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We try Starbucks Japan’s new sand dunes Frappuccino in Tottori

Oona McGee Jul 28, 2021
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One of the countries rarest 47 Jimoto Frappuccinos gets ticked off our list.

Late last month, Starbucks Japan announced it would be continuing its 25th birthday celebrations in Japan with a special release called 47 Jimoto Frappuccino. With Japan having 47 prefectures and “jimoto” translating to “local”, this very special release gives every single prefecture its own exclusive Frappuccino for a limited time, filled with ingredients and symbolism that tie in with the local area.

Luckily for us, our Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa hails from Tottori, a prefecture that’s home to one of the rarest Frappuccinos in the collection, given that there are only four Starbucks branches in the entire prefecture. Along with neighbouring Shimane, Tottori is known for being one of Japan’s least populous prefectures, both in terms of people — Tottori ranks 47th and Shimane ranks 46th — and Starbucks locations, with each having only four to their names.

▼ That makes the Tottori Frappuccino one of the least reviewed drinks in the collection.

Being proud of her hometown prefecture, Ikuna felt honoured to be able to review her local Frappuccino, and seeing as the new beverage is designed to look like Tottori’s premier sightseeing spot, the Tottori sand dunes, she decided to visit the Starbucks branch closest to the tourist site, so she could conduct her review at the dunes.

▼ That branch is located at the Aeon shopping mall in Tottori City.

▼ Unlike the bustling branches in Tokyo, the Starbucks in Tottori City is quiet and peaceful.

Ikuna took a look at the menu at the front of the store and found the Tottori Frappuccino was listed as #31 in the lineup of 47, and is named “Tottori Gaina Caramel Creamy Frappuccino Blended Coffee“.

▼ “Gaina” means “big” in the local Tottori dialect.

Tottori is famous for watermelons and pears, so when she placed her order, Ikuna asked the staff why caramel had been chosen as the star flavour for the local Frappuccino.

▼ They replied: “Because this is a drink inspired by the Tottori sand dunes.”

Looking at it, Ikuna could see the resemblance, especially in the body of the drink, which looked distinctly sandy, while the caramel sauce created peaks that reminded her of the undulating dunes. On top, the whipped cream was dusted with glittering gold sugar, which is said to resemble the “the beautiful starry sky of Tottori Prefecture“.

Ikuna didn’t have much time to admire the beverage, though, as she was determined to drink the Frappuccino inspired by the sand dunes at the sand dunes themselves, so she carried the drink out to her car and drove ten minutes to her sandy destination.

Once she arrived, she took the drink out for a side-by-side comparison and was pleasantly surprised to find that the shade of the drink was absolutely spot-on!

Now she could really feel like she was drinking in the sand dunes, especially while looking at the topping, which had the same windswept patterns as the sand around her.

However, the sun was strong and the temperatures high on this midsummer day, which meant Ikuna’s Frappuccino was on the verge of melting into a pile of slush.

So she took a sip of the drink, and decided to snap herself whilst doing it, in the style of her colleague K. Masami, who usually takes charge of testing new Starbucks Frappuccinos. Fortunately for Ikuna, Tottori was too far for Masami to travel to, so she was able to finally achieve her dream of reviewing a new Starbucks Frappuccino.

The Frappuccino was cold and delightfully bittersweet, thanks to the coffee component, which blended perfectly with the rich cream and caramel sauce.

Even after it had all melted together, it wasn’t too heavy — it was easy to drink and decadently delicious, alternating in levels of sweetness, depending on where you directed the straw.

There were a lot of people visiting the sand dunes that day, but out of all of them, Ikuna was the only one drinking them in as well. Being at the dunes that inspired the special beverage added to the fun experience, and it’s something you can only do for a limited time until the 47 Jimoto Frappuccino series disappears from menus on 3 August.

▼ And if you do visit the dunes in Tottori, remember not to write on them.

For the final week of the Jimoto series, Starbucks is offering a free customisation campaign nationwide, which allows you to customise your Frappuccino free of charge. Staff at the Tottori City branch recommend adding a shot of blonde espresso or Valencia syrup for a new twist on the local favourite, but there are plenty of options to help you adjust things to suit your ideal taste.

After trying the Frappuccinos exclusive to Nara and Oita, we’re not sure if we have time to try the remaining 44, but given how caloriffic they can be, that may not be a bad thing — for both our pockets and our waistlines!

Reference: Starbucks 47 JIMOTO Frappuccino
Photos: ©SoraNews24
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