Updated: March 2023
For this blog entry I'm going to share some of the limited edition drinks that I've tried at Starbucks in Japan. Every couple of months Starbucks in Japan seem to release new limited edition items, and while sometimes its limited to drinks, its not uncommon to see limited edition food items on the menu also.
You can often find Starbucks stores in or around station areas, or in shopping malls. Why not take a look at the menu while you're visiting Japan to see what's on the menu?
I'll update this post every time I try a new limited edition or seasonal item, so come back every now and again to check for updates!
Click on the images to expand the photos in the galleries.
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Cola Frappuccino
Drink start: March 15th, 2023
I loved this frappuccino!
The best way to describe this drink would be to imagine a coke flavoured slurpee/slushie with whipped cream added in. The flavour was similar to a Coke float (or Coke spider if you're Aussie!) I absolutely loved this drink, and wouldn't hesitate to put it in my top 3 frappuccinos of all time! Go try it out if you're in Japan!
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Sakura Saku Saku Frappuccino
Drink start: February 15th, 2023
This is one of the sakura frappuccinos created by Starbucks Japan for the 2023 sakura season.
The topping for this cute frappuccino is berry macaron which has been crumbled into small pieces. The "saku saku" in the name is the onomatopea for "crunchy" in Japanese, and is where the drink gets its name from. The jelly at the bottom of the drink is apparently sakura flavour, but to be honest, I couldn't taste the sakura flavour at all in the jelly. I thought the jelly and the macaron crumbles added some nice texture. The drink itself has a milk sakura flavour but isn't overpowering.
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Fondant Au Chocolate Frappuccino
フォンダンショコラフラペチーノ
Drink start: January 18th, 2023
A Starbucks frappuccino created especially for Valentine's Day!
This Starbucks Fondant Au Chocolate frappuccino started off strong - a thick chocolate sauce at the bottom of the cup, with crispy cookie bits on top of whipped cream. But to be honest, after a while the drink just tasted sweet and chocolatey and had a really similar taste to the other chocolate style frappuccinos I've written about below. Overall it wasn't bad, but it also wasn't anything special. A great drink if you're after a chocolate fix.
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Strawberry & Red Velvet Brownie Frappuccino and Cranberry Bliss Bar
ストロベリーandベルベットブラウニーフラペチーノ & クランベリーブリスバー
Drink start: November 1st, 2022
Time for the Starbucks limited edition Christmas drinks for another year!
First up on my list this year is this Strawberry & Red Velvet Frappuccino, which can also be served hot. The drink has chunks of strawberry mixed throughout plus red velvet brownie blended into the drink. I enjoyed the addition of the gold chocolate pieces on top.
To be honest, this drink was a bit disappointing. I had to try really hard to taste any red velvet flavour. This drink is basically just a strawberry frappuccino with gold bits on top. Thankfully the Cranberry Bliss Bar is back for another year, which was tasty, as usual.
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Purple Monochrome Halloween Frappuccino
パープルハロウィンフラペチーノ
Drink start: October 19th, 2022
A Starbucks frappuccino created for Halloween! The color of this drink was simply gorgeous - a beautiful deep purple, sprinkled with purple glitter. Can you guess the flavour? This drink is actually purple sweet potato flavour! The taste of the sweet potato wasn't overwhelming at all, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hates sweet potato. Definitely my most favourite frappuccino ever in terms of aesthetics.
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Yaki Imo Brulee frappuccino blended cream
焼き芋ブリュレフラペチーノ
Drink start: September 21, 2022
This frappuccino was released in time for autumn in Japan. The sweet potato taste wasn't too strong and the drink wasn't too sweet. The crispy brulee bits were delicious. Definitely a must try for any sweet potato fans!
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Iiji Bo Houjicha frappuccino blended cream (Ishikawa Prefecture)
石川いいじ棒ほうじ茶フラペチーノ
Start: August 3, 2022.
Last year in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Starbucks in Japan, they released 47 limited edition frappuccinos - one for every prefecture! The drinks were only available in their respective prefectures, but this summer some of the most popular flavours were released Japan wide (including this one!) The Ishikawa prefecture frappuccino had a strong houjicha (roasted green tea) flavour.
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Grape white chocolate frappuccino blended cream (Yamanashi Prefecture)
山梨ててっぶどうホワイトチョコレートクリームフラペチーノ
Start: August 3, 2022.
