Find out if we hit the jackpot or collect candy-coated chaos.
Traveling, for many people, is the joy of discovery. It’s learning the unfamiliar, unearthing the unknown, and embracing the unexpected. For our Japanese-language reporter Haruka Takagi, it’s also the joy of eating regional dishes. One specialty she has a particular fondness for is local caramels. Common flavors include strawberries or citrus fruits, while the more unusual options range from udon broth to cider caramels: essentially, anything and everything has the potential to be caramelized, whether it fits the sweet category or not.
▼ The box, below, for example, says the caramel has udon broth in it, which makes us wonder if we could dissolve it and use it in place of regular broth.
▼ Cider-flavored caramel from Hokkaido’s famous Shirogane Blue Pond
As she was out exploring the city of Toba in Mie, which has made headlines for its aquarium and Pokémon-themed hotel room, Haruka stumbled upon some local caramel gacha machines in a small shopping mall, Toba Ichibangai. Her eyes lit up with the intensity of a cat about to pounce on its prey as she zeroed in on the machines.
Eight different machines stood gallantly in front of her, but a cursory glance suggested none of them contained anything different from the others. All were adorned with colorful signs boasting “vending machine exclusive,” “quirky caramel flavors,” and “a surprise awaits.”
With hopes raised for finding a limited edition or a rare Kinki region specialty caramel, she drew out her wallet and prepared to do battle. Each turn of the gacha machine cost 200 yen (US$1.30) for 18 pieces of caramel, so she prepared 1,000 yen for an initial five tries.
Inserting a 100 yen coin on each side, she slowly turned the dial to reveal… peach caramel.
Peach? Really? Haruka had steeled herself for a tastebud catastrophe, expecting some outlandish creation like spiny lobster caramel. Instead, she got the caramel equivalent of a polite handshake. However, there was just one issue: there was no regional uniqueness. While the Kinki area has some renowned brands, like Wakayama’s Arakawa peach, there was no indication that the peach flavor had any connection to the local area—just plain peach caramel.
With puzzlement taking hold, she steeled herself for another attempt. This time, she got… pudding?
Not the famous Dojima pudding from Osaka? Or the renowned Kobe pudding from Hyogo? Only a generic “pudding” flavor? Were the machines lying to her? Were there truly no local specialties within?
Turns out, the gachas weren’t keeping secrets; they were more like exasperated teachers waving flashcards in plain view, while Haruka blissfully ignored the clues. Both peach and pudding featured prominently as illustrations on the signs.
Unlocking her inner Sherlock, she examined the rest of the pictures to deduce the other possible flavors: cola, yuzu, plum, and matcha. With much of the suspense and excitement drained from her, leaving her feeling like a kid who peeked at their birthday presents too soon, Haruka decided to press on.
▼ Third draw: cola
▼ Fourth: yuzu
By the fifth draw, with her loot of peach, pudding, cola, and yuzu, Haruka held no hope for any kind of local treats. Still, she had committed, and there was no going back. The final draw revealed… another cola.
Sampling her haul gave her no pleasant surprises; they were sweet, sure, but pretty plain—like a much-hyped movie that ends up being just ‘OK’.
After her gacha gamble, Haruka discovered that Tomato Land, the company that operates these gacha machines, has many others nationwide, featuring genuine region-exclusive caramels, like the ones in Hokkaido: yogurt, Yubari melon, jingisukan, and condensed milk. In Toba, though? Nope. Just a mix of mystery and mass production.
Although this batch didn’t feature any local specialties and left her slightly disappointed, she still enjoyed the lottery-like gacha experience and it hasn’t dampened her spirits or her dream of one day becoming a ‘regional caramel connoisseur’. For those who want to join Haruka on her journey through Japanese caramels, hit up a machine near you and see if the gacha gods look favorably upon you and bestow a regional treat. Of course, if caramel is not your thing, there are many other gachas calling out to you, like sirens in the sea, ready to lure you into their clutches of quirky treasures.
Store information
Toba Ichibangai / 鳥羽1番街
Address: Mie-ken, Toba-shi, Toba 1-2383-13
三重県鳥羽市鳥羽1-2383-13
Open 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (5:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays)
Website
Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]