One of the joys of traveling these days is trying local sweets and drinks.
Hokkaido, in particular, has a wide variety of limited-edition items, from well-known brands to those made by local manufacturers.

These limited-edition drinks are most easily found in souvenir shops at tourist spots, but they can also be purchased at other locations such as JR Sapporo Station and New Chitose Airport.

This time, we'll be using New Chitose Airport as our base and introducing soft drinks that can only be bought in Hokkaido.

<Table of Contents>
1. Drinks exclusive to Hokkaido are actually not easy to find.
2. Buy Hokkaido-exclusive drinks at New Chitose Airport.
2-1. "I LOHAS" Haskap
2-2. Pokka Sapporo "Ribbon Yubari Melon Jelly"
2-3. Pokka Sapporo "Sapporo Odori Park Specialty: Roasted Corn Tea"
2-4. Ito En "Hokkaido Corn Tea"
3. Buy Hokkaido-exclusive drinks in bulk at drugstores!
4. Buy Guarana in bulk
・Ohara "Co-up Guarana"
・Kirin Beverage "Kirin Guarana"
Summary

Amidst the recent boom in tourism in Hokkaido, the number of regional and local drinks is increasing, in addition to the original Hokkaido-only drinks "Katsugen," "Guarana," and "Ribbon Napolin."

Unfortunately, these drinks are unlikely to be found in the convenience stores and supermarkets that Hokkaido residents frequently use.

I actually visited several convenience stores around JR Sapporo Station, where there are many tourist hotels, but found that they didn't carry many drinks that are only available in Hokkaido.
If you want to try a drink that's only available in Hokkaido, you'll need to go to a souvenir shop.

It's only natural to want to try a limited-edition drink when you've come all the way to Hokkaido.
When you're on a busy trip, you want to be able to easily grab a drink, right?

*Please also see the following article for more information on Katsugen and Ribbon Napolin.
・Drinks that Hokkaido residents drink! 5 local drinks exclusive to Hokkaido

Where can I easily find drinks that are only available in Hokkaido?

The area I recommend is the New Chitose Airport Terminal Building.
A vending machine located in the domestic arrivals lobby on the 1st floor.

The vending machines here are a treasure trove of drinks only available in Hokkaido.
Once you arrive at New Chitose Airport, head straight for a vending machine.

2-1. "I LOHAS" Haskap

This mineral water brand offers a variety of flavors, but the haskap berry flavor, which is sold exclusively in Hokkaido, seems to be particularly popular.

This soft Hokkaido mineral water has a subtle hint of sweet and sour haskap berries added to it. While the "I LOHAS" brand is ubiquitous, the haskap flavor is often not available at convenience stores.

So, the best time to buy them is when you see them at the airport, JR train stations, or souvenir shops!

The official website isCLICK HERE

2-2. Pokka Sapporo "Ribbon Yubari Melon Jelly"

Next, I'd like to introduce "Ribbon Yubari Melon Jelly," which I personally consider a hidden gem.

The bottle is labeled "limited quantity," but it's also rarely seen in convenience stores or supermarkets in urban areas.
The thick consistency, reminiscent of the juice that overflows when you cut a melon, is on par with the melon jelly from that famous sweets shop.

The taste is also quite close to that of a real melon.

That's not surprising, because their official website states that they "worked with the Yubari City Agricultural Cooperative to create the flavor."
It's quite cost-effective, so I highly recommend this drink to anyone who loves melon.

The official website isCLICK HERE

2-3. Pokka Sapporo "Sapporo Odori Park Specialty: Roasted Corn Tea"

This is another drink that you won't often see in convenience stores in downtown Sapporo.
That's because it's a new drink that went on sale in June 2016.

According to the official website, the sales area includes not only Hokkaido but also the area under the jurisdiction of JR East Japan. However, since it is labeled as a "Hokkaido Corner" in the airport vending machines, we will count it as a "limited edition drink" this time.

The taste is similar to the corn tea often served in Korean restaurants, with a subtle sweetness. In addition, the savory aroma of roasted corn stands out.
The roasted flavor and gentle sweetness seem like they'll soothe away the fatigue of travel!

