Japan’s Kansai region inspires some very bold baking in Shakey’s Japan’s ovens.
A while back, Shakey’s celebrated its 50th anniversary of arriving in Japan with a special selection of pizzas that it called the “American Pizza Tour.” But having passed the half-century mark in Japan now, the chain has seen some very tasty stuff in this country too, and brings us to Shakey’s newest creations, pizzas inspired by the culinary traditions of central Japan’s Kansai region.
We start with the Kansai Chili Con Carne Style Pizza. The topping for this complex concept is sujikon, a dish popular in Kansai made by simmering gyusuji (beef tendon) and konnyaku (konjac gelatin) simmered in a soy sauce-based stock. The sauce here has a Kansai twist too, as it’s a mixture of tomato sauce and Doro Sauce, a thick savory Worcestershire-like sauce made in Kobe with a little spicy kick to it.
Next we have the Saikyo Grilled Spanish Mackerel Alfredo Style Pizza. Kyoto is also part of the Kansai region, and while history buffs love the city for its temples and shrines, foodies are especially fond of saikyoyaki, a Kyoto specialty of white miso-marintaed grilled fish. Sawara (Spanish mackerel) is the most commonly used type of fish for saikyoyaki, and so that’s what comes with this pizza, with its elegantly sweet notes accompanied by a buttery Alfredo sauce and crisp mizuna (Japanese mustard greens).
Dessert also comes courtesy of inspiration from Kyoto cuisine. Though not mentioned in the name of the Matcha and Strawberry Dessert Pizza, here Shakey’s is drawing from nama yatsuhashi, Kyoto’s representative confectionary of folded mochi with anko (sweet red beans) inside and often a dusting of cinnamon. This dessert pizza has a butter anko sauce and is topped with little balls of gyuhi (extra soft mochi) and strawberry pieces, with matcha powder and cinnamon which should deliver an intriguing mix of sweet, bitter, and tart sensations.
And finally, Shakey’s will be serving up Doro Sauce BBQ Spaghetti too, which should let you get an even more pronounced taste of the condiment than with the Kansai Chili Con Carne Style Pizza.
There’s no denying that the new pizzas are all very bold, pioneering innovations…but it’s also hard to deny that they’re pretty weird. Since Shakey’s Japan operates on a flat-fee, all-you-can-eat system, though, there’s no need to commit to ordering a whole pie, so you can try a single slice first, then go back for more if/when they win you over.
Shakey’s Japan Tour 2026 Kansai, as the new items’ stint is called, runs from now until August 31.
A new limited-edition drink you can’t even get at Starbucks.
Competition is fierce amongst Japan’s top three convenience store chains, 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson, but right now 7-Eleven is edging ahead of the competition with a new tie-up Starbucks drink that you can’t get anywhere else, not even at Starbucks.
Called Fruity Cheers Torori, this new beverage comes in two flavours, Strawberry Berry Bergamot and Mango Passionfruit, with each one blending the rich aroma of fruit with the creamy smoothness of milk and the refreshing finish of tea for a perfect summer pick-me-up. One of its other key features lies in its name, as “torori” is Japanese onomatopoeia for something with a thick, smooth, rich, and velvety texture, and that’s what this drink promises to deliver.
The Strawberry Berry Bergamot blends milk with the refreshing citrus aroma of bergamot, the delicate fragrance of jasmine tea, and the sweet tartness of strawberry and blackberry. The result is a vibrant, fruity beverage with a rich strawberry aroma and a satisfyingly smooth texture.
The Mango Passionfruit features rich tropical aromas of mango and passionfruit, and blends it all with milk and black tea to create a luscious taste experience. The sweet, full-bodied fruit flavors and creamy richness are said to “unfold with every sip”, delivering a refreshing sensation that captures the spirit of summer.
According to Starbucks, this new series was created with the goal of bringing the Starbucks experience into people’s busy everyday lives through a convenient PET bottle format. Carefully developed by fine-tuning the balance between fruit, milk, and tea to achieve a rich, fruity flavour with a refreshing finish, these drinks are said to be the perfect companion for a summer afternoon.
With bright, colourful packaging and layered graphic elements, the cheerful design is sure to grab your attention when the drinks are released on 16 June. They’ll be available at 7-Eleven stores nationwide for a limited time, priced at 214 yen (US$1.33) each.
Source, images: Press release ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Kayanoya’s Satoyama Cookies give you four flavors for a snack session unlike any other.
