0Japanese cherry blossoms can be enjoyed not only by viewing but in various ways. Every year, numbers of Japanese brands, shops, and restaurants release cherry blossom-themed products for a limited time before or during the cherry blossom season. Especially cherry blossom-flavored food and drinks are highly popular in Japan, including Starbucks Japan’s spring Frappuccino and Sakura flavor Pocky.
Today, I’d like to introduce some of the best Sakura food and drinks released in spring 2023. If you are in Japan this spring, indulge yourself with beautiful cherry blossoms as well as delicious cherry blossom food and drinks, only available this time of the year!
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Pocky
The popular Japanese chocolate snack, Pocky by Glico released limited-edition flavors for 2023 spring. Pocky Sakura Matcha (cherry blossom and matcha) offers the delightful taste of Japanese spring with cherry blossom-flavored pretzel stick coated with rich Uji matcha chocolate.
Starbucks Japan
Starbucks Japan releases limited-time cherry blossom frappuccino and hot beverages every year and they are extremely popular. The new Sakura drinks for 2023 are the new Sakura Saita Milk Latte (right). This delicious blend of warm milk with sakura strawberry sauce and topped off with special, hand-drawn latte art. The artwork depicts a cherry blossom tree in full bloom and is crafted by the barista with love, using chocolate sauce and shaved sakura strawberry chocolate.
The Sakura Strawberry Shiratama Frappuccino® (left) is another perfect spring-time treat. This blend of sakura strawberry sauce and milk is accompanied by a rosy shiratama dumpling, and topped with yatsuhashi, one of Kyoto’s specialty sweets. The gentle sakura and strawberry flavors, together with the chewy yatsuhashi and shiratama dumplings, are the perfect combination to get you excited for spring!
If you want some sweets to enjoy with your sakura-flavored drinks, you can’t go wrong with a Sakura Donut (right). The generous coating of sweet sakura sauce and just the right amount of salt create the perfect flavor balance for this delectable donut.
Sales Period:
Tuesday, February 15 – Tuesday, March 15, 2023
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
STARBUCKS RESERVE® ROASTERY TOKYO is the largest Starbucks store in Japan, which is located in Meguro, Tokyo. The store offers exclusive cherry blossom-themed merchandise that you can’t find anywhere else as well as a variety of cherry blossom-inspired drinks and pastries.
See more details about 2023 Sakura Collection of STARBUCKS RESERVE® ROASTERY TOKYO
Starbucks Chilled Cup
Sticking with Starbucks, this spring edition of the Starbucks Japan Chilled Cup series is “Sakura Vanilla with Strawberry Jelly”, the creamy milk blended with Sakura and vanilla and the strawberry jelly is added to provide a unique and enjoyable texture. The product is widely available at convenience stores across Japan from early February for a limited time.
Price: 219 yen (180g)
Starbucks Spring Blend Coffee
Okay, this is the last starbucks item, I promise. I can’t help that Starbucks really goes all in for their seasonal offerings. But if you’d like to enjoy Starbucks’ delicious Sakura Latte even at home or at the office, you have the Starbucks Spring Blend. It’s a spring-only product developed to make coffee at home with a gorgeous spring-taste available at supermarkets and online shops other than Starbucks stores. They are for different types of products, including a collaboration with Nestlé to its Dolce Gusto coffee machine, Sakura Latte capsules.
Doutor Coffee Shop
Starting Thursday, February 24th, Doutor Coffee Shop will celebrate the arrival of spring with its first Spring Doutor Sakura Fair.
The Marshmallow Fluffy Sakura Au Lait, available both hot (featured below) and iced (above), is a baby-pink drink topped with whipped cream and sakura paste and finished with sakura-shaped marshmallows and pink edible pearls. Iced drinks include pieces of chewy warabimochi inside.
These pink beverages would pair perfectly with either of the sakura-inspired desserts. There’s a sakura mont blanc (below, left), with sakura and strawberry cream piled on top of a pie crust. Or if you like traditional Japanese desserts, there’s also a sakura dorayaki (below, right), containing sakura leaf filling, sakura daifuku and red bean paste.
