Top 15 ice cream in Japan?
There are a lot of ice cream products available at any store in Japan. The lineups change depending on the season and new products come and go all the time. The ice cream and ice pops listed in this article are Japanese people’s all time favorites. These are popular products and have been on the market for many years despite the fact that the market is very competitive.
Basic information about ice cream in Japan
Japanese ice cream may be different from the ice cream you buy in your county. Here is some basic information about Japanese ice cream.
Boxes and single packs are available
Boxes that contain multiple servings of ice cream, as well as single packs are sold in Japan. At convenience stores, most of the ice cream products are sold as single packs. You may find boxes of ice cream at supermarkets. There are seasonal single packs available only at convenience stores.
Ice cream is Japanese people's favorite dessert
According to the ‘ICE CREAM white paper’*（Ice cream report) issued by Japan Cream Association in 2019, Japanese people like ice cream the most out of all desserts. Even though there are cakes, chocolate, Japanese traditional sweets, and more to choose from, ice cream is still their favorite.
Single packs are sold more than multi packs
The ‘ICE CREAM white paper also shows that Japanese people tend to buy single packs more than multi packs. This may be the reason why seasonal flavors are only sold as single packs.
A lot of seasonal flavors are available
Häagen-Dazs ice cream: Limited-time or seasonal flavors (Left) / Regular flavors (Right)
You can find limited-time ice cream flavors at convenience stores or supermarkets. Some of the limited-time ice cream flavors are made using seasonal ingredients.
*「ICE CREAM white paper, 2019」, Japan Cream Association
What kind of ice creams are sold at convenience stores in Japan?
There are several types of ice cream in Japan. They are categorized by how much milk solid and milk fat that the ice cream contains. These details are listed on the back of the package.
ラクトアイス（Lact Ice）
Lact Ice contains more than 3% milk solid. The taste of Lact Ice is light, not heavy. It is enjoyable all year round.
アイスミルク (Ice Milk)
Ice Milk contains more than 10% milk solid and 3% milk fat. Unlike Lact Ice, Ice Milk contains milk fat and a higher percentage of milk solid. The ratio of milk solid to milk fat makes the taste richer but the price is more reasonable than Ice Cream.
アイスクリーム (Ice Cream)
Ice Cream contains more than 15% milk solid and 8% milk fat. It has the richest milk taste, but most of the Ice Cream products are pricey.
氷菓 (Hyouka)
Hyouka is a general term for all ice-cold treats. In Japan, it especially refers to non-milk containing ice treats like popsicles, sherbet, sorbet, etc.
Top 15 Japanese ice cream you can buy at convenience stores
The following were chosen based on popularity, taste, and price. Popularity is very important when you choose an ice cream to try. Popular ice cream products have been sold for many decades even though the Japanese ice cream market is very competitive. These are the ones you should try out.
1.Choco Monaka Jumbo
Choco Monaka Jumbo is one of the most popular ice cream products in Japan. What makes it so popular is that it consists of four different layers: Monaka, chocolate coating, vanilla ice cream, and hard chocolate. The first layer, Monaka, is a Japanese traditional dessert. Monaka is sort of like a waffle, but it melts right away once you bite it. The second layer is chocolate coating. It covers the third layer, vanilla ice cream, to avoid the Monaka from getting wet. Finally, the fourth layer is the hard, crunchy, chocolate in the middle. Its unique texture is very addictive--no wonder it has been sold for more than 40 years.
Price: 150 yen
Category: Ice Milk
Content: 150 ml
2.Giant Cone
Giant Cone is also one of the popular ice creams. It has improved and sold for more than 55 years. The good thing about this ice cream is that it includes many features in one product. It starts with Roasted nuts and hard chocolate on the top. The roasted nuts are also candy-coated. The vanilla ice cream is tasty, but more importantly, the cone itself is crispy chocolate with rice puffs. Moreover, chocolate syrup is on the bottom of the cone. You cannot normally find this many features in one product. Four different flavors are available.
Price: 150 yen
Category: Ice Milk
Content: 140 ml
3.Parm-Chocolate Ice Cream Bar
*This image is Multi-Pack, Not single
Unlike other ice creams, Parm-Chocolate was released just a few years ago. However, it has already taken a firm position on the market. Since this ice cream is targeted at adults, it is simple but has a very rich taste. It consists of only two things: chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It is categorized as Ice Cream, which has a lot more milk than other types of ice cream. Regardless of the fact that it contains a lot of milk, it is reasonably priced. The recipe of this ice cream is well thought out; it is quick-frozen in order to make it very smooth. There are seven flavors available right now.