The other day, we found ourselves thinking “We want to eat some cookies.” In and of itself, that’s not at all an unusual condition for us to be in, but on this day we wanted specifically to eat some Kayanoya cookies.
Kayanoya is a company that was founded all the way back in 1893, and as you might expect from that, they make use of some characteristically Japanese ingredients in their cookies, such as matcha green tea and black sesame. Kayanoya isn’t a dedicated confectioner, though. They’re primarily a producer of dashi, Japanese soup stock, and yes, they have dashi cookies too!
▼ Some Kayanoya shops even have a counter where you can get cups of piping hot dashi soup (だしスープ).
The dashi cookies are part of the four-flavor Satoyama Cookieset. Satoyama is a Japanese word referring to farmlands adjacent to foothills and forests, and that retro rural community aesthetic is present on the box lid.
The 16 cookies inside are arranged neatly in their own little compartments, and we started our tasting with the matcha and black sesame cookies.
Fancy Japanese cookies tend to be crisp and a little crumbly in their texture, and that’s true of Kayanoya’s. Thankfully, they go easy on the sugar in the recipe, leaving the matcha and black sesame plenty of room to be the stars in their cookies’ flavor profiles, and they’re both delicious, in a sophisticated way.
Now, though, it was time for things to start getting unusual, and even before we got to the dashi cookie, we had a shichimi one to try.
Shichimi is a piquant allspice whose name translates literally to “seven flavors.” The exact mix of ingredients varies from maker to maker, but red chili powder is always present, and sesame and sansho, an aromatic type of Japanese pepper with bitter notes, are also regularly members of the shichimi team.
▼ Somewhat confusingly, Kayanoya’s shichimi cookies have black sesame sprinkled on top of them, while the black sesame cookies do not.
Since this is still a cookie, we wondered if Kayanoya would perhaps use just a touch of shichimi for a little spicy accent to an otherwise sweet flavor. But nope, just like with their matcha and black sesame cookies, the taste is crafted so that you really do taste shichimi more than anything else, and this is an honestly spicy cookie that little kids probably won’t enjoy, but adults with adventurous palates will.
And finally, we come to the dashi cookie.
Dashi is a bit of a catchall culinary term, and most commonly indicates a type of fish broth that makes heavy use of bonito stock. However, while Kayanoya does make fish-based dashi, for their dashi cookies they instead use their vegetable dashi, which is fish-free and instead made with onion, carrot, cabbage, celery, and garlic.
By this point, we knew that the primary flavor of the vegetable dashi cookie was going to be dashi, but which of those five veggies would come to the forefront? We got our answer immediately, as we took a bite and immediately had the sensation of onion firing up our taste receptors.
Now, “onion cookie” might sounds like a cruel prank you’d play on an unsuspecting person who’s craving something sweet, but since we knew ahead of time that it was going to taste like vegetable dashi, the flavor wasn’t bad at all. It actually reminded us of the consommé flavor that’s the standard for Japanese potato chips, except here the supporting flavor underneath it is the buttery baked cookie dough, not an oily fried chip.
With their combination of unique flavors and high quality, the Satoyama Cookie set (which is priced at 2,268 yen [US$15]) is proving to be a hit. It was actually all sold out when we first swung by a Kayanoya store to pick some up, but that was right before Mother’s Day so it was a prime gift-buying weekend, so they should be easier to find now.
Milk teas are incredibly popular in Japan, but now there’s one so milky it’s causing a stir online, with Japanese social media lighting up with praise for it. Exclusive to Japanese-born fast food chain Mos Burger, this new drink goes by the name “Tea Milk“, because the dairy component is so strong – the ratio of tea to milk is said to be 1:9 – that it’s more like having tea with your milk, rather than milk with your tea.
With so many glowing reviews online, we were keen to try it for ourselves, and from the minute we laid eyes on it, we knew this was no ordinary tea… and no ordinary milk either.
According to Mos Burger, the tea used in the beverage is “Kandy tea“, so called as it hails from the ancient city of Kandy, a World Heritage site in Sri Lanka. Characterised by its low bitterness, Kandy teas produce a full-bodied brew particularly suited to milk, and a little can go a long way to adding a robust flavour.
With only a small amount of tea in the bottom of the cup, we figured the brew would have to be significantly robust to make its presence felt on the palate. Giving it a slight stir and taking a cautious sip, we braced ourselves for a mouthful of milk, but ended up pleasantly surprised as the tea was aromatic and delicious, standing strong with the milk to deliver a harmonious coupling of flavours.
