Sweets to Try in Japan

HOKKAIDO

Parfait, coffee, sake, Sato

Savoring a parfait as a refreshment after drinking has become a cultural trend in the past few years across Japan. Originated in Sapporo City, Hokkaido – known as a land of dairy farming – this distinctive dessert culture has become so widespread there has recently been an upward trend in parfait shops that are open only in the nighttime.

Very famous for its refreshment parfaits, this café bar in Sapporo sees a long queue in the nighttime. Serving select coffee and liquor, this popular night café features an elaborate Japanese interior design which enhances the colorful parfaits. Made with locally produced milk, the soft serve and sorbet are all handmade. Similarly, this Hokkaido dessert bar commits to using fine locally-sourced ingredients such as wheat and red azuki beans. 

Try out the café’s distinctive “Beans, Plums and Hojicha Tea,” edamame cream and nanko-ume plum sorbet served in a cocktail glass. 

Address: 1-6-1 Minami 2-jo (Nijo) Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo City, Hokkaido. Access: 2 min walk from Odori Sta. or Hosui-Susukino Sta. (Subway)

Located in Nara Prefecture known for its Nara Park deer, Tsunoya is a unique shop that exclusively sells deer horn-shaped confectionary products (“tsuno” means “horns”). Featuring a cute deer with financier horns, “Tunoya Soft Serve” is available in matcha and vanilla as well as in various seasonal flavors. “Tsunoya Financier” will make perfect gifts.

Address: (Main branch): 2-10 Kawara-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Pref.
Access: 10 min walk from JR Nishi-Wakamatsu Sta.

Known as the prefecture with the longest daylight hours in Japan, Okayama produces large amounts of fruits such as muscat grapes and peaches, allowing people to savor desserts featuring fresh fruits throughout the year. Since the “Okayama, the town of fruit parfaits” project was launched about a decade ago, fruit parfaits have become local signature dishes.

This parfait shop regularly serves four types of parfaits featuring seasonal fruits such as peaches, shine muscat grapes, mangos, strawberries and the like. The most popular is “Marugoto (whole) Peach Parfait” available from mid-June through late September. This impressive-looking parfait features a whole peach sourced from Okayama, which contains a luxurious combination of heavy whipping cream, custard cream and Japanese-style young peach glacé.

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The magazine att.JAPAN is for non-Japanese visiting from overseas and those residing in Japan. This quarterly magazine written in English, Mandarin, and Korean offers a wide range of information about Japan—from travel and sightseeing to various aspects of traditional culture and the latest trends. The magazine is distributed at major airports, hotels, and tourist information centers throughout Japan.  

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