Japanese Sujata Ice Cream Sparks Buzz on Both Countries' SNS
Trying to Melt It with Coffee, But Even the Coffee Freezes
Unique Experience 'Purchase Verification Challenge' Active
A special ice cream sold exclusively on Japan's Shinkansen is becoming a hot topic on social networks (SNS). This ice cream is attracting attention not only from Japanese people but also from Koreans traveling to Japan through a 'purchase verification photo challenge.'
The product is a high-quality ice cream from Sujata (スジャ―タ) company, sold in a small cup for 340 yen (about 2,900 KRW), making it a premium ice cream.
You can purchase it using vending machines at kiosks and platforms or from onboard sales, but the secret to this ice cream's popularity is not its taste.
It has gained word-of-mouth fame for its extreme hardness, as it does not melt for over four hours.
A Korean who posted a purchase verification photo of Ssjata ice cream. [Photo by X (formerly Twitter)]
Due to being sold on the Shinkansen train, the product must be stored at ultra-low temperatures, which slows down the melting speed of dairy products and allows it to withstand long sales periods. However, this ultra-low temperature storage method has been applied somewhat excessively, resulting in the so-called 'non-melting ice cream.'
A netizen who purchased this ice cream and posted it on SNS said, "The ice cream I bought in Tokyo did not melt even by the time I reached Nagoya." The distance between Tokyo and Nagoya is about 344.7 km, which is similar to the distance from Seoul to Busan.
'Purchase Verification Challenge' Trending on SNS... Stabbing a Spoon into the Hard Ice Cream and Clicking a Photo
Shinkansen Sujata Ice Cream Purchase Verification Challenge. Sticking a spoon into the hard ice cream to verify has become a kind of 'meme.' [Photo by Online Community]
According to the Shinkansen ice cream purchase verification challenge posted on SNS, it is impossible to eat this ice cream with wooden or plastic spoons. In fact, wooden spoons may split, and plastic spoons may get stuck in the ice cream.
As a result, metal spoons specifically for this product have even been commercialized. Metal spoons do not break easily even when force is applied, and because metal conducts heat well, the part that touches the ice cream melts, making it easier to eat.
Methods to quickly eat the ice cream are also actively shared. The most famous method is pouring hot coffee over it. At one point, the Shinkansen even certified how extremely hard the ice cream was and sold it bundled with hot coffee.
However, there is a limit to pouring hot coffee over it. Because the ice cream is so cold, it quickly freezes even the hot coffee, so if you do not consume the ice cream quickly, you may not even be able to drink the coffee.
The ice cream purchase verification challenge has spread rapidly not only in Japan but also among Koreans. Koreans who posted verification shots on X (formerly Twitter) reacted with comments such as "I didn't expect it to be this hard," "It didn't melt for over four hours," and "It could even be used for nailing."
Although the product is sold only on the Shinkansen, due to its growing popularity, a vending machine was installed at Tokyo Station last year, achieving high sales records.
Since onboard sales on the Shinkansen trains have been discontinued, it may be difficult to purchase it on the train, but it can be easily bought through kiosks and platforms.
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