Starbucks Japan closes out the year with luxurious and innovative dessert drinks for the most Japanese holiday season of the year.
gyokuro
Third premium offering in line of matcha is set to please the palate while hurting the wallet.
Japan may have invented the tea ceremony, but that doesn’t mean that every occasion to drink the beverage is considered a solemn cultural experience. Modern residents of Japan don’t generally have the time for a highly ritualized brewing and sipping of a cup of tea, and are instead far more likely to satisfy their cravings with an inexpensive bottle of green tea bought from a vending machine or convenience store.
But swinging the pendulum back the other way is beverage company Ito En, which is releasing a super-premium bottled green tea made with Japan’s highest quality leaves, and an eye-popping price to match.
There’s no denying that we love our ramen here in Japan. The dish is so well-loved, in fact, that it can be called one of the national comfort foods of Japan, and one of the factors that make ramen so intriguing is the fact that there are so many variations of it across Japan, from the miso-based ramen of Hokkaido in the north to the pork-stock based tonkotsu ramen of Kyushu in the south.
Surrounded as we are by all the different ramens served at countless shops throughout the country, it’s rare that we see a ramen that surprises us with its originality, but when we heard about a ramen with a soup containing stock made from green tea — and expensive gyokuro tea at that — we have to say we were positively fascinated, and we knew we had to try it ourselves. Green tea ramen, here we come!
MOST POPULAR
Now
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Can a dirty butthole make you filthy rich in Japan? We’re starting a New Year’s lottery experiment
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
How to do an overnight bus trip to Kanazawa from Tokyo【Photos】 – Part 2
This is what a million yen of lottery tickets looks like, and a secret that’ll make us rich【Pics】
Take it From a Native! Recipe for Delicious Japanese Curry as Found at Coco Ichiban
Made-to-order onigiri rice ball hotel breakfast buffet in Tokyo is open (and awesome) to all
Weekly
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】- Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
- Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
- Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Is this the most relaxing Starbucks in Japan?
Starbucks on a Shinkansen bullet train platform: 6 tips for using the automated store in Japan
Street Fighter Hadouken Churros to be launched and eaten in Tokyo, Okami pudding on offer too
Monthly
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes- 7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
- Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
- Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area- Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Yearly
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer- Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
How to do an overnight bus trip to Kanazawa from Tokyo【Photos】 – Part 2
This is what a million yen of lottery tickets looks like, and a secret that’ll make us rich【Pics】
Take it From a Native! Recipe for Delicious Japanese Curry as Found at Coco Ichiban
Made-to-order onigiri rice ball hotel breakfast buffet in Tokyo is open (and awesome) to all
Tokyo’s sushi spirit shrine, where the souls of seafood slumber
Anime holy ground – A visit to the real-world location of Look Back【Photos】
We suspected this Japanese cable car was an overpriced tourist trip, but we underestimated it
Survey reveals Japan’s Generation Z dresses for social media, not for self-expression
Poll finds support to let women inherit imperial throne as Japan faces possible succession crisis
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
-
