Unique Yakult find leaves us with a satisfied belly and a happy heart. 

Many people know about the wonders of Yakult, Japan’s famous lactic acid bacteria drink, but there’s another drink that’s gained a cult following, and it’s called Yakult 1000. This supercharged version contains 1,000 billion bacteria, compared to Yakult’s 10 billion, and it became incredibly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, when rumours spread about its potential health benefits, making it extremely hard to get.

Though it’s since become more readily available, Yakult 1000 remains hugely popular, and now there’s a new way to enjoy it, in the form of the “Yakult 1000 Soft Serve”, available exclusively at one antenna shop in Nara City. Curious to find out why Nara is the only place where you can get the unusual soft serve, we stopped by the store to find out more about it.

▼ The Yakult antenna store is located on the Konishi-dori Shopping Street, which is easily accessible from JR and Kintetsu Nara Station.

In Japan, antenna shops are stores that sell specialty products while also picking up on consumer reactions and trends, like an antenna picking up on a signal. While the term is often used to describe stores that sell products from a particular region, this Yakult store is a rare brand-run antenna shop, and it’s one of only two in existence, with the other one being located in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture.

This store in Nara is about half the size of an urban convenience store, and when we stepped inside we were greeted by Tsubakuro, the beloved mascot of the Yakult-owned Yakult Swallows baseball team.

So much of the store space was dedicated to Swallows merchandise that we had to pull our focus back to the one thing we had come here for: the ice cream. After making our way to the register and taking a look at the menu, we saw there were two icy options available: soft serve and shaved ice, both of which are exclusive menu items that can only be enjoyed at this store.

Beneath the ice creams were two drinks – “Yakuman”, which adds a bottle of Toughman, a Japanese energy drink made by Yakult that’s been around since 1980, and “Yakult de Su”, which comes with black vinegar.

All four options on the menu featured the Yakult 1000, and although we were tempted to try them all, we decided to stick to the soft serve, which is said to be the world’s first Yakult 1000-flavoured soft serve.

▼ Served in a cup, the soft serve cost 500 yen (US$3.40).

Judging by appearance alone, it didn’t appear to be any different to a regular ice cream, but after trying a spoonful, we knew this was no ordinary dessert.

The taste of Yakult immediately shone through on the palate, with a smooth and creamy texture that made it incredibly rich and satisfying. Although it was sweet and delicious, it somehow had a gentle taste and refreshing finish that felt like it was good for the body. After gushing about the flavour to staff, they told us that each serving contains the equivalent of one bottle of Yakult 1000, making it more than just a gimmick or a good-tasting dessert – it had been carefully made by Yakult lovers, for Yakult lovers.

It tasted so good that we became curious about the “Shaved Ice de Yakult”, eventually giving in to temptation and paying 350 yen for a cup.

▼ The shaved ice is made fresh on the spot by staff after an order is placed.

As he operated the machine, the friendly staff member told us that this was a style of shaved ice called “bingsoo”, which originated in Taiwan. It was particularly fascinating to watch it being made, as we could see the bottle of Yakult 1000 going into the machine and coming out as frozen ice crystals, slowly piling up like snow in the cup.

Whereas the soft serve had been rich and thick, the shaved ice was much lighter and more refreshing.

The shaved ice crystals were incredibly fine and fluffy, melting with a tangy sensation as soon as they landed on the tongue. Adding the tiny jug of “extra Yakult” on top transformed the flavour even further, making it significantly richer.

Though we’d initially been concerned that the ice might water down the Yakult to undetectable levels, it ended up delivering a strong hit of flavour while still maintaining an incredibly delicate texture, leaving us incredibly impressed. We found ourselves wondering why the Yakult 1000 shaved ice and soft serve hasn’t been done anywhere else before, which also got us wondering why it’s only available here in Nara and not a major city.

▼ The Swallows is a Tokyo-based team, so you’d think they could at least sell these icy desserts in the capital.

When we spoke with the employee, we learned that it wasn’t Yakult Honsha, the main Yakult company, that opened the store and developed the soft serve and shaved ice, but a company called Nara Yakult Sales. That’s when we also learned that the person who served us the ice cream was the shop manager, Tsukasa Yamada, who is also a member of Nara Yakult’s home delivery sales department.

According to Yamada, the soft serve was created through repeated trials in collaboration with an ice cream manufacturer, resulting in a carefully crafted flavour. Among the many Yakult products available, Yakult 1000 was deemed to be the one that matched best with the soft serve.

The ratio of soft serve mix to Yakult 1000 is so precise that getting it wrong can cause the dairy ingredients to separate, and Yamada says mixes it by hand every morning. He went on to say, “For the shaved ice, I discovered bingsoo myself and thought, ‘This would probably taste great if we made it with Yakult’, so I decided to give it a try. Both the soft serve and the shaved ice are creations I’m really proud of!”

Yamada really ought to give himself a well-deserved pat on the back, because these two desserts are incredibly delicious, and the attention to detail in the balance between ingredients is clearly evident in the well-rounded flavours. Plus, the service we received while we were there endeared us to the brand even more, so that next time we’re at the supermarket, we’ll be looking to stock up on more of the Yakult 1000.

Apparently, we’re not the only ones to fall in love with the desserts, because while we were there a lot of other customers also stopped by. Some were locals, some were tourists, and some were even supporters of the region’s Hanshin Tigers baseball team, but they all had one thing in common – a love for the store-exclusive soft serve and shaved ice.

Yamada also let us in on a secret: a Joie Blueberry-flavoured soft serve is also planned for release around autumn. That definitely sounds like a good reason to return, but before we left the store, we had a look around to make sure we weren’t missing out on any other secret finds.

▼ One of the great things about an antenna shop like this is you can get Yakult products that aren’t available at regular retailers.

▼ Some of the surprises we found were Yakult-owned skincare brands Parabio and Revecy…

▼ …and who knew that Yakult even has its own line of ramen?

▼ The Swallows merchandise will appeal to fans, many of whom stop by when the team is playing in the region, and players themselves have been known to visit the shop.

▼ Keen to keep the Yakult love going after returning to our hotel, we picked up a couple of “Ice de Yakult” ice creams that were highly recommended by Yamada.

Although these small tubs can be purchased online in packs of 12, this store is said to be the only physical location in western Japan where you can buy them.

The regular variety has a gentle flavour that’s similar to the soft serve. It’s creamier than expected, with a smooth and rich texture that lingers before disappearing with a wonderful Yakult tang.

The “Gelato & Milk” (400 yen ) gives you the best of two icy worlds, with a blend of rich ice cream and a lighter gelato together in the tub. With a slightly icier texture, this was a touch more refreshing than the ice cream, and incredibly delicious.

It’s not every day you get to come across a Yakult antenna store, and certainly not one that has exclusive desserts designed to please your belly as well as your taste buds. It was heartwarming to meet the kind creator of the desserts and find out more about their origin story, so if you’re a fan of lactic acid bacteria drinks, or the Yakult Swallows, this is a store you’ll definitely want to visit.

Store information
Nara Yakult Antenna Shop / 奈良ヤクルトアンテナショップ
Address: Nara-ken, Nara-shi, Konishicho 2-2
奈良県奈良市小西町2-2
Open: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (irregular holidays)

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