10 Best Japanese Ice Creams in Convenience Store

In Japan, there is nothing like picking up konbini with your friends at night, picking up a few Gargari-kun popsicles. Whether you prefer fruity or creamy, Japanese convenience stores and supermarkets are all dazzling at cheap prices.

Based on extensive field research and science, this is our ranking of the most iconic ice cream in Japan. Participants are judged based on four scales of four stars: flavor, texture, originality and aesthetic appeal.

*Just to clarify those who are prone to anger: popsicles and traditional ice cream are called “ice cream” in Japanese (usually aisu – “Ice” – in short). So, this list brings together everything between these two categories and the two.

10. Super Cup

This is one of the most standard Japanese ice cream you can find anywhere. Vanilla and chocolate flavors are the most common, but there are also a large number of other flavor varieties such as mint chocolate, matcha and strawberry. An old man, but candy, the Super Cup has never been a shocking heart, but a reliable cornerstone for the ice cream scene.

smell: ︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎

9.Get to Mikan

This word Gatsun Describes something that is full of vitality to solve, so it seems appropriate to fix it on this dense, easy-to-use brain frozen popsicle. In texture, this fruity popsicle is filled with orange slices, similar to many western popsicles – the texture is less muddy and more ice-like. It has almost homemade quality, but I personally don’t think the texture is satisfactory.

smell: ︎︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎
originality: ︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎︎

8. cool

We all saw Tiktok hackers mixing this ice cream bag with iced coffee to create a delicious glacier coffee-like mixture. Like Papico, the beauty of Coolish is that it doesn’t melt your hands – actually, a little melting improves the texture. We recommend that you try other flavors besides vanilla, such as chocolate and peach.

smell: ︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎

7. refrigerator

Sometimes, you are not hungry, but just want something refreshing. The ice box is perfect. It’s basically frozen flavored water and tastes like grapefruit. Like the ice No Mi, it can also be placed in different drinks for added flavor. Expert tip: Squeeze the container a few times before opening the top to break the ice!

smell: ︎︎︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎

6. Papico

Whether you’re going home from school, having a crush or hanging out with good friends, Papico should share it. The classic coffee flavor is perfect for picking up, and seasonal flavors like lemon, kiwi or pear are also incredible. On a practical level, the Papico is great because it is wrapped in plastic and does not melt.

smell: ︎︎︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎

5. Garigari-Kun

You didn’t really experience summer in Japan until you freeze your brain on the Garigari-Kun popsicle. This is the iconic of this ice cream collection. Its character Garigari-Kun (“Galligari” is a crispy onomatopoeia, so his name means “Cross Boy”) is known for his manic wide-mouthed smile, symbolizing his excitement for ice cream – to be honest, it’s relevant. There’s a never-ending list of Garigari flavors, but some of our favorites are soda (classic), chocolate and pineapple.

smell: ︎︎︎ (Some of the tastes are mediocre)
texture: ︎︎︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎︎︎ (The popsicle itself is just a rectangle, but the characters and fonts are iconic)

4. Black Thunder

If you don’t know what black thunder is, you may be living under a rock. This is the most crispy, Oreo-filled bars you can find in Combini. The ice cream form is based on the same flavor, but its base is chocolate ice cream – ideal when you want decadence.

smell: ︎︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎︎

3. SuikaBar

This watermelon-shaped popsicle instantly improves your happiness level by 138%. Does it actually taste like a real watermelon? Not so – it has 5% watermelon juice and its “seed” is actually chocolate chips. However, we love this joyful triangle because of its lovely shape, refreshing taste and summer mood.

smell: ︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎︎︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎︎︎︎

2. Ice no mi

Many people like to use these fruit-flavored balls as ice cubes for various beverages, but they also taste amazing on their own. Ice No Mi means “the fruit of ice”, and the interpretation of most flavors is very accurate. Grapes are perhaps the most common, but we recommend seasonal flavors such as strawberries and pears. The coffee is delicious too (this would be a great ice substitute for any coffee drink!)

smell: ︎︎︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎︎︎
originality:︎︎︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎︎

1 (Tie). Yukimi Daifuku

A few years ago, the ice cream-filled island of Moch became a huge phenomenon, seen in overseas grocery stores like Trader Joe’s. This chewy buttercream icon is one of Blueprint Mochi ice cream. Even in winter, Yukimi Daifuku is one of the few ice creams that locals enjoy, as Moch Island is often associated with cold weather. Its name is Tsukimi daifukuor daifuku viewed on the moon – mochi is filled with red bean paste and eaten during the autumn full moon festival. in this case, Yukimi It means snowfall to watch.

smell: ︎︎︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎︎︎

1 (Tie). Shirokuma

Inspired by tropical shaved ice desserts in Kagoshima Prefecture, Shirokuma is a classic summer snack that includes concentrated milk, red bean paste, pineapple and other fruits. Shirokuma means polar bear, some say this stems from the polar bear picture on concentrated milk used in the first Shirokuma shaved ice. It’s a lovely name regardless of its origin.

smell: ︎︎︎︎
texture: ︎︎︎︎︎
originality: ︎︎︎︎︎
aesthetics: ︎︎︎︎

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