Another "Jimoto Frappuccino." Last year in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Starbucks in Japan, they released 47 limited edition frappuccinos - one for every prefecture! The drinks were only available in their respective prefectures, but this summer some of the most popular flavours are being released Japan wide (including this one!) This frappuccino was very sweet, with a strong flavoured grape syrup.
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Sakura cassis strawberry shiratama frappuccino and sakura chiffon cake
さくらカシスストロベリー白玉フラペチーノ&さくらシフォンケーキ
Drink start: February 22, 2022
The sakura Starbucks drinks were released to celebrate the arrival of the cherry blossoms (or 'sakura' in Japanese). The cake was super spongey, and had a mild sakura taste. I loved the cassis addition to the drink. Probably more sugar than I needed to consume in one sitting, but glad to have tried these limited edition spring items.
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Sakura strawberry shiratama frappuccino, blended cream
さくらストロベリー白玉フラペチーノ
Start: February 15, 2022
This drink was released to celebrate the upcoming sakura season in Japan. In addition to the mochi on top, this frappuccino has chunks of mochi mixed throughout. The flavour is a mix of mild strawberry and sakura. The pink chocolate flakes on top are said to resemble the cherry blossom petals. I love mochi, so this one was a winner in my books!
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Bananana Banana Frappuccino, blended cream
バナナナバナナフラペチーノ
Start: 13 April, 2022.
This drink had a super strong banana taste - I think they must have used real banana in addition to banana syrup. It was basically a banana smoothie on steroids. I added the chocolate sauce to the order. A must try for banana fans!
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Coffee Tiramisu Frappuccino, blended cream
コーヒーティラミスフラペチーノ
Start: Around April, 2021
I still think about this drink from time to time. Probably up there in my top 3 Starbucks drinks of all time. I loved the cakey bits mixed into the drink, and the flavour was spot on! I really hope they release this tiramisu frappuccino again!
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Triple Nama Chocolate frappuccino, blended cream
トリプル生チョコレートフラペチーノ
Start: January 19, 2022
This was a super chocolatey frappuccino. Basically chocolate on chocolate on chocolate, as you can probably guess from the name.
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Baked & Creamy Nama White Chocolate frappuccino, blended cream plus Chocolate Cheese Tart
ベイクドアンドクリーミー生ホワイトチョコレートフラペチーノとチョコレートチーズタルト
Drink start: January 26, 2022
This drink was extremely sweet, but didn't have as much flavour as I was expecting. The tart looked good, but was as hard as a rock and extremely dry. Not sure if it's meant to be like that, or whether it was over baked. Either way, I definitely wasn't a fan of the chocolate cheese tart.
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Go! Pineapple Frappuccino, blended juice drink
パイナップルフラペチーノ
Start: 4 August, 2021
This pineapple frappuccino was super refreshing on a hot summer day! They weren't shy with the pineapple syrup. This drink also had some very small pineapple chunks. I would definitely seek this out if it were released again.
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Osaka Metcha Kudamon Frappuccino
大阪 めっちゃくだもんクリームフラペチーノ
Start: 30 June, 2021
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Starbucks in Japan, they released 47 limited edition frappuccinos - one for every prefecture! Osaka's version is a tribute to 'mixed juice' which is a famous drink in the prefecture. The frappuccinos were only available in their respective prefectures, so to try other flavours you needed to travel to another prefecture! Awesome marketing!
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Chocolate Tea Cake frappuccino
チョコレートティーケーキフラペチーノ
Start: 6 June, 2021
Very, very sweet and very chocolatey with some cake bits throughout. Of course I finished the whole thing.
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This is so cool to see! I love the range of colours and flavours! I'd love to visit Japan one day so will absolutely head to a Starbucks when I go over!!
Katherine
https://katherinemclee.com
Interesting idea for a post to share and update it. Looks like it has some cool limited edition. I would love try Starbucks in Japan one day.
Japan really pulls out all the stops when it comes to seasonal and limited edition food stuffs - I love the idea of having a unique flavour for every prefecture!
Banana Banana! Sign me up! These look amazing! Love seeing what other countries serve in well know chains like this! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, these are all so unique! I would love to try the Coffee tiramisu frappuccino since tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. Thanks for sharing!