You can even get Doutor’s take on the season at home, by copping a bag of their sakura roast coffee. It can be bought as a set with their takeout-only sakura baumkuchen.
This host of springtime treats will be released from 24th February onwards in branches of Doutor across Japan. The lineup has been billed as just the first drop in Doutor’s Sakura Fair, so cherry blossom super fans can be on the lookout for even more to come.
Product Name & Price:
・Marshmallow Fluffy Sakura Au Lait with Warabimochi (iced): M size only: 540 yen (takeout), 550 yen (in-store)
・Marshmallow Fluffy Sakura Au Lait (hot): M size only: 510 yen (takeout), 520 yen (in-store)
・Sakura Mont Blanc: 450 yen (takeout), 458 yen (in-store)
・Mocchiri Sakura Dorayaki: 255 yen (takeout), 260 yen (in-store)
Mister Donut
The popular franchised donuts store in Japan, Mister Donut or Misdo (ミスタードーナツ) releases their Sakura Collection every spring! In Spring 2023, Mister Donut is pushing the popular combination of sakura with another must-have Japanese treat: mochi. The series, called “Cherry Blossom Blooming Donuts” is based on the image of the cherry blossom flowers and the cherry-flavored dough have a more chewy texture (like mochi). The Mister Donut time-limited Sakura Collection 2023 will be available at Mister Donut stores across Japan from March 1st till the end of the month. Go to your nearest Misdo and enjoy the “Cherry Blossom Blooming Donuts Series” that can only be enjoyed in this season!
Donut Info:
Top Left: Sakura An. The icing is a sakura bean paste finished with cherry blossom leaves and a touch of salt. Takeout: 162 yen. Eat-in: 165 yen
Top Right: Sakura Leaf Flavor. Coated with sakura mochi-flavored glaze. Takeout: 140 yen. Eat-in: 143 yen
Bottom Left: Kinako. A sweet glaze on the back of the donut dough, sprinkled with kinako (roasted soybean powder) and sugar. Takeout: 140 yen. Eat-in: 143 yen
Bottom Right: Sakura An and Whip. A sakura-flavored bean paste and whipped cream inside and white chocolate and sugar glaze outside. Takeout: 162 yen. Eat-in: 165 yen
Tully’s Coffee
This spring, Tully’s Coffee is launching a full collaboration with the popular cartoon series, Tom and Jerry. The collaboration lineup, called ‘Tom and Jerry Sakura Dance Special Coffee Time,’ includes a number of food and drink items sure to add some excitement to your meal!
The lineup includes two drinks. The Tom and Jerry Sakura Dance Strawberry Cafe Latte (above) is a gently-sweetened latte containing condensed milk and topped with sauce and strawberry chocolate petals.
The Tom and Jerry & TEA Sakura Scented Peach Tea Au Lait (above) is a mellow, fruity drink made with creamy white peach sauce and a fragrant, fluffy sakura sauce.
Collaboration drinks are served in original cups designed with drawings of our favorite Tom and Jerry characters watching the cherry blossoms.
See Also: Tully’s Harry Potter Themed Drinks
The collaboration menu also includes seven food items (on sale Thursday, February 24). The Tom and Jerry Hot Dog Aged Cheddar & Cheese Melt (bottom right) is a Tully’s Coffee original hot dog topped with Jerry’s favorite aged cheddar cheese sauce and fragrant fried onions. The packaging is designed with illustrations in the cartoon’s classic American style.
Product Name & Price:
・Tom & Jerry Cherry Sakura Dance Strawberry Cafe Latte: Tall 693 yen
・Tom & Jerry & TEA Cherry Blossom Scented Peach Tea Au Lait: 693 yen
・Tom and Jerry Hot Dog Aged Cheddar & Cheese Melt: 495 yen
McDonald’s
McDonald’s in Japan isn’t immune to the season treat craze. Throughout the year McDonald’s releases limited-time offerings for things like burgers, french fries (usually in the form of special seasonings/toppings), and drinks. But McDonald’s obviously had to keep up with everyone else and release a sakura desert. Available at McDonald’s locations nationwide from Wednesday March 23, the new pie is inspired by sakura mochi, the traditional Japanese wagashi sweet that’s popular during springtime. Sakura mochi is typically made from mochi rice cakes filled with a sweet red bean paste and wrapped in a pickled cherry blossom leaf. To emulate these flavors, the McDonald’s pie is filled with azuki red bean paste and a chewy, sakura-flavored mochi that features bits of pickled sakura leaves.