The official website isCLICK HERE

Corn tea seems poised to become incredibly popular, and there's another type of corn tea available at the Kokumin Departure Gate store, a drugstore located on the 2nd floor of the terminal building.

2-4. Ito En "Hokkaido Corn Tea"

This product was first released in 2012. The bottle is labeled "Hokkaido Limited Edition".
It is gradually gaining fans and becoming established as a local specialty drink.
This is one of my favorite teas.

This blend contains corn, brown rice, black beans, and adzuki beans.
This one is very sweet. It's as sweet as sweet corn.

Furthermore, being a blended tea, it has a rich color and flavor. It's recommended for those who prefer a full-bodied taste.

The official website isCLICK HERE

Now, this is the Kokumin Departure Gate store, a drugstore chain with locations throughout Japan, and they've displayed their Hokkaido-exclusive drinks in a way that makes it easy to buy them in bulk.
You can also buy the drinks I've introduced so far here.

What's noteworthy here is the wide variety of guarana available!

Guarana is another prime example of a drink exclusive to Hokkaido. While "Katsugen" and "Ribbon Napolin" are definitively beloved drinks among Hokkaido residents, to be honest, opinions on guarana are divided even among Hokkaido residents. This seems to be due to its unique taste.

It's often compared in terms of flavor to "Dr. Pepper" or "Root Beer," a local drink from Okinawa.

Whenever I drink guarana, the image that always comes to mind is... a flavor similar to the mouthwash with that familiar hippo character on it.
(This is purely my personal opinion.)

But once you taste its unique flavor, it really perks you up! So I think it's the perfect drink when you want a change of pace!
This might be the perfect souvenir for someone who likes energy drinks.

Surprisingly, guarana is not widely available in convenience stores or supermarkets.

"Kirin Guarana" has the largest market share at convenience stores.
"Co-up Guarana," which is often featured in tourist information, is not readily available at convenience stores.

However, several brands of guarana are sold at shops in the New Chitose Airport terminal building and kiosks at JR Sapporo Station.

At "Kokumin," the following guarana drinks are available:
"Kirin Guarana" (Kirin Beverage)
"Co-up Guarana" (Ohara)
"Beware of bears, guarana" (Ohara)
"Beware of White Bears - Guarana" (Ohara)

There's also a package called the "Guarana Tasting Set," making it easier to buy.

There are so many brands of guarana that even Hokkaido residents are surprised, but the ones that are easily available at convenience stores and supermarkets throughout Hokkaido are "Kirin" and "Co-up".

I actually tried them both and did a taste test.

・Co-up Guarana (pictured left)

They're the top runner in Hokkaido guarana.
This is a reproduction antique bottle.
It has a strong carbonation and a distinct, strong flavor, but its color is lighter compared to Kirin.

*It appears there is no official website.

・Kirin Guarana (pictured right)

"Kirin" is the most readily available at major convenience stores.
The color is quite dark, but compared to "Co-up," both the carbonation and flavor are milder.
I think they've made efforts to make the guarana flavor more accessible to a wider audience, but it's still a rather intense taste.

The official website isCLICK HERE

Summary

That concludes our introduction to Hokkaido-exclusive drinks available at New Chitose Airport.

This time, I've roughly summarized the products mainly sold by major companies, but Hokkaido-exclusive drinks can be broadly divided into two categories: "tourist-area exclusive" drinks that are mainly sold only in tourist areas, and "Hokkaido-exclusive" drinks sold by major manufacturers.

If we include drinks sold only in tourist areas as Hokkaido-exclusive drinks, there are actually a huge number of them.

Furthermore, we have a wide selection of mineral water and dairy drinks!
It truly is a "drink kingdom." I was personally surprised by this during my interview.

I encourage you all to try and find your favorite drink while traveling!

For information on other famous local drinks exclusive to Hokkaido, please see this article.
Five local drinks exclusive to Hokkaido that Hokkaido residents drink!
*Hokkaido-exclusive drinks featured: Tangron, Ribbon Series, Katsugen, Hokkaido Mild Coffee, Yogurppe

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