Sujahta Super Premium Ice Cream (2014 package), a.k.a. "Shinkansen too hard ice cream'".

Shinkansen too hard ice cream (Japanese: シンカンセンスゴイカタイアイス) is the commonplace name for a type of ice cream sold mainly on Japanese Shinkansen trains. The term first gained popularity on the Internet, being used as a nickname that has been intermittently booming on Twitter since about 2013.[1] Since 2021 it has been adopted as the official sales name.[2]

Overview

The ice cream is produced by Sujahta, a Japanese dairy manufacturer. Due to storage methods and quality, this type of ice cream sold on trains is colder and harder than most. This is done so that passengers can enjoy the ice cream slowly on long-distance trips.[3] Nonetheless, it still became known for the fact that it usually can't be eaten when it is first received.[4]

The product's official name is "Sujahta Super Premium Ice Cream,"[5] although JR Tokai Passengers commercialized it with the name Shinkansen too hard ice cream on its set sales packaging as of 2021.[6]

Hardness and how to deal

There is no refrigeration equipment in the train car where the ice cream is kept, so dry ice is used as a refrigerant in in-car sales to maintain the quality of the ice cream.[7] In addition, the low air content and high milk fat content, designed to be luxurious, make this ice cream incredibly cold and solid.[7][8] A plastic spoon is included, but that is too hard to stick in the ice cream in its immediate state of purchase.[9] Sometimes the lid cannot be removed.[10]

The manufacturer, Sujahta, explains that one needs to wait 10 minutes before eating it.[5] If purchased at train station kiosks where commercial freezers are available, they can be purchased in an easy-to-eat condition.[5]

Consumers are experimenting with various measures and posting them on social networking sites. One method that has been devised is "sticking a stick into an ice cream and pulling it straight out of the cup to eat it like an ice cream stick".[5] Some people have tried pouring hot coffee over it to make it look like an affogato, but according to reports, this did not work as the coffee froze on top instead of melting the ice cream.[8][1]

Dedicated spoon

Spoon for ice cream with N700S design

The sale of metal spoons suitable for this ice cream had long been considered, but at the time, pre-washed metal spoons were not available and were not suitable for in-car sales, where they are supposed to be used immediately on the spot.[11] However, in 2020, spoons pre-cleaned with pure water were found and commercialized for the Shinkansen.[11]

In 2014, the Shinkansen N700S Ice Cream Spoon, made of aluminum with high thermal conductivity, was launched.[12]

When it was first released, it created quite a stir and sold out in just three days.[11][13] Subsequently, variations were made that were not originally planned.[11] Several new products with modified patterns are being developed.[14]

History

There was Shinkansen ice cream in the 1970s, and even then it was expensive and its ice cream was hard. In 1991, Sujahta began producing ice cream for sale on Shinkansen trains. The percentage of milk fat was increased in order to create a luxurious taste, so the product became hard.[7]

Around 2000, a piece of vanilla ice cream cost 260 yen (around $1.75 USD in 2000), which was expensive for ice cream.[7]

Vending machine on the Tokaido Shinkansen platform at Tokyo Station.

In February 2021, due to Covid-19, in-car sales on Shinkansen trains were suspended. However, due to many requests to buy them, it was announced that they will be sold online from March while in-train sales are suspended. It was so well received that it sold out immediately after its sale.[15]

In July 2022, this ice cream began to be sold in vending machines at Tokyo Station.[3]

As of December 2022, the product is available on the Tokaido Shinkansen, San'yō Shinkansen, Tōhoku Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, and limited express trains Azusa and Hitachi, as well as at some station kiosks and the SCMaglev and Railway Park.[16]

As of 2023, Shinkansen trains traveling between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka carry two ice cream carts of 22 pieces each, for a total of 44 pieces per train.[7]

In August 2023, it was announced that onboard sales on Shinkansen trains will be discontinued on October 31 due to a shortage of labor and declining demand.[17]

Internet slang

The name Shinkansen too hard ice cream (Japanese: シンカンセンスゴイカタイアイス) was not originally an official name, but was first used on Twitter around 2013. It became popular to post a picture of the attached spoon stuck into the ice cream.[1] The origin is speculated to be the Marunouchi too high Building, a structure that appears in the novel Ninja Slayer.[1]

Note that "スゴイカタイ (凄い硬い)" is grammatically incorrect as formal Japanese. The correct word should be "スゴクカタイ（凄く硬い）", but the misuse of "スゴイ" is used by 59% of Japanese.[18] Both expressions can be found on Twitter.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Togetter編集部 (2021-07-05). "「シンカンセンスゴイカタイアイス」はなぜ愛されるのか Twitter流行の歴史から考えてみた". J-CASTニュース. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  2. ↑ JRCP-shop, 2022-09-16.
  3. 1 2 grape Japan (2022-07-27). "Bullet train's beloved 'too hard' ice cream released in vending machines". Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  4. ↑ 大久保歩 (2021-11-14). "シンカンセンスゴイカタイアイス VS 溶かすスプーン 新幹線の車内でくり広げられた攻防に反響→勝者は...？". Jタウンネット. ジェイ・キャスト. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  5. 1 2 3 4 agar (2019-01-01). "「シンカンセンスゴイカタイアイス」って何であんなに硬ったいの？ メーカーに聞いてみた". ねとらぼ. アイティメディア. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  6. ↑ 名古屋グルメ探偵 アスカイ [@gourmet_nagoya] (September 18, 2021). "#シンカンセンスゴイカタイアイス　新幹線に乗らなくても名古屋駅のお土産売り場で買える" (Tweet). Retrieved 2022-09-17 – via Twitter.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 阿古 真理 (2023-07-21). "なぜ新幹線のアイスは「硬い」のか？…「スゴイカタイアイス」が30年以上愛されてきたワケ". Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  8. 1 2 恵知仁 (2016-08-21). "新幹線のアイス、なぜ固い？ イタリアンな食べ方をする「通」も". 乗りものニュース. メディア・ヴァーグ. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  9. ↑ "#シンカンセンスゴイカタイアイス「硬さ」「美味しさ」の3つのヒミツ". ジェイアール東海パッセンジャーズ (JRCP). Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  10. ↑ 花澤瑠衣 (2022-05-14). "カッチカチ！「開けるだけで一苦労、新幹線のアイスは難易度高め!?」のツイートに対処法集まる". オトナライフ. メディアソフト. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  11. 1 2 3 4 恵知仁 (2021-05-03). "一度は断念 売れ行き10倍「シンカンセンスゴイカタイアイス」用スプーン誕生秘話". 乗りものニュース. メディア・ヴァーグ. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  12. ↑ あれすーぱ (2017-07-10). "体温でアイスを溶かす魔法のスプーン？ 15.0%アイスクリームスプーンの人気が止まらない！". macaroni. 株式会社トラストリッジ. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  13. ↑ "「固さ」に秘められた物語 新幹線の名物アイス、カチカチ食感を生んだJRとスジャータの"固い"絆とは？". ITmedia ビジネスオンライン. アイティメディア. 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  14. ↑ "幸せの黄色いスプーン？ 「ドクターイエローアイスクリームスプーン」再販へ！". 乗りものニュース. メディア・ヴァーグ. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  15. ↑ "Shinkansen ice cream sales suspended on board train; sell out online". JAPANTODAY. 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  16. ↑ "車内販売のご案内" (PDF). JR東日本サービスクリエーション. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-12-29. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  17. ↑ "No more ice cream with Mt Fuji: Japan train line phases out snack carts". Reuters. 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  18. ↑ 文化庁 (2022). "令和３年度「国語に関する世論調査」の結果の概要" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-08-14.
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