According to Mos Burger, a little lemon is added to every serving, but it was indistinguishable on the palate. Only upon searching for a hint of citrus were we able to find it on the nose, but it was very subtle, almost as if it was part of the tea.
While the flavour of the tea was pronounced, we detected no bitterness in the blend, which just goes to show how well the tea-to-milk ratio works. The eye-popping amount of milk in the drink isn’t just for show, and unless you like your brew super strong, like a so-called “builder’s tea”, you’ll appreciate the nuanced dance between milk and tea that plays out in every mouthful.
With a clean and refreshing aftertaste, the Tea Milk also pairs surprisingly well with the chain’s burgers and fries, and it’ll be on the menu, priced at 420 yen (US$2.62), for a limited time until early November.
With green tea being the most culturally significant drink in Japan, and Kyoto being considered the heart of the country’s traditional culture, it’s easy to make the assumption that Kyoto must be where most of Japan’s green tea is grown. However, while Kyoto Prefecture does produce Japan’s most famous high-end matcha, the honor of Japan’s number-one green tea grower, in terms of amount grown, actually goes to Shizuoka Prefecture.
So for its newest batch of special green tea snacks and sweets, 7-Eleven Japan is using Shizuoka-grown tea, called Shizuokacha. Specifically, the convenience store chain is using Shizuoka-grown ichibancha, the first picking of the harvest season, when the tea leaves are said to be their most robustly flavorful.
That ichibancha Shizuokacha will be going into such tempting treats as the Ocha Moko, a green tea cream puff with a very verdant filling of green tea cream and sauce, and the Kuzumochi Dorayaki, which sandwiches green tea mousse, an (sweet red beans), and starchy mochi between a pair of pancake-like cakes.
And since green tea can lend itself to Western-style sweets too, 7-Eleven’s Shizuokacha Fair lineup includes a Shizuoka green tea cream-topped chocolate Danish and cake with so much Shizuokacha that 7-Eleven promises it won’t only have the flavor of green tea, but also the aroma of it.
But maybe the most intriguing of all is 7-Eleven Japan’s new green tea musubi (rice ball).
This eye-catching musubi gets its color from mixing Shizuokacha tea leaves in with the rice. The additional ingredients of nori (dried seaweed) and katsuo (bonito) don’t just add appealing complexity to the flavor profile, they’re meant to give you the flavors of ochazuke, a traditional Japanese dish of rice with green tea poured over it, in a handy format that’s easy to eat when you’re on the go.
These items will be available for a limited time, so ordinarily this is where we’d tell you to rush to the nearest 7-Eleven Japan branch. However, as part of an initiative to support smaller farms and promote consumption of locally grown produce, the Shizuokacha rice ball and above-mentioned Japanese sweets are only available at 7-Eleven branches in Shizuoka Prefecture (the Danish and cake can be found at branches in Shizuoka’s neighbor, Yamanashi Prefecture, as well). So instead, we’ll tell you to hurry to Shizuoka, which, if you’re into green tea, definitely deserves a spot in your Japan travel plans.
We’re headed to Kyoto today, but not to see the temples or shrines.
Temples and shrines are the first things that come to mind when travelers think of Kyoto, but the prefecture is also a treasure trove of outstanding michi no eki, or “road stations.” These combination roadside shops/rest areas offer a variety of unique local products, from foods and drinks to handicrafts, and with Kyoto Prefecture’s rich culinary legacies, its road stations include ones in famous green tea-growing regions and fishing ports on the coast of the Sea of Japan.
Today we’re asking our Japanese-language correspondent Susan, a native of Chiba Prefecture who’s travelled to 850 michi no eki, including all of the ones in Kyoto, for his list of 10 best Kyoto road stations, presented in no particular order.
1. Ocha no Kyoto Minami Yamashiro-mura (Minami Yamashiro Village) Website
Minami Yamashiro is the only town in Kyoto Prefecture that’s legally classified as a “village” (mura in Japanese), and that alone brings a lot of travelers to this road station. Locally grown tea is the star attraction here, and in the attached restaurant you can dine on soba noodles with green tea mixed into their buckwheat flour. Looking for something sweeter? The Muracha (“Village Tea”) Pudding is not to be missed, with a deep, direct delivery of green tea flavor in every bite.
