Weird Japanese Popsicles

Nothing sounds better on a steamy summer day than a freezy-cold popsicle, but if you’re in Japan, look out, because the flavor choices go WAY beyond red, purple and orange!

[image error]Okay, a cola-flavored popsicle might redline your junk food-o-meter, but it isn’t actually THAT weird…



[image error]But how about an ice lolly that tastes like a cream puff?



[image error]Or (I bet you’ve been craving this all your life) a frozen shot of…canned vending machine coffee?



[image error]They even have popsicles that can be pressed into service as tools of the military-industrial complex: workers flagging mid-afternoon in the summer heat can recharge with this one, which is basically Japan’s version of a frozen Red Bull

Of course, there are also flavors that utterly defy description and/or purpose:

[image error]The spaghetti-flavored popsicle. I actually took one for the team on this one and tried it. Yes, it’s even more horrible than it sounds. Not least because the spaghetti in it is Japan’s beloved “Napolitan” flavor, meaning that the sauce is made with (wait for it) ketchup. #abomination

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And because that which does not kill us makes us stronger, I’m still here to give you a free copy of this all-new, not-for-sale Yumi & Kenji short!

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If you become a Japanagram subscriber before September 1st, 2020 you’ll get a free downloadable ebook of the new It Was You Only In Tokyo Short (79 pp) and ten lucky winners will get a signed paperback copy!

Click on the Get Japanagram button, sign up, (don’t worry, it’s free!) and the September Japanagram will deliver your very own It Was You ebook, an announcement of the paperback winners, and, of course, all the quirky Japan-centric feature stories you’ll only see in Japanagram.

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Japanagram is my new monthly newsletter, and when you join, you’ll be automatically entered to win the monthly book giveaway, get directions to a fabulous Beyond Tokyo destination, learn to make a Japanese home cooking dish & more!

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had