Journey from the north to south of the country with this collection of rare, region-exclusive ice creams.

With the pandemic currently ruining everyone’s travel plans, we’ve been finding ways to satiate our appetite for travel from the safety of our own homes. Now, we’ve found a way to take our taste buds on a trip from the northernmost tip of Japan right down to its southern islands, thanks to a very special ice cream delivery box.

Called the “Nationwide Soul Ice Cream Premium Selection Set“, this package of icy delights contains a total of 16 different ice creams, sourced from different parts of the country.

Like soul food, these “soul ice creams” promise to feed your soul with great flavour…and great memories as well. A lot of these frozen sweets can usually only be purchased in the area where they’re made, making this a very special opportunity for people to reminisce fondly on past trips to some far-flung Japanese locations outside of Tokyo.

So let’s strap in and get going on an exciting journey around Japan, starting with the Black Mont Blanc — and its white chocolate sibling Milcook — which are only available for sale in Japan’s southern island of Kyushu.

They’re both hugely popular, but the Black Mont Blanc is a standout, with a super crunchy coating and creamy vanilla ice cream. In our opinion, this baby is so delicious it really needs to be sold nationwide.

Another super rare ice cream is the gorgeous Babahera Prime Cup. “Babahera”, which combines the words “baba” (“old lady”) and “hera” (“spatula”), refers to the specialty ice creams sold by women under bright, striped parasols by the side of the road in Akita Prefecture during summer. These ladies use spatulas to layer yellow and pink ice cream “petals” together to form the shape of a rose.

▼ This tub version of the sweet will take you straight to the northern prefecture with its unique floral appearance.

▼ Then there’s this Lemon Milk cup, which is produced in Tochigi and can be found at stores in the surrounding Kanto region….

▼ Mix Juice, Ice Candy Matcha, and Ice Candy Milk from Osaka…

▼ …Vivarich strawberry ice cream from Niigata Prefecture…

▼ … Momotaro peach ice cream, also from Niigata…

▼ Toukibi (Indian Millet) Ice Monaka from Hokkaido…

▼ And Hokkaido Melon Soft, also from — you guessed it, Hokkaido.

Hokkaido is famous for its orange-fleshed Yubari melons and this popular Melon Soft contains eight-percent real fruit juice.

Heading back down south, we have the Ryoma no Umi Ice Clean (Yes, it’s called “Ice Clean”), a specialty of “Tosa” — modern-day Kochi Prefecture — which is also famous for local samurai Sakamoto Ryoma, who appears on the label.

▼ This milky Mousse has travelled to us all the way from Kyushu…

As has the Garitto Chu, a strawberry-flavoured shaved ice dessert from Kumamoto that was actually discontinued in 2009, forty years after it was first created. A crowdfunding campaign helped to raise money for new machines so the company was able to bring the sweets back to the market last year.

▼ Another Kyushu exclusive is the cute Torakichi-kun from Saga Prefecture.

▼ Torakichi-kun has delightful banana and chocolate ganache stripes that resemble a tora (tiger).

After trying all the ice creams, we landed on a favourite — the Green Soft, from Wakayama Prefecture.

▼ This one catches the eye with its cute ice-cream-eating duck logo and unusual paper packaging. When you peel the paper off…

▼ …The green soft is actually completely covered in an ice cream-shaped wafer!

▼ Underneath the wafer is a delectable, creamy matcha green tea ice cream.

Mm, mmmm, mmmmm! The Green Soft is an incredibly rare treat that’ll make you want to eat through another box just to get to it again. And given that each box can be purchased online for 4,000 yen (US$38.13) plus tax, it’s not a bad idea, as this represents great value for money.

▼ A journey across Japan through ice cream — the best way to travel right now.

It’d cost you a small fortune to travel to each of these prefectures to try these region-exclusives, even with all the train travel discounts being offered right now. So if you’re an ice cream lover in Japan, or know someone who is, this box of treats is sure to please, just like the swoon-worthy deconstructed matcha parfait ice cream bars we tried in summer!

Related: Fusazo Online Store
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