Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

Ice cream expo in Osaka

As something of an ice cream fanatic, addict, enthusiast, nutcase, or whatever you want to call me, I've been really excited about a certain event taking place in Osaka this summer from July 8 to September 5, 2005.  It's an Ice Cream Expo, or "Ice Cream Hakurankai" in Japanese.

At center stage is a selection of small ice cream cups from every corner - all 47 prefectures (states), from Hokkaido to Okinawa - of Japan.  There's the weird (e.g. beef tongue, crab, egg, potato, buckwheat, octapus), the delectable (e.g. Asian pear, French pear, rare cheese, black currant, armagnac raisin), the very Japanese (sake, yomogi, wasabi, various kinds of green tea, rice, natto), and the pure (straight vanilla, straight from several prominent ranches).  In all, there are about 150 different flavors with one or two from each dairy or ice cream shop.

In addition to the cups, they also have some interesting preparations.  Similar to some shops in Hawaii and mainland United States, they have a deal where they mix whatever you want into your ice cream using a blade and a very cold surface.  They also have royal musk melons stuffed with melon ice cream, kiwi fruits stuffed with kiwi sherbet, and sundaes made with traditional Japanese dessert materials.  And, for the health conscious, they have ice cream with Chinese herbs, ginseng, or the flesh of a certain deadly snake said to give power, especially male sexual power, to the eater.

All of this goes on in Osaka at Tenpozan, right next to the Osaka Aquarium at Osaka Harbor.  As of this writing, I've been there 3 times and tried 11 different flavors.  I plan to go back as often as I can.  Out of sheer enthusiasm, I scanned in the color brochure they provide, translated to English as best as I could, and put together this web page.

First, here are a few photos I took at the expo.

Here I am at the entrance, full of excitement, spoon in hand.

On the left, you see the Magic Ice.  That's the deal where they mix in whatever you want.  I've had it several times in the United States, so it's not such a thrill for me, but it's rare in Japan.

And, here on the right, you see people lined up to choose from the vast selection of exotic flavors.

If you have a chance to make the trip, be prepared for some time in line.  The first time I went, I was told it would be 30 minutes of waiting in line.  That was a holiday weekend.  When I've gone since then, it's been more like 15 or 20 minutes.  But, it is significant.  For me, it just adds to the suspense.  After you get your ice cream, you can walk take it down to the pier and eat next to the harbor.

Everything from here on out came from the brochure.  I think I've read this brochure about as carefully as any Japanese person has.  Bear in mind, this is only half, or may be two thirds of it.  They have quite a bit that's not on here.

Ice cream from Hokkaido (northmost island of Japan)

"Blue" Lake Mashu (a lake in Hokkaido) Ice Cream- probably vanilla but I'm not sure.

Millefeuille Cake

Potato

Otaru Canal Ice Cream - doesn't say the flavor

Cream Cheese

Nikka Whisky - I've tried this one.  It's good.

Ice cream from Tohoku (northmost part of the main Honshu island)

"Dracula The Cool" Garlic Ice Cream

Apple Sherbet From Apples From Aomori Prefecture - Aomori (a city) is famous for apples.

Appi Plateau Chocolate Chip

Black Currant

Egg - eggs from Hinai (a place in the Tohoku region) wild chickens

French Pear

Beef Tongue

Pearl - I've had this one.  It has a light rum flavor and a few carefully placed small pearl-like candies on top.

Yamakiya Natural Vanilla - with milk from Jersey cows

Ice cream from the Shinetsu and Hokuriku regions (northern Honshu, including Nagano and Fukui)

Ume And Shiso

Yomogi - yomogi is a kind of weed often used in making sweets in Japan.

Traditional pastry containing rare cheese, a kind of cheese similar to cream cheese

Kanaya Hotel Original - vanilla

Potato - doesn't say specifically, but this is probably yam ice cream

Soy Sauce - I've had this one.  It's good.

Peanut Ice Milk

Armagnac Raisin

Black Beer

Vanilla - made with milk from Jersey cows

Mulberry Leaf

Koshi Hikari Rice

Green Apple

Frozen Yogurt

Tulip Gelato - appears to have tulip petals inside.  I haven't tried this one yet.

