Japanese convenience store chain brings the moon and rabbits to a new range of food for a limited time. 

If you’re in Japan this month, you’re in for an absolute treat as 7-Eleven is releasing a limited-edition range of treats to celebrate the upcoming Moon-Viewing festival, known as “Otsukimi” or “Tsukimi” in Japanese. With Tsukimi being celebrated on 25 September this year, 7-Eleven is giving us plenty of time to celebrate, as the new collection is being released across the country from 1 September.

The products will be easy to spot in stores, as they’re beautifully adorned with bunnies pounding rice, a nod to the Japanese belief that the markings on the moon resemble a rabbit pounding rice, and round, moon-esque ingredients like dumplings and egg feature heavily in the range.

▼ Let’s take a closer look at everything in the collection, starting with the Otsukimi Pudding Crepe (270 yen [US$1.69]), which is available from 1 September.

This soft, chewy crepe is wrapped around a smooth, custardy pudding made with egg and vanilla, and accompanied by a layer of creamy milk filling for an extra-soft mouthfeel and rich flavour.

▼ Otsukimi Roll Cake (270 yen), available from 1 September.

The classic Swiss roll gets a full-moon makeover with a generous swirl of smooth custard whipped cream inside a fluffy sponge. The presentation is simple yet striking, as the round shape is a delicious representation of the moon.

▼ Otsukimi Zenzai (346 yen), available from 15 September

As a traditional dessert, zenzai commonly contains sweetened adzuki beans, served with mochi or small, round shiratama rice dumplings. At 7-Eleven, the dessert has been transformed into a little moonlit scene, with sweet red bean paste representing the night sky, white whipped cream representing clouds and yellow shiratama rice dumplings resembling the moon.

▼ Big Moon Daifuku Custard Whip (300 yen), available from 15 September

Daifuku is a popular Japanese sweet made from soft, chewy mochi rice dough wrapped around a sweet filling. This moon-viewing version takes things to the next level in terms of size, as it’s around 8 centimetres (3.15 inches) in diameter, making it much bigger than traditional daifuku. Inside is a combination of rich custard and soft whipped cream, creating a great contrast between soft and chewy textures.

▼ Otsukimi Teriyaki Burger (378 yen), available from 9 September

Finally, we have the one savoury item in the range, which also looks set to become one of the most sought-after. Tsukimi Burgers have become popular limited-time menu items at fast food joints like McDonald’s and KFC in Japan, but they’re not a common sight at convenience stores, making this a very unique offering. The 7-Eleven Tsukimi Burger contains the salty sweet flavour of teriyaki sauce, and a fried egg designed to look like the full moon.

With careful thought given to the look and taste of each item in the collection, we can’t wait to try the entire range when all the products are in stores from 15 September. Until then, we’ll be munching on the chain’s viral flat criossants, which, when you think about it, also kind of look like the moon.

Source, images: Press release
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