Japan's Autumn Limited Menus: Sweet Potato Drinks, Pumpkin Soup and Moon-Viewing Burgers
What I tasted at Starbucks on an autumn trip home to Japan, and why fall is such a fun time to visit.
In the United States, autumn means one thing at the coffee shop: the Pumpkin Spice Latte. When I went back to Japan in the fall, I found that Japan has its own autumn obsessions, and they are just as fun to chase.
Every autumn, sweet potato, pumpkin and tsukimi (moon-viewing) items appear at cafes, fast-food chains and convenience stores all over Japan. The lineup changes from year to year, but these three themes keep coming back. Years ago, I even ate a burger with pumpkin in it at Burger King Japan.
This post is about what I tried on my trip. Menus change every year, so please check each company's official website for the current lineup.
The Starbucks banner for the sweet potato drinks: the Iced Mitsu Imo Beni Haruka Mousse Tea Latte and the Creamy Mitsu Imo Beni Haruka Frappuccino.
Pumpkin, Japanese style: Starbucks Pumpkin Soup-ccino
At Starbucks Japan, I tried the Pumpkin Soup-ccino. Yes, soup, in a coffee shop cup. The barista steams it so it has the light, fluffy texture of a cappuccino.
The staff member at the counter told me how delicious it was, and it really was. To me, though, it tasted like an excellent pumpkin soup, so think of it as a soup first and a coffee-shop drink second.
The Pumpkin Soup-ccino
Sweet potato season
This was my real discovery. In autumn, sweet potato drinks seem to be everywhere in Japan.
My favorite was the Mitsu Imo Milk at Starbucks. Mitsu imo is a roasted sweet potato known for its honey-like sweetness, and blended with smooth milk, it was simply the best.
Other cafes have their own sweet potato drinks too, so it would be fun to compare them.
The Mitsu Imo Milk
Otsukimi and the Tsukimi Burger
Autumn in Japan is also the season of otsukimi, or moon viewing. People look at the full moon in early autumn, often with round rice dumplings called tsukimi dango.
Because an egg yolk looks like a full moon, egg dishes in Japan are often called "tsukimi," as in tsukimi soba or udon. McDonald's Japan applied the idea to a burger, and its egg-topped Tsukimi Burger has become an autumn tradition.
Other chains have their own versions. MOS Burger, one of my favorite burger chains in Japan, was also selling a burger topped with a soft-boiled egg. [Add the name of the MOS Burger item you saw.]
The official Tsukimi Burger commercial from McDonald’s Japan.
Tips for your trip
Visit between September and October for the best autumn selection.
Limited items can sell out or end early, and some stores do not carry them.
Check the official websites before you go, since each year's lineup is different.
Which would you try first, the soup, the sweet potato or the moon-viewing burger?
Tell me in the comments.
About the author
I'm a Japanese–English bilingual web designer based in Southern California. I run SoCal Creative Works, where I build bilingual websites and Shopify stores.