2. Michi no Eki Miyama Fureai Hiroba (Nantan City) Website
You’ll find this road station on the way to Kayabuki no Sato, a beautifully preserved historic neighborhood with traditional thatched roof Japanese farmhouse architecture. The thing you’ve got to try if you come here is the Miyama Milk from the local dairy, or at least the ice cream, frozen yogurt, or cheese made with it.
The gelato is Susan’s personal favorite, rich but with a clean finish, and the lines get long for it on the weekends, but it’s worth the wait.
On its north side, Kyoto Prefecture stretches all the way to the coast of the Sea of Japan, and that’s where you’ll find the town of Yosa and Ine, a neighborhood of traditional fishermen boathouse homes built out over the water.
The refreshments on offer here include locally made soba and small-batch sake, but Susan also gives a special mention the hisuku, skewers of dried fish that you can buy from the outdoor Umyado stand to snack on while you admire the scenery.
Heading back into the more mountainous inland, we come to this michi no eki in the town of Funai, situated next to the Yuragawa River. This is a tranquil spot befitting its Nagomi name (which means “harmony”), and your heart will feel even more at ease if you’re indulging in a cup of Mont Blanc pudding at the attached Nagomi Cafe.
Seasonal highlights include spring strawberries, autumn chestnuts, winter mochi, and in summer, a special “ayu garden” where you can experience catching ayu (a kind of river fish) by hand, then having it grilled up by the staff for you to enjoy at its freshest flavor.
5. Michi no Eki Mizuho no Sato Sarabiki (Funai) Website
We’re still in Funai for this easy-to-access road station off the the Kyoto Expressway, near where travelers enter the lush countryside of the Tamba Highlands. The Mizuho district is famous for its buckwheat farms, and also for the soba noodles made from the grain, so naturally you can enjoy a bowl of them here, and the hiratake mushrooms, gathered in the local mountains, are delicious too.
This road station’s most unique feature, though, is its mini field hockey court. The Mizuho district hosted national field hockey championships during a sports event back in 1988, and the game has remained popular in the area ever since.
6. Michi no Eki Umi no Kyoto Miyazu (Miyazu City) Website
Yes, the building itself looks cool, but this one is primarily on the list because it offers a great vantage point for seeing Amanohashidate. Considered one of the three most beautiful views in Japan, Amanohashidate is pine tree-covered sandbar that stretches across Miyazu Bay and is supposed to look like a bridge climbing into the heavens, especially so if you bend over and view it through your legs so that it’s upside down.
▼ Susan and a friend in front of Amanohashidate
The road station here has an attached shop with local sake and other souvenirs, but the main appeal really is the view, so make this one a daytime visit.
7. Michi no Eki Tango Okoku Shoku no Miyako (Kyotango City) Website
Shoku no Miyako translates to “Capital of Food,” and the scale of this road station certainly warrants that distinction, as its approximately eight times the size of Japan’s famed Koshien baseball stadium. Whether you’re in the mood for Kyoto Tanba Kurowagyu steak or wood-fired pizza, there are restaurants here that are happy to oblige, and big eaters will enjoy the noodle shop with all-you-can-eat udon.
With so much to eat, you might want to have two meals here, and there are go-karts, a petting zoo, and even a hotel if you need something to do or somewhere to relax between chow-down sessions.
8. Michi no Eki Springs Hiyoshi (Nantan City) Website
Aside from being valuable parts of public infrastructure, many dams in Japan have become tourist attractions in and of themselves. This road station is situated next to the Hiyoshi Dam, and fatures facilities such as an onsen hot spring bath, heated swimming pool, sauna, and outdoor BBQ spaces.
If you need provisions, the souvenir shop sells locally sourced mushrooms and eggs, and there’s even a campground with cottages for overnight guests.
9. Michi no Eki Kyoto Shinkoestumura (Nantan City) Website
This road station is right off the Kyoto Jukan Expressway’s Sonobe Interchange, making it super-easy to access while driving across or around Kyoto Prefecture. Locally grown Onshin rice is the pride of the place, and aside from sacks of the rice itself you can taste it in the mochi rice cakes and senbei rice crackers sold in the souvenir shop.
This michi no eki also has a good selection of nama yatsuhashi, Kyoto’s representative sweet treat of a folded triangle of soft mochi with sweet red bean paste inside. Granted, you can find nama yatsuhashi at plenty of other places in Kyoto, but this road station’s easy expressway access makes it a very convenient place to pick up an extra box or two on your way home.
