- Why Japanese Starbucks is Cool
Write the following as a new essay on Medium: Pick something that you find ‘cool’ within the context of Japan/Japanese popular culture. This could be a particular artist, or a film, or a series, or a game, or a genre — but get specific. What about it makes it ‘cool’? Sell your reader on it, make them feel like they’re missing out if they aren’t in on this. (Pro tip: ‘he is good at the guitar’ is not gonna cut it. Be sure to distinguish ‘cool’ from things like ‘skillful’ or ‘fun’.) Bonus: if someone were to say it wasn’t cool — how would you respond? Same as above — make sure there’s a nice title, links/embeds to relevant media, etc.
Japanese Starbucks takes the traditional Starbucks experience to the limit. Decked out in cherry blossoms, the annual sakura themed cups are uniquely Starbucks and Japanese.
Every year , these themed cups give enthusiast something to look forward to. Uniquely Japanese, yet appealing to many demographics, the sakura is not only emblematic of Japan but an ongoing motif that can be iterated and explored year after year.
This year, Starbucks Japan is taking it up a notch with their themed frappachinos. Their marketing team must be on something else, because they
- Made it local
- Made it exclusive
- Tied it to your identity ( as a Japanese person, in a certain prefecture )
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Starbucks Japan is released 47 new Frappuccino flavors today, Wednesday, June 30th. Each drink highlights the local flavors of a particular prefecture and are available specifically in that region.
The unique flavor featured are :
Hokkaido’s creamy corn flavour Frappuccino, inspired by the island’s famous corn pottage.
Okinawa gets a Frappucino based on its salty chinsuko shortbread cookies.
Osaka’s kudamon cream Frappuccino features a mix of fruit including banana and apple.
Tokyo’s Frappuccino, the capital’s unique flavour will include coffee jelly and caramel.
Aomori’s special flavour is a blend of apples and strawberries because it’s known for its apples.
FULL LIST OF FLAVORS:
1. Hokkaido- corn, creamy milk with white chocolate syrup.
2. Aomori’-Apples & Strawberries blended with milk.
3. Iwate-black sesame sauce with matcha Green tea base finished with caramel sauce and brown sugar topping
4. Miyagi- zunda (sweet edamame) bean paste & matcha sauce blended with white chocolate cream base
5. Akita- salted caramel
6. Yamagita- Lafrance(European Pear) with whipped cream topped with honey
7. Fukushima -tropical fruit-mango passion tea with peach chunks
8. Ibaraki -creamy honeydew melon
9. Tochigi -blend of chocolate
10. Gunma -mango yogurt
11. Saitama -strawberry & citrus
12. Chiba- mitarashi dango coffee cream
13. Tokyo- coffee jelly caramel
14. Kanagawa -summer blue cream (citrus & milk) blend of butterfly pea tea syrup topped with whipped cream and citrus chunks.
15. Niigata-crispy rice crackers blended with chocolate mocha sauce
16. Toyama- watermelon & passion tea
17. Ishikawa -roasted green tea
18. Fukui- matcha green tea and white chocolate syrup topped with crunchy puffed rice (confection)
19. Yamanashi- blend of grape and white chocolate sauce
20. Nagano- apple butter caramel Frappuccino
21. Gifu- blend of matcha green tea and mocha powders swirled in cream with coffee jelly at the base
22. Shizuoka- mikan citrus and white chocolate
23. Aichi- coffee, sweet red bean paste sauce, and chocolate chips
24. Mie- citrus fruits blended with creamy milk and local Ise tea
25. Shiga- butterfly pea tea syrup blended with white chocolate cream topped with citrus pulp
26. Kyoto- kinako soybean powder and matcha green tea powder blended into a creamy white chocolate base.
27. Osaka- blended cream with a mix of banana, apple, peach, and orange flavors.
28. Hyogo- dark chocolate powder, chocolate chips, and mocha sauce
29. Nara- roasted green tea (hojicha) combined with creamy white chocolate base
30. Wakayama- blend of mikan juice, citrus pulp, and non-fat milk
31. Tottori- blend of coffee, caramel sauce, and cream
32. Shimane- creamy matcha with coffee
33. Okayama- peach pulp blended with a fruity citrus base and white mocha syrup
34. Hiroshima- lemons mixed with passion tea, whipped cream and honey
35. Yamaguchi- black sesame, matcha powder, and whipped cream
36. Tokushima-sudachi citrus, sudachi juice, and Yuzu peel
37. Kagawa-wasanbon blended with ice, milk, and white chocolate matcha sauce.
38. Ehime- swirl of kiwi jam in a vanilla cream base
39. Kochi- blend of ginger syrup, vanilla cream and citrus
40. Fukuoka- blend of local Yame Tea, non fat milk, white chocolate syrup topped with whipped cream and matcha powder
41. Saga- blend of chocolate base, white chocolate syrup and crunchy brown sugar
42. Nagasaki- blend of milk, white chocolate syrup with castella cake (sponge cake) soaked in a shot of Starbucks espresso roast.
43. Kumamoto- blend of dark mocha powder, ice, non fat milk and crunchy dark cocoa biscuits
44. Oita- blend of juice and pulp of kabosu citrus, topped with whipped cream and honey
45. Miyazaki- blend of local hyuganatsu citrus topped with mango sauce.
46. Kagoshima- blend of brown sugar syrup, chocolate chips and milk
47. Okinawa- blends the salty sweet flavor of chinsuko (shortbread biscuits) with vanilla, milk, and caramel sauce topped with whipped cream and crushed biscuits.
Whats cool about Starbucks Japan is the way they are able to create products that appeal to Japanese audiences.