The Crazy Flavours of Pepsi (in Japan)

If you’re a fan of carbonated drinks, then you probably know that brands like Pepsi are continuously trying to come up with new flavours. But if you head to Japan, that ‘ingenuity’ goes a