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Tokyo Weekender

Iconic Japanese Ice Creams, Ranked

Nothing says summer in Japan like popping into a konbini with your friends at night to pick up a couple of Gargari-kun popsicles. Whether you're into fruity or creamy offerings, Japan's convenience stores and supermarkets have a dizzying array of inventive and delicious ice creams at cheap prices. Among this infinite variety, here is our ranking of the most iconic Japanese ice creams, according to extensive field research and science. Contestants were judged according to four scales of five stars: flavor, texture, originality and aesthetic appeal. *Just to clarify for those easily angered: both popsicles and traditional ice creams are referred to as 'ice cream' in Japanese (or often aisu — 'ice' — for short). So this list blends the two categories and everything in between. List of Contents: 10. Super Cup 9. Gatsun to Mikan 8. Coolish 7. Ice Box 6. Papico 5. Garigari-kun 4. Black Thunder 3. Suika Bar 2. Ice no Mi 1 (Tie). Yukimi Daifuku 1 (Tie). Shirokuma Related Posts 10. Super Cup This is one of the most standard Japanese ice creams, one that you can find anywhere. The vanilla and chocolate flavors are most common, but a ton of other flavor varieties are also available, like mint chocolate, matcha and strawberry. An oldie but a goodie, Super Cup is never a showstopper but a reliable cornerstone of the ice cream scene. Flavor: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ 9. Gatsun to Mikan The word gatsun describes tackling something with vigor, so it seems fitting that it would be affixed to this dense, prone-to-giving-brain-freezes popsicle. Filled with tangerine pieces, this fruity popsicle is pretty similar to a lot of Western popsicles in terms of texture — less slushy, more ice-y. It almost has a homemade quality to it, but personally, I don't find the texture satisfying. Flavor: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ 8. Coolish We've all seen the Tiktok hack of mixing this ice cream bag with iced coffee to create a delicious Frappuccino-like concoction. Like Papico, the beauty of Coolish is that it won't melt in your hand — and, in fact, a little melting improves the texture. We recommend trying flavors other than vanilla, too, like chocolate and peach. Flavor: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ 7. Ice Box Sometimes you're not hungry, but just want to have something refreshing. Ice Box is perfect for that; it's basically frozen flavored water that tastes like grapefruit. Like Ice no Mi, it can also be put into different drinks to add flavor. Pro tip: Squeeze the container a few times before opening the top to break up the ice chunks! Flavor: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎⭐︎ 6. Papico Whether you're walking home from school with your crush or hanging out with your bestie, Papico is meant to be shared. The classic coffee flavor is perfect for a pick-me-up, and seasonal flavors like lemon, kiwi or pear are incredible, too. On a practical level, Papico is great because it's encased in plastic and won't melt all over your hand. Flavor: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎⭐︎ 5. Garigari-kun You haven't truly experienced summer in Japan until you've incurred a brain freeze chomping on a Garigari-kun popsicle. That's how iconic this ice cream series is. Its namesake character, Garigari-kun (' garigari ' is onomatopoeia for crunchiness, so his name means 'Crunch boy') is known for his manic wide-mouthed grin, symbolizing his excitement for ice cream — which is honestly relatable. There is a never-ending list of seasonal Garigari flavors, but some of our favorites are soda (a classic), chocolate and pineapple. Flavor: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ (some flavors are mediocre) Texture: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ (the popsicle itself is just a rectangle, but the character and font are iconic) 4. Black Thunder If you don't know what Black Thunder is, you're probably living under a rock. It's a crunchy, Oreo-filled chocolate bar found at most konbini. The ice cream form is based on the same flavor profile, but its base is a chocolate ice cream — the perfect option when you want something decadent. Flavor: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ 3. Suika Bar There's something about this watermelon-shaped popsicle that immediately raises your happiness level by 138 percent on sight. Does it actually taste like real watermelon? Not really — it has five percent watermelon juice, and its 'seeds' are actually chocolate chips. But we love this triangle of joy for its adorable shape, refreshing taste and the summery mood it evokes. Flavor: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ 2. Ice no Mi A lot of people like to use these fruit-flavored balls as ice cubes for various drinks, but they taste amazing on their own as well. Ice no Mi means 'fruit of ice,' and most flavor renditions taste pretty accurate. The grape one is perhaps the most common, but we recommend seasonal flavors like strawberry and pear. The coffee one is also delicious (and would be a great ice cube substitute for any coffee beverage!) Flavor: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Originality : ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ 1 (Tie). Yukimi Daifuku A few years ago, ice cream-filled mochi became a huge phenomenon, seen in overseas grocery stores like Trader Joe's. This chewy, creamy icon is one of the blueprint mochi ice creams. Yukimi Daifuku is one of the few ice creams enjoyed by locals even in the winter, as mochi is often associated with colder weather. Its name is a play on tsukimi daifuku , or moon-viewing daifuku — mochi filled with red bean paste, eaten during the autumnal full moon festival. In this case, yukimi means snow-viewing. Flavor: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ 1 (Tie). Shirokuma Inspired by a tropical shaved ice dessert from Kagoshima Prefecture, Shirokuma is a classic summer treat featuring condensed milk, red bean paste, pineapple and other fruits. Shirokuma means polar bear, which some say derives from a polar bear picture on the condensed milk can used in the very first Shirokuma shaved ice. Whatever the origin, it's an adorable name. Flavor: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Texture: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Originality: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Aesthetics: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ Related Posts A Guide to the Best Matcha in Tokyo What Your Go-To Konbini Drink Says About You The Best Taiyaki Shops in Tokyo