The part of me that desperately missed Halloween and pumpkin food in Japan when I was there in the early ’10s is very pleased, but 2015!me is a little alarmed by how quickly it happened, if 10 years is “quick.” Globalization is a factor, of course, but just as much at work is Japan’s marketing of seasonal goods.
Category: Halloween
Halloween in Japan 2015: All The Bakeries
In which every bakery I encountered in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kagoshima was decked out for Halloween. Manneken, Hirakata
Halloween in Japan (2015): Krispy Kreme’s “Mad for Monsters” Campaign
Krispy Kreme’s “Mad for Monsters” campaign features four types of doughnuts:
Halloween Food in Japan (2015): Mister Donut Pon de Shu
Both Mister Donuts and Krispy Kreme Japan are doing Halloween campaigns this year, and because I love you all so much, I ate a ridiculous amount of doughnuts one morning for science.
Halloween Food in Japan: Family Mart
What a perfect time to come to Japan and do some food anthropology!
2014 Pumpkin Beer Masterlist
This year’s winner: Elysian’s Punkuccino. I was a little skeptical of a coffee-chocolate-pumpkin beer, but the flavors are perfectly balanced–a molasses-malt head, rich pumpkin, coffee, and stout with a little sweetness. I got to try a lot of these at the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival–highly recommend the event. Special thanks to my family in…
Marketing Halloween in Japan: Krispy Skremes
Today’s post is about shifts in marketing: which brands continue to produce Halloween-themed goods/advertising and which don’t. Also doughnuts. Mister Donut decided to go with fall-themed cronuts this year: crushed chestnut whip, apple-custard pie, and cherry-cream pie. Meanwhile, Krispy Kreme Japan went full-out Halloween with “Krispy Skremes,” and they are not messing around:
Reblog: McDonald’s Halloween Witchy Black Burger & Ghostly Camembert Chicken!
Alice on Super Happy Awesome just posted a review of the McDonald’s Halloween burgers:
Marketing Halloween in Japan: Pocky
Pocky’s been doing Halloween-themed packaging for a few years but I hadn’t written about it because the product was the same. This year, Pocky has Halloween packaging for the normal chocolate and strawberry flavors: But also a Kumamon(the mascot of Kumamoto prefecture)-themed “sweet pumpkin” flavor that I found out about via @inheritingexile’s Instagram.
Marketing Halloween in Japan 2014: KFC Halloween Bucket
It’s that time again! As I’ve written before, Halloween has exploded into the Japanese food scene. Ten years ago, there were–as to be expected–barely any Halloween specials or goods. An increasingly large cultural shift toward Halloween as popular (children’s) holiday began sometime around 2010. While some of the shift was motivated by consumer demand, the ramped up…
Spooky Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Happy Halloween, readers! How about a spooky chocolate-pumpkin cake with cupcakes that you can make in Japan?
Halloween 2013: Lupicia Tea
Lupicia is one of the Japanese companies that has really embraced Halloween marketing and does it incredibly well.
