As the weather starts to warm up, Japan goes into a mint chocolate craze, where you’ll find this seasonal flavour in everything from ice cream and chocolate to drinks and cookies.
Perhaps it’s the feeling that mint is refreshing and can help cool you down from the heat. Whatever the reason, mint chocolate is a warm weather highlight in Tokyo that you can’t miss. Here are some of the lip-smacking mint chocolate treats we’ve discovered at our local snack shops and convenience stores to get us through the season.
Choco Mint Gari Gari Kun
A classic Tokyo treat, Gari Gari Kun ice pops always have seasonal offerings, and we can’t get enough of the mint chocolate version that's made a comeback to our konbini freezers. The phrase gari gari is actually an onomatopoeia for a hard, firm crunch. The centre of this popsicle is filled with small ice bits – kind of like the ice in a snow cone – laced with chocolate pieces. Expect a refreshing mouthfeel from the mint. You'll find this ice cream bar at convenience and grocery stores. ¥173
Pino Creamy Chocolate Mint
Another Japanese freezer favourite is Pino, a tasty treat featuring bite-sized pieces of ice cream covered in a thin coating of chocolate. For this season, the standard vanilla flavour is swapped out for creamy mint ice cream covered in rich semi-sweet chocolate. Keep an eye out for this treat at konbini and grocery stores. ¥127
Godiva Chocolixir Frozen Chocolate Mint
Godiva Japan teamed up with Disney to offer a tasty chocolate mint-flavoured Chocolixir milkshake served in a Frozen-themed cup. The refreshing mint and white chocolate drink is topped with fresh whipped cream and more white chocolate for a snowy look. For a full list of Godiva stores offering this drink, visit the website. From ¥870
Choco Mint Pocky
Love Pocky snacks? You should grab this limited-edition, seasonal Pocky flavour. The chocolate mint version features fragrant cocoa pretzels wrapped in a green minty coating. Stock up while you can at your local konbini or grocery store. ¥185
FamilyMart Chocolate Mint Fair
FamilyMart has gone all out this season with a chocolate mint fair offering an array of sweet treats, baked goods, ice cream and drinks. Some of our favourites include the chocolate mint steamed cake (¥138) made with plenty of chocolate bits, the unusual but still tasty chocolate-covered mint gummies (¥198), and the chocolate mint ice cream cone (¥298) featuring a cocoa-flavoured waffle cone.
Chocolate Mint Baskin Robbins Chocolate
Chocolate mint is undoubtedly one of Baskin Robbin's most popular ice cream flavours and you can now have it in candy form with these new Baskin Robbins mint chocolate bites. The candies are filled with a minty cream with bits of crunchy chocolate and covered in a milk chocolate coating. The best way to eat them? Pop them in the fridge or freezer to make the filling even more refreshing when eaten. You can pick these chocolates up at convenience stores. ¥151
Papabubble chocolate mint series
Mint chocolate fiends will not want to miss Papabubble's chocolate mint series, which reappears every spring-summer. This year, you can enjoy a range of candies including a peppermint-flavoured chocolate 'ice cone' (¥1,280) with a marshmallow centre, and the ever-popular chocolate mint nuts (¥980) featuring almonds coated in two layers of chocolate and praline. You can pick these treats up at Papabubble stores across Japan as well as online.
Ginza Cozy Corner Chocolate Mint Mille Crêpe Cake
This seasonal cake from Ginza Cozy Corner checks all the boxes for a mouthwatering chocolate mint dessert. The cake is built on a cocoa sponge and chocolate ganache base, on top of which you'll find a stack of thin chocolate crêpes filled with luscious mint chocolate cream. ¥529
This article was originally published on May 18 2020 and updated on May 28 2024.
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