insights from frontier Japan

The private dessert brand developed by CO-OP Sapporo called "Toyohiko Sweets" started selling at their Shiga East location (Misonocho, Noboribetsu).

Oysters cultivated in the town of Shiriuchi, one of the leading oyster-producing areas in southern Hokkaido, are being landed. The oysters, which are two years old, were cultivated on ropes that had been submerged in the sea since last summer. This year’s oysters are said to be “plump and juicy,” and the ports are lively during this extremely cold season.

"Fuji Reika" is an ice cream shop in the Southern Hokkaido city of Hakodate that produces and sells the ice cream called "Dassai Sake Kasu Ice", and it has recently started exporting that product to China. Sake producer Asahi Shuzo (Yamaguchi Prefecture) supplies the sake kasu (a brewing byproduct) for the ice cream, and is also involved in the export plans. Exports started at 24,000 units up front this first month alone. For November, they have received orders for 168,000 units. This is the first large-scale exporting of this ice cream brand, and the shop expressed surprise that, "ice cream made by a small family run shop should garner this level of response."

On October 11, Ishiya President Ishimizu Hajime announced that Ishiya will open up their first foreign confectionary store on December 29 in Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Tourism demand has shrunk during the COVID-19 pandemic, and amidst doubts over recovery for a domestic market centering on souvenir sweets, Ishiya is hoping for new opportunities in Dubai as a country that leads the world in vaccine rollout speed and has eased travel restrictions as well.

A fair spotlighting sweets and bakery items featuring anko paste made from Hokkaido-grown adzuki beans started on September 20 in ten Sapporo shops, focusing on cafes and bakeries.

Two types of sweets began being sold at the Art Hotel Asahikawa in the city of Asahikawa on July 2, in support of Kitaguchi Haruka (23-year-old representative of JAL), a local athlete who has been selected to represent Japan in the women’s javelin event at the Tokyo Olympics.

On June 26, the Shin Hakodate Agricultural Cooperative (Hokuto) in southern Hokkaido began selling ‘Dojima Roll Tomato Mix,” a roll cake made with tomatoes produced in the city of Hokuto. Jam made from tomatoes produced in Hokuto is added to the cake’s sponge and cream.

The ‘Kobayashi Farm Soft-serve Ice Cream Shop’ run by the Kobayashi Farm dairy in Sapporo’s neighboring city of Ebetsu is proving popular. After opening in late April, the establishment attracted approximately 1,300 visitors per day during the long vacation period. With milk and cheese also on sale there, the wide range of fresh dairy products is receiving favorable reviews.

People of all age groups love strawberries, from children to senior citizens. Selective breeding is advancing, and delicious strawberries are now available year round. New strawberry products and specialty shops are cropping up rapidly.