McDonald’s partners with local confectioners for a new line of very Japanese desserts

Schoolgirls intervene to represent Tokyo, Kyoto, and a surprise outsider for this surprising collection.

Japan has 47 prefectures and each of them has a special candy or candy that makes them famous. These local specialties add a unique charm to the regions and help attract tourists to each region, while positioning them as perfect partners for exclusive products in partnership with large companies like Nestlewhich showcases their flavors in regional KitKats.

Now is the time for McDonald’s to take our taste buds on a little tour of Japan, with the release of three new sweets that represent two of the country’s most famous prefecturesand a beloved outlier that we’re happy to see represented in the lineup.

So let’s take a look at the new “famous local specialty“range, which comes with the slogan”Choi Tabi Kibun” (“Short trip feeling“).

First, we’ll start with the collection outlier – the Kikyo Shingen Mochi Pie (160 yen [US$1.24]).

While the region from which this sweet union comes, Yamanashi Prefecture, not on the itinerary of many international visitors, it is a place well worth visiting. This is where you’ll find Kikyo Shingen Mochi, the prefecture’s sweet specialty, made by a store called Kikyoyafounded in 1889.

Easily identifiable by sound red and white campanula packaging, this candy is so popular with the Japanese that it even has its own KitKat and 7-Eleven ice cream. For this collaboration, the chewy mochi rice cake and kinako (toasted soy flour) that make up the original shingen mochi have been made into a batter, which fills the center of a McDonald’s pie, alongside a batter made from kuromitsu sugar syrup, which is usually drizzled with shingen mochi .

The two different batters in the filling are said to faithfully recreate the flavor of the traditional candy, while the chocolate pie wrapper gives it a McDonald’s twist.

Moving on to a more famous Japanese location, we have a connection with a famous brand specializing in green tea sweets from Kyoto — Gion Tsujiri.

▼ The Tsujiri Matcha Latte McShake is priced at 150 yen for a small and 230 yen for a medium.

Gion Tusjiri was founded in the famous tea-growing region of The town of Uji in Kyoto more than 150 years agoand grew to become one of the most respected tea makers in the country. For this McDonald’s tie-in, Tsujiri’s famous Uji matcha is combined with the sweetness of sweet milk, creating a thick, smooth-tasting shake that showcases “the unique subtle bitterness and aroma of Uji matcha.”

Our final stop on the tour is Tokyoand the sweet specialty chosen to represent this region is Tokyo banana.

▼ Tokyo Banana Waffle Cone (250 yen)

The Tokyo banana is often said to be Tokyo’s “number one souvenir”, and although it is usually sold in the form of small banana-shaped sponge cakes filled with buttermilk-flavored banana pastry creamthis time it is served in a waffle cone.

Tokyo Banana’s banana custard takes pride of place inside the crispy cone, where it sits next to a swirling mound of McDonald’s soft serve ice cream. The dessert is finished with a sprinkle of chopped almonds to provide an exciting textural contrast.

Now that we’ve finished our mini tour, let’s see what the desserts would look like if they were represented by schoolgirls, as seen in this ad campaign for the new collection.

▼ This makes us think that an idol group representing regional sweets from Japan’s 47 prefectures is way overdue.

Whether you like the classic taste of Kyoto, the cool and hip flavor of Tokyo, or the geeky yet adorable side of an outsider like Yamanashi, these candies are set to become a hit with customers nationwide.

They’ll only be available for a limited time, though, from April 27 until the end of May, so you’ll want to get in there fast to try them out. After taking us on a mini tour of Japan and previously in New York with their square burgers, we can’t wait to see what McDonald’s has planned for our next taste trip!

Source: McDonald’s Japan
The featured image: YouTube/マクドナルド公式 (McDonald’s)
Insert images: McDonald’s Japan
● Want to be up to date with the latest articles from SoraNews24 as soon as they are published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!