Soba Buckwheat - I've tried this.  It's good.  If you've ever had black sesame ice cream, then you'll know what I mean when I say it's like that.

Japanese Sake

Oyster

Tiramisu

Rum And Milk

Ice cream from the Kinki region, including the Kansai area

Grated Yam - there are several kinds of yams in Japan.  This one is the "tororo" yam.

Wasabi

Kishimen Flat Wheat Noodles

Cactus

Hidaji (Silk Ice Cream) - Hidaji is a place north of Nagoya popular for sightseeing

Hidaji Vanilla Ice Cream

Ouchiyama Ranch Chocolate

Omimai Rice

Yamatocha - a kind of tea

"Tofu Ream" - when I first saw this name, I thought it was a little weird.  Later, my Japanese teacher explained it's a short form of "TOFU ice cREAM".

Black Bean

Yuzu Fruit Sherbet

Osho - this is the king piece in the game of Shogi, an Asian game like chess

Ice cream from central Honshu and the island of Shikoku

Fig

Twentieth Century Asian Pear

Okayama Fruits

Carrot

Homeshu Gelato - homeshu is a kind of alcohol

Oshima Rose - Oshima is a place in Hiroshima Prefecture (state)

Yogurt

Orange Sherbet

Chocolate

Sudachi Fruit - sudachi is a small green fruit like a lime, but the size of a kumquat.  You usually just use the peel in cooking.  I've cooked with sudachi.  And, I've eaten this ice cream.  It's good.

Mikan Orange Yogurt

Shikoku Karusuto Milk - Shikoku is an island in Japan.

Tosa Jiro - not sure what this.  Tosa is a place on the island of Shikoku.

Sake Sediment

Young Yellowtail Fish

Octapus

Ice cream from the islands of Kyushu and Okinawa

Natto Fermented Soybeans

Sponge Cake

Tofu Vanilla

Grilled Seaweed

Maple

Mulberry Tea

Ponkan Orange

Miso Steeped In Raw Horse Meat

Tofu Big Black Bean

Fruit And Bean Polar Bear Mix

Yam Beniimo

Molasses - or it might be brown sugar

Ice cream that comes straight from the ranch where the cows are raised and milked

Mita Ranch Vanilla

Machimura Farm Vanilla

Iwase Ranch Vanilla

Betsukai Town Dairy Farm Vanilla

Appi Plateau Ranch Vanilla

Heartful Land Jersey Ranch

Nagato Ranch Vanilla

Mother Ranch Vanilla

Odawara Ranch Milk

Senbonmatsu Ranch Vanilla

Ouchiyama Ranch Vanilla

Ikeda Ranch Milk

Hiruzen Dairy Farm Vanilla

Watanabe Ranch Vanilla

Healthy ice cream

Ginseng

Finland Vanilla Ice Milk

Medicinal Ice Cream

Vegan Ice Cream - no eggs or milk, originally for Buddhist monks.  Called "Shojin" in Japanese.

Calorie Control Vanilla

Champagne Rose With Cranberries

Original ice cream treats at the expo

Sky

Volcano

Sea

Strawberry Ice Milk Shake With Soft Serve Vanilla

Make Your Own Snow Cones

Traditional Japanese Dessert Vanilla Green Tea Mochi Rice Flour Balls

Panikkuru - a pastry filled with ice cream.  My Japanese teacher says the name of this comes from the English word "panic" or the feeling of being impatient and that when biting into this pastry you might be surprised and even confused by the ice cream inside, causing a feeling of panic.  Hence the name Panikkuru, a Japanese version of the word.

Blueberry Sundae

Honey Toast On Ice Cream Dessert

Some of the fancier (more expensive) stuff

Mamushi Viper Snake For Power And Male Sexual Benefits

Melon Stuffed With Ice Cream

Kiwi Fruits Stuffed With Ice Cream

Ice Cream Flowers In A Cone

In case that wasn't enough, here are a few links I dug up with photos of Japanese ice cream.
Mainichi Daily News: The Whacky World Of Japanese Ice Cream
Mainichi Daily News: The Whackier World Of Japanese Ice Cream
Bert Christensen's page about Japanese ice cream
An economic perspective from the EuroMonitor International