The famous Blue Seal Ice Cream chain originated in Okinawa in 1948, with products originally sold only on American bases in the area. In 1963 they began selling to the public in Okinawa, however it wasn't until around 2010 that the ice-cream store made its way onto the mainland.
As far as flavours go, Blue Seal has all of the traditional ice-cream flavours such a vanilla, mint chocolate chip, mango etc., but in addition to those there are also a number of special Okinawan flavours such as sugarcane, beni-imo (a type of sweet potato), and Ryukyu Royal Milk Tea just to name a few.
I went for the classic Mint Choc Chip, and Okinawan Salt Cookie, as I thought it'd be good to go with an old favorite of mine, and also try a flavour I've never had before.
I've added a photo of the ice-cream menu from the day I visited, so take a look there for more information about price and flavours.
I don't know about you, but I find it hard to buy a single scoop of ice-cream - I always wanna try more than one flavour! You can order a cup or cone in four different sizes at Blue Seal, but this double scoop in a waffle cone was more than enough for me.
Click on the images to expand.
Seating is available upstairs, although if you prefer to eat outside, I suggest sitting out in Triangle Park and doing some people-watching.
By the way, if this blog entry gets you excited for a trip to Okinawa, why not visit while you're in Japan? It's a great place to escape the cold if you're visiting during winter, and if you're an outdoors person you'll love the outdoor activities on offer.
Let me know in the comments at the bottom of the page which flavour of ice-cream is your favourite, or alternatively which flavours you'd like to try from Blue Seal.
Catch you in the comments! :)
Suggested access: Shinsaibashi station.
Address in English: 1 Chome-2-12 Kitahorie, Nishi Ward, Osaka, 550-0014
Name in Japanese: ブルーシールアイスクリーム
Address in Japanese: 〒550-0014 大阪府大阪市西区北堀江１丁目２−12
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I used to live in Osaka and never had this!! Eternal regret, at least until I go back and finally try it
Ice cream is my absolute favorite dessert and this looks delicious. Mint chocolate chip is my go-to but I like them all. Yum. So interesting that the ice cream started for American military.