Foreword
Over the past year, Japan’s ice cream industry has been undergoing some highly practical shifts:
- From “great taste” toward functional positioning (low-sugar / high-protein / health attributes)
- From “single-product sales” toward seasonal limited editions and collaboration-driven growth
- From brand-led to convenience store channel-led (private label rising rapidly)
The value of these shifts lies in the fact that they have already been proven effective — and are now being systematically replicated.
This is not a “sightseeing trip” — it is “an industry research mission with a purpose.”
You won’t just have “seen things.” You’ll gradually build your own analytical framework.