If you think sushi and sashimi are all there is to Japanese cuisine, think again. When I first set foot in Japan, the first thing I looked for was the odd-tasting green tea ice cream.
Japan is one big ice-cream lover. This is the only country I know of that celebrates ICE CREAM DAY. May 9, 1869 was the first day ice cream was made in Japan. Every year, ice cream companies come up with special treats on Japan's Ice Cream Day. That makes sense, with 2 out of every 5 Japanese adults who eat ice cream weekly!
Because of this huge market potential, international players have come to Japan. Haagen-Dazs sales reach as much as US$400M annually with seventy stores. This is the only country where Green Tea is one of the top flavors of ice cream. The other top sellers for Haagen-Dazs are Vanilla, Cookies & Cream, and Strawberry.
Cold Stone has recently entered the market and targets to open 150 stores by 2010. Top flavors are Azuki Bean, Green Tea, and Blushing Mango Cloud. For Baskin Robbins, which has been in the country for more than 30 years, target number of outlets is 1,010 shops by 2010.
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