Price: 150 Yen
Asahi Super Dry
The top-selling Japanese beer, Asahi Super Dry joins the cherry blossom celebration by releasing the limited-edition cans (350ml & 500ml) with the bright pink and cherry blossoms design. It’s the perfect beer for Hanami party! The beer on the right is the same Asahi Super Dry. On the left, the Sakura no Utage “Clear Asahi” is made with “sabro” hops that have a slightly fruity aroma.
Price:
Lipton
The famous tea company, Lipton offers various unique flavor teas in Japan which are served as tea bags or drinks in paper containers. The spring-only “SAKURA TEA” is a rich and aromatic tea with the gentle flavor of cherry blossoms.
Price: 324 yen
Mt. RAINIER
For busy people without much time but that still want to feel the taste of spring with a Sakura Latte, each year for this season Mt.RAINER launches their signature cafe latte with cherry blossom flavor. Mt.RAINER is the leading brand of chilled cup coffee in Japan with a good quality but affordable products, made with aromatic espresso and rich milk. For their Sakura Latte, they add domestic cherry blossom leaf extract.
Price: 128 yen
Lindt
The famous chocolatier, Lindt, has various cafes around Japan, which puts their expertise into some luxurious beverages and desserts. These springtime treats are currently on sale in branches Lindt Chocolat Boutique and Cafe in Japan until 3rd April 2023.
This year’s spring drink is a ‘Sakura Caramelized Chocolat Drink’ which they believe will let you experience full blossoming sakura in just one gulp. The beverage’s base is a white chocolate drink, with a blend of two types of cherry, achieving the pretty light pink color.
The toppings include pink caramelization, chocolate decorations, and sakura sauce, all to give the gorgeous impression of falling sakura dancing in the wind.
But the sakura fest doesn’t stop at the drink menu, there’s also some limited-time-only macarons (right) to be had. One is filled with sakuranbo puree and white chocolate ganache, while another has a green ‘sakura leaf’ in the middle. They have also released a new Sakura & Cream Lindor chocolate balls (left) exclusively for sale in Japan.
These new cherry blossom-themed Lindor treats are made with a white chocolate shell that’s enhanced with small pink and red dots of strawberry powder. The chocolate ball is filled with a pastel pink cream that tastes like sweet cherries – we just can’t get enough of it. As soon as you take a bite, it feels like spring is just around the corner. The Sakura & Cream Lindor balls cost ¥781 per 100g.
Price:
- Caramelize Chocolat Drink: 780 yen
- Macarons: 302 yen
- The Sakura & Cream Lindor balls: 781 yen per 100g.
Cafe de Crié
Cafe de Crié’s menu brings you the taste of spring with drinks and sweets featuring two popular spring flavors: cherry blossom and matcha. Sales starting February 16.
The Sakura Milk Tea (above) is a combination of royal milk tea and an original sakura sauce. This secret sakura sauce includes a pinch of salt, which works to bring out the sakura flavor even more. Topped with sakura whipped cream and crunchy cherry blossoms, petals of cherry blossoms appear to be dancing right inside your cup!
Sorbage Sakura Hiwa – Peach Scent will go on sale on March 2. The selling price is 530 yen. This frozen drink is a combination of original sakura sauce and Hokkaido milk, with juicy peach jam added. It is topped with fresh peach jelly, whipped cream, and Sakura crunch, making it look as if the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
The Sakura Roll Cake (left) is a refreshing, pink-and-white sakura spongecake filled with whipped cream and topped with sakura sauce and salted sakura petals. The Deep Uji Matcha Mont Blanc (right) is a rich combination of Uji Matcha whipped cream and Mont Blanc cream. A layer of Uji matcha cream coats the cocoa sponge cake, which is further wrapped in an Ujimatcha Mont Blanc cream.