Price: 150 yen
Category: Ice Cream
Content: 90 ml
4.Supercup
Supercup has been sold for more than 20 years. The good thing about this product is its cost-effectiveness. In addition to milk fat, Supercup also contains vegetable fat so that it achieves low cost, volume, and rich taste even though it is categorized as Lact Ice. There are 200 grams of ice cream per cup. It is for people who want to eat more than a regular cup. Several flavors, as well as seasonal flavors are available.
Price: 150 yen
Category: Lact Ice
Content: 200 ml
5.Sou(爽)
Sou is rich in flavor but a light tasting ice cream. Sou is very unique because it contains super tiny ice chips inside. It is the reason why this ice cream is special. Thanks to the ice chips, Sou’s aftertaste is lighter than regular ice cream. Japanese people tend to choose sorbet or ice pops in summer, not creamy ice cream. However, Sou could be a summer option because it tastes creamy and light at the same time.
Price: 150 yen
Category: Lact Ice
Content: 190 ml
6.Pino
Pino has been on the market for more than 40 years. Its trapezoid shape can be easily eaten in one bite. There are six individual pieces of ice cream so that you can share them or save the rest of them for later. It is Ice Cream, which means the ice cream has a rich milk taste.
Price: 150 yen
Category: Ice Cream
Content: 60 ml
7.Garigari Kun
Garigari Kun is the most affordable product you may find at a store. It is basically a popsicle, but bigger. It consists of two layers. Crushed ice is in the middle and a popsicle-like layer covers it. It comes with a chance of winning another one for free. If there is the word ‘当たり’ written on the stick, you are lucky. There are a lot of flavors of Garigari Kun available.
Price: 76 yen
Category: Hyouka
Content: 105 ml
8.Ice No MI
Ice No Mi means seeds of ice cream. As per its name, the ball-shaped ice cream does look like some kind of seed. The outermost layer is hard ice, but there is juicy soft sorbet-like ice cream inside. Its package is also unique; it can be opened differently depending on how you eat them. Several flavors are available.
Open the right side of the bag to eat them on by one from the pouch, left side to take them all out
Price: 150 yen
Category: Hyouka or Ice Milk
Content: 84 ml
9.Azuki Bar
Azuki Bar is made of the Japanese traditional food ’Azuki’, red beans. It includes no food additives. The ingredients are sugar (made in Japan), Azuki, starch syrup, cornstarch, and salt. It is known as one of the hardest ice candies because there is no softening additive included. Unlike other ice creams, Azuki Bar is not very sweet. It is suitable for people who do not like ice cream with artificial flavors. It tastes like Japanese traditional sweets but ice-cold.
Price: 130 yen
Category: Hyouka
Content: 85 ml
10.Yukimi Daifuku
Yukimi Daifuku is ice cream covered with sweet mochi. The combination of vanilla ice cream and mochi is great. Yukimi Daifuku is another good example of a mix of Japanese traditional sweets and ice cream. Sadly, it only includes 2 pieces in a package.
Price: 150 yen
Category: Ice Milk
Content: 94 ml
11.Sakure
Sakure is lemon shaved ice with a sliced lemon on it. Sakure is very juicy because It contains 7 % lemon pulp and juice. It is not frozen solid and can be scooped easily right after taking it out of the freezer. Sweet lemon shaved ice with the bitter sliced lemon makes it enjoyable for both adults and children.
Price: 140 yen
Category: Hyouka
Content: 200 ml
12.Jersey Cow Soft(ジャージー牛乳ソフト)
Jersey Cow Soft is ice cream shaped like soft-serve ice cream. Its texture is soft and very smooth. It is made using Jersey cow milk, which is richer in flavor than regular milk. It has the richest milk flavor in the ice cream products you can find at stores. There is a coffee flavor available.
Price: 195 yen
Category: Ice Cream
Content: 180 ml
13.Coolish
Coolish is advertised as ice cream that you can drink. Thanks to its unique package, it is very easy to eat. You can enjoy this ice cream the same way you drink a bottle of water. There are several flavors available.
Price: 150 yen
Category: Lact Ice
Content: 140 ml
14.Häagen-Dazs Crispy Sandwich
Häagen-Dazs Crispy Sandwich is ice cream sandwiched in between crispy wafers. It is Häagen-Dazs, but this sandwich-type is only available in Japan because it is produced by Häagen-Dazs Japan. The ice cream between the wafers is also covered with hard and crunchy chocolate. Both the quality and price of this ice cream are top-notch. Several flavors are available.
Price: 320 yen
Category: Ice Cream
Content: 60 ml
15.Palitte
Palitte is chocolate chip vanilla ice cream with a unique texture. It is named after the sound it makes. There are a lot of chocolate chips layered like a croissant from the top to the very bottom. It is the best chocolate chip ice cream you will ever find!
Price: 194 yen
Category: Ice Milk
Content: 170 ml