New mini-size Frappuccino caters to girls and the traditional doll’s festival that honours them.

There are a lot of traditional festivals in Japan, and the next one on the calendar is Hinamatsuri, (“Doll’s Festival”) which also goes by the name “Momo no Sekku” (“Peach Festival”), or Girls’ Day in English. Celebrated annually on 3 March, the festival is a special day for families to focus on the well-being of their daughters, with a set of dolls known as “hina ningyo” displayed in homes to pray for their healthy growth and ward off evil spirits.

Image: Pakutaso

Families also celebrate by eating auspicious foods like hina arare (sweet, multicoloured rice crackers) and hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes in pink, white and green to represent peach blossoms, snow and new growth respectively). This year, though, there’s a new way to celebrate the festival of dolls – with the Hinamatsuri Frappuccino from Starbucks.

This is a world-first for the chain, who has put a lot of thought into designing the new Frappuccino so people of all ages can enjoy the festival of dolls. The look of the new drink immediately conjures up thoughts of hinamatsuri through its multicoloured rice cracker topping and its pink, white and green hues.

▼ The mermaid steps up as the green element in this new Frappuccino.

Just as peach blossoms are used to represent growth and good luck in the Peach Festival, peaches are used for the same purpose in this new beverage, using the same elegant white peach flavour as the currently available Sakura Sakuyo White Peach Frappuccino (pictured below).

Both beverages combine peach with sakura sauce for springlike flavour, but that’s where the similarity ends, because instead of containing warabi mochi (a chewy, jelly-like Japanese confection made with bracken starch), the new beverage contains milk pudding in its base for a softer texture and flavour. The topping is also different, as it consists of a sprinkling of Oiri, a traditional confectionery from Kagawa in Ehime Prefecture that tastes like traditional hina arare but is slightly less sweet.

▼ Oiri have a thin shell-like coating and are hollow inside so they melt in your mouth after biting into them.

Another point of difference is the fact that this new drink will only be available in a Short size, which is a rarity as Frappuccinos are generally only ever sold in Tall sizes. According to Starbucks, the Short size makes it easy for children and seniors to enjoy, and it also makes it slightly more affordable  as it’s priced at 638 yen (US$4.09) for takeout or 650 yen for dine-in, which is roughly 50 yen less than other Frappuccinos.

That means multiple generations of family members can have one for themselves in the lead-up to Girls’ Day and on the day itself, but it will only be on the menu while stocks last from 27 February, or 25 February for Starbucks Rewards members.

Source, images: Press release unless otherwise stated
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