10. Michi no Eki Maizuruko Toretore Center (Maizuru City) Website
And last, we’re back on the north coast of Kyoto Prefecture to stop at Maizuru Port, one of the largest seafood markets along the Sea of Japan. As soon as you step inside, you’ll be surrounded by the bustling energy of merchants hawking fresh catches of fish, crab, and oysters, among other saltwater delicacies.
This is basically the Tsukiji of road stations, with delicious snow crab in winter, iwagaki oysters in summer, and buri (yellowtail) in autumn, no matter when you visit, you’ll find something great to eat.
A brand new tea latte designed to lift your spirits this summer.
It’s been 20 years since Starbucks debuted its “Chilled Cup” series of drinks in Japan, ahead of any other country, and although there’s been a lot of limited-edition flavours in that time, one ingredient has always been missing: Muscat.
Associated in Japan with premium grapes such as Shine Muscat, the sweet, aromatic fruit has become a beloved seasonal flavour, making its arrival in the Chilled Cup series long overdue. This isn’t a solo arrival, though, as it’s partnered by earl grey to create a special tea latte designed to “lift your spirits” with its creamy yet refreshing flavour. By combining juicy Muscat grape juice and fresh milk with Earl Grey tea infused with the elegant aroma of bergamot, a perfect balance is achieved, delivering a teatime twist on the summery fruit flavour before the season gets into full swing.
While the drink can easily be drunk on its own, Starbucks says it will also pair particularly well with raisin butter sandwiches, as the muscat’s aromatic notes help to enhance the rich, deep flavour of raisins. When enjoyed together, the individual characteristics of the two types of grapes are enhanced, and the subtle saltiness of the butter cream adds a pleasant accent.
▼ Experience a new, nuanced flavour that you wouldn’t get from each treat on its own.
This pairing highlights the chain’s dedication to creating memorable moments full of novelty, excitement and surprise, which for many people is what summer is all about.
This fruity floral tea latte is an exciting blend of flavour we can’t wait to try, and each 200-millilitre (6.8-ounce) cup is set to retail for 230 yen (US$1.44) at retailers and 7-Eleven convenience stores nationwide.
Source, photos: Press release ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
These Japan-exclusive beverages are harder to get than most.
Starbucks might have originated overseas but Japan has refined its offerings and taken them to a whole other level. Case in point is the chain’s Tea & Cafe stores, which only exist in Japan, at 30 select locations.
These stores specialise in tea-based beverages made with Starbucks’ Teavana brand teas, and serve exclusive drinks you won’t find at regular Starbucks locations.
This summer, an exclusive duo of drinks will be released, based around the theme of “Urban Oasis“. The star ingredient at the centre of this oasis is Pineapple Kona Pop, a new Teavana tea blend that combines sweetly tart pineapple notes with the subtle sweetness of apple and plenty of rose and marigold buds and petals, making it a refreshing treat for summer.
Said to have a vibrant and fragrant flavour, the new blend is being featured in the Pineapple & Coconut Frozen Tea Float (933 yen [US$5.82]) for takeout and 950 yen for dine-in), and the Craft Iced Tea Pineapple Kona Pop (628 yen takeout; 640 yen dine-in).
The Pineapple & Coconut Frozen Tea Float is constructed in layers, with a juicy pineapple pulp jelly and orange marmalade at the bottom of the cup, a frozen Pineapple Kona Pop, layered with creamy coconut cream, in the middle, and a topping of vanilla ice cream and coconut chips. According to Starbucks, this is a drink that can be enjoyed like a parfait, so you can enjoy the layers separately, or mix them together for full-on tropical flavour.
The Craft Iced Tea Pineapple Kona Pop is an exquisitely made drink, with baristas brewing the Kona Pop tea fresh for every order. The tea leaves are strained with a tea strainer and then rapidly chilled over ice to maximise the pineapple flavour and enhance the brightness of the rose and marigold botanicals, ensuring every cup contains a delightful, vibrant aroma.
After getting a taste of the Pineapple Kona Pop blend, you might find yourself falling in love with it, in which case you’ll be able to pick up a box to enjoy at home.
▼ Each 80-gram (2.8-ounce) box retails for 2,350 yen.
While the tea leaves will be available year-round as a standard product at Starbucks Tea & Cafe stores, the new drinks will only be on the menu for a limited time from 17 June. If you’re unable to visit a Tea & Cafe branch, then the chain can still satisfy your summertime fruit cravings at other retail outlets, with fruit gummies, muscat tea lattes, and a Banana Affogato Frappuccino.
Login