Product Name & Price
・Sakura Milk Tea: 440 yen, M: 500 yen
・Sol Beige® Sakura Biyori Momokaru: Starting at 530 yen
・Sakura Roll Cake: 450 yen
・Deep Uji Matcha Mont Blanc: 450 yen
Read Also: Complete Guide to Green Tea in Japan
PABLO
PABLO is a popular Japanese bakery, known for freshly baked cheese tart. Their star product is their PABLO mini, a small version of their cheesecake, perfect for a little treat without feeling too guilty. In addition to the original plan tart, offer a wide range of flavors including some limited-edition. In Spring you can enjoy their Sakura Mochi tart, a classic mini cheese tart topped with soft mochi paste mixed with Sakura leaves flavor.
Price: 300 yen
Godiva
The popular Belgian chocolatier, Godiva offers the spring-only cherry blossom flavoured white chocolate drink. “Sakura Blooming Chocolixer” is a frozen drink with a gentle and fluffy scent of cherry blossom and white chocolate. The whipped cream is topped with pink chocolate chips that look like the petals of cherry blossoms, and in the inside you will find cherry jelly and cherry sauce.
Price: 680 yen (regular)/ 780 yen (large)
The Alley
One of the most popular tea stands in Japan, THE ALLEY offers a variety of tea using carefully selected naturally roasted tea leaves and their own sugar cane syrup. Their Spring-edition tea is “Sakura-scented Royal No. 9 milk tea” which is a cute and photo-worthy drink inspired by the petals of cherry blossoms dancing in the spring breeze. The base is made of the popular tea leaf royal No. 9 milk tea with a cherry syrup pickled and a slightly fragrant cherry powder, topped with white chocolate. Available with hot and cold.
Price: 648 yen
Muji
The popular Japanese homeware brand that sells everything from stationery to apparel, to organizational items, to bedding, and more. But, they also sell food! I love their baumkuchen, which is available in dozens of flavors. But they have everything from soup mixes, to noodles, curry sauces, to tea and coffee. This spring they’ve come out a huge selection of sakura sweets. Out February 15, there are a total of 12 items:
● Sakura Baumkuchen
● Sakura-Flavored Pao De Lo
● Sakura Roll Cake
● Sakura-Flavored Daifuku Mochi
● Sakura and Sugar Rice Crackers
● Sakura Marshmallows
● Sakura Cream Sandwich Cookie
● Sakura Karinto
● Sakura Steamed Buns
● Sakura Rice Jelly Pancakes
● Sakura Green Tea
● Instant Sakura Latte
Read Also: What to buy at Muji in Japan
Thanks for reading! Which Sakura food and drinks do you wanna try this spring? For more information about Japanese cherry blossoms, please check out these articles, too!
Are you ready for Japan?
- Book Your Flights– To find the cheapest flights, flexibility is a must. Some great options are Google Flights for the calendars to find the cheapest options, Skiplagged, and Skyscanner. For more options see our resources page. For Japan, check flights for both Tokyo Airports (Haneda and Narita), as well as Osaka (Kansai).
- Find Transportation- Buy your JR Pass for your bullet train and inter-city travel before you leave home. Research a Suica card, the public transportation card you can either buy before or as soon as you arrive.
- Book Your Accommodation– Look at Booking.com, Hotels.com, or Expedia for hotels in Japan. You can also look at AirBnB or VRBO as we’ve had great luck finding inexpensive, large, and clean homes to rent.
- Book Tours and Experiences- Check Klook or Viator for some of the best tours and attractions for a great price for experiences like Tokyo Skytree, TeamLab Borderless, and Universal Osaka. For Tokyo Disney Resort, check my guide here.
- Stay Connected– Order a pocket WIFI for airport pickup if you’re with a family or group, or order a SIM card just for your phone. Check out our guide to staying connected here.
- Buy Travel Insurance- I always recommend World Nomads for insurance. It’s better to protect yourself in case of mishaps. Learn more about World Nomads in this FAQ post.
- Pack Your Bags– Check out my packing lists, or my favorite travel gear to help you remember all of the essentials.
- Learn About Japan– Learn about Japan with guidebooks like Lonely Planet, or, shameless plug, search around my site for more info.
THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN COMPENSATED LINKS. PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER FOR MORE INFO
