Japan takes its dessert seriously, and there’s no exception when it comes to convenience store creations like this particularly pretty jelly from Lawson. At ¥180 a pop, this mini galaxy-inspired water jelly is based on ‘Hayabusa2’, the probe launched by JAXA (Japanese space agency) back in 2015 to study the asteroid ‘Ryugu’. The probe finally reached said asteroid after a lengthy 3.2 billion kilometre journey on June 27, and is set to collect samples from this space rock and analyse them before returning to Earth in 2019.
The jelly dessert was the result of Lawson's ‘Hayabusa2’-themed competition held this past spring, where entries were taken for dessert suggestions. Officially called the ‘Butterfly Pea Tea Pururu Water Jelly’, the jelly has a light lemon flavour and you’ll find specks of gold flakes suspended inside. Although it may be hard to tell at first, the clear jelly has a slight ombré colour gradient to it, ranging from purple to blue. This colour comes from the unique butterfly pea tea which turns different colours when mixed with various juice or other ingredients.
The jelly went on sale July 10, so best head on over to your nearest Lawson before they sell out. Let's just say this fun dessert do make for a fun Boomerang shot for less than ¥200.
Looking for more food and drinks to try from your local konbini? Check out our konbini connoisseur's guide to alcoholic drinks and ice cream and other frozen treats.