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Japan’s favorite popsicles add multilingual packaging to better connect with foreign tourists

Casey Baseel Aug 3, 2026
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Garigari-kun wants to make friends with/be eaten by people from all over the world.

Garigari-kun is Japan’s favorite popsicle brand, and like a lot of sweets in Japan, part of that popularity comes from a revolving lineup of seasonal and limited-time flavors. One of the most popular versions of all just made its way back to convenience stores and supermarkets, and while the flavor is familiar to fans, the packaging is looking different, because it now features multiple foreign languages.

Garigari-kun Pear made its return on July 28, bringing with it the sweet and refreshing taste of Asian pear. Like all Garigari-kun offerings, it’s a squared-off popsicle shell on a stick that’s filled with shaved ice, but in the case of the pear flavor, there’s an even larger ratio of finely shaved ice to shell, to better evoke the sensation of biting into a crisp pear.

Garigari-kun has used the same uniquely enthusiastic-looking mascot character for decades, making him, and the product, instantly identifiable to Japanese shoppers. Foreign tourists in Japan, though, might not know who this kid with the jumbo-sized choppers is, so Garigari-kun maker Akagi Nyugyo has added text in a half-dozen foreign languages: English, simplified and traditional Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Spanish.

Oddly, the messages differ by language. The English exclamation, “A Japanese classic!”, focuses on Garigari-kun’s culinary cultural icon status without getting into details about its exact identity, while the Spanish one takes the opposite tack by letting you know that this is “Incredible shaved ice!”, and the Chinese proclamations want you to know how refreshing Garigari-kun is.

Still, any extra info is helpful for travelers who can’t read Japanese, and with the product name and flavor written in English/Latin alphabet text too, Akagi Nyugyo is hoping the new multilingual packaging will help catch travelers’ eyes and convince them to give Garigari-kun a try while they’re in Japan. Considering that there was a time not too long ago when fellow Japanese sweet snacks Pocky and Hi-Chew were virtually unknown to people outside their home country, it’s understandable that Akagi Nyugyo sees Japan’s ongoing inbound tourism boom as a chance for Garigari-kun to audition for a spot in the hearts of foodies from around the globe, especially with an increasing portion of foreign visitors traveling independently, as opposed to in group tours, and thus doing more of their own shopping in regular Japanese stores.

From August, Garigari-kun will also have multilingual ads in Narita Airport showing off their standard sky-blue “soda” (apple citrus) flavor. This one has a bit more information about the item itself, showing it in illustrated form and introducing it as “Japan’s famous ice candy” (though, as an American, I’d never heard the term “ice candy” before moving to Japan).

With Garigari-kun also being one of Japan’s most affordable frozen treats, the big hurdle in getting foreign tourists to try it really is getting them to know what it is. But for those who might still be on the fence, as part of its plans to better connect with visitors from overseas, Akagi Nyugyo will be giving out 6,000 free Garigari-kun, in soda and pear flavors, at Sensoji Temple in downtown Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood, one of the city’s biggest draws for international travelers, on August 5, starting at 9 a.m. And hey, the more people that know about Garigari-kun, the more people who can benefit from its recently observed pre-cooling properties.

Source, images: PR Times
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