulee…
…the second-place trophy to Baskin-Robbins Happy Friends Panda Rum Raisin…
…and his pick for the overall winner is…
…Häagen-Dazs Vanilla.
In retrospect, perhaps we should have seen this coming. With Go always having Lady Borden vanilla ice cream in his freezer, it's clear that plain vanilla ice cream is exactly where his personal ice cream sweet spot is, so it makes sense that even when presented with more complex frozen treats, he still gravitated towards the one closest to his ideal of a straightforward rich creamy flavor.
On the other hand, the fact that Go ate so much of the other entries, far beyond what he needed to establish a flavor profile for them, shows that they all have their own individual charms, and when the rest of the panel helped themselves to Go's leftovers, no one had any complaints, so you may need to follow Go's example and eat nine different desserts in one sitting to find the one that most speaks to you.
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


Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Princess Kako Visits Private School in Sao Paulo; Princess Interacts with Students, Samples Local Confectionary
The Yomiuri Shimbun Princess Kako visits a private school in Sao Paulo on Saturday. MARINGA, Brazil — Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, interacted with students during a visit to a private school in Sao Paulo on Saturday. The princess is the first member of the Imperial family to visit the school, known as Oshiman. She was welcomed to the school by students with singing and dancing, and was served traditional local confectionary. 'This is really delicious,' said the princess after eating the sweets. The school, founded in 1993, has about 430 students in total aged from 18-month old preschool children to third-year junior high school. About 70% of the students are of Japanese descent. School principal Mayumi Madueno, 65, is a 3rd generation Japanese Brazilian. Her 96-year-old mother established a Japanese language school in the 1950s after she became concerned that the language and culture inherited from their ancestors would disappear as generations changed. The princess on Sunday traveled by air to Maringa, southwestern Brazil, and attended a welcome ceremony held by a Japanese-Brazilian organization.


Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Princess Akiko Calls for Elevating Traditional Japanese Culture; World Forum on Japanese Culture Kicks Off
Yomiuri Shimbun photos Princess Akiko delivers a speech during the inaugural session of the World Forum on Japanese Culture at the MOA Museum of Art in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, on May 31. ATAMI, Shizuoka — Princess Akiko has stressed the importance of cultivating fertile soil for traditional Japanese culture to live on without the need for protection, during a recent event that kicked off the World Forum on Japanese Culture. The forum, which was established to convey to the world the distinctive characteristics of Japanese culture, held its inaugural sessions at the MOA Museum of Art in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, on May 31, with about 500 people in attendance. In the first session, Princess Akiko delivered a speech titled 'The essence of Japanese aesthetics,' in which she said that traditional Japanese culture will become 'a thing of the past' unless it is incorporated into modern society and people make use of it. 'Culture should come alive in our everyday lives,' she said. 'Japanese culture is supposed to be closely connected to our everyday lives, not something merely appreciated.' From left, Harvard University Prof. Yukio Lippit; Masatomo Kawai, a professor emeritus at Keio University; lacquer artist Kazumi Murose; and Tokugo Uchida, director of the MOA museum, participate in a discussion at the forum on May 31 The princess of Mikasa said she realized how little she knew about Japanese culture when people often asked her about it while she was studying at Oxford University. That realization led her to study Japanese art and eventually launch 'Shinyusha,' an initiative that provides children with opportunities to experience authentic Japanese culture through workshops, such as on making Japanese tea in a traditional manner and wearing kimono — practices that are no longer common in everyday Japanese life. The princess said that the goal of the initiative is to plant 'seeds of memories.' She said she hopes that the children will have pleasant memories of the workshops and that they will recall those memories in the future, thereby building a feeling of affinity toward traditional culture. Masatomo Kawai, a professor emeritus at Keio University, gives a keynote speech during the second session of the forum on May 31. She called for a 'bottom-up style' of cultural preservation, in which each person naturally strives to protect their culture, rather than a 'top-down style,' in which authorities chooses what to keep and protect. 'If you don't know why something is important, you don't care to protect it,' she said. 'What we can do now is use our own efforts to build a future for preserving our precious Japanese culture.' In the second session held on the same day, Masatomo Kawai, a professor emeritus at Keio University, gave a keynote speech on the uniqueness of Japanese culture. He said Japanese culture has been nurtured through finding harmony between nature and people, while in the West, culture and science have developed through efforts to overcome nature. A similar point was addressed in the discussion that followed involving four experts: Kawai; Kazumi Murose, a lacquer artist designated as a living national treasure; Harvard University Prof. Yukio Lippit; and Tokugo Uchida, director of the MOA museum. Members of the audience listen to Princess Akiko's speech on May 31. During the discussion, they affirmed the importance of seeking 'coexistence between nature and society' in the 21st century amid global challenges such as division, conflict and environmental issues. Murose said that Japan, through its long history, has incorporated aspects of overseas cultures into its own to create new values and traditions to pass on to the next generation. Lippit said culture is not something each country should discuss independently, and that common values are important for getting even people overseas to feel like they want to carry on Japanese cultural heritage. World Forum on Japanese Culture Organized by Harvard University′s department of History of Art + Architecture, the MOA Museum of Art, the Japan Arts Council and the Cultural Affairs Agency, the forum aims to elevate the appreciation of Japanese cultural values globally. Leading figures in traditional arts, traditional crafts, science and other fields are invited to speak, providing various perspectives on Japanese culture. Recordings of the forum's lectures and discussions will be made open to the public in multiple languages: English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Thai. The recordings are planned to be made available online through about 20 institutions in 10 countries, such as the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University. The third session is scheduled to be held in August and will feature Ryoji Noyori, a Nobel laureate in chemistry, and Seiichi Kondo, a former director general of the Cultural Affairs Agency, as speakers.


Kyodo News
a day ago
- Kyodo News
Japan telecom giant NTT Docomo to end own emoji after 26 yrs
KYODO NEWS - 5 hours ago - 10:40 | All, Japan Japanese telecom giant NTT Docomo Inc. will retire its set of original emoji whose release 26 years ago helped shape the visual language of today's digital communications. The carrier's Android smartphones and feature phones marketed from June will not come with the Docomo emoji set. Announcing the decision in late May, the firm said they had "fulfilled their role" while noting that Google's emoji had become more common globally. The new mobile phones will adopt Noto Color Emoji by Google or Samsung emoji instead, it said. The Docomo emoji were introduced in 1999 with the company's i-mode service, an Internet-capable mobile phone system that the company also plans to terminate, in 2026. Emoji became massively popular in Japan as an element of texting, especially among teenagers in the 2000s, with some creating emoji-only messages, before taking root globally. In 2016, NTT Docomo's set of 176 emoji was included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, with the museum stating, "Filling in for body language, they reassert the human within the deeply impersonal, abstract space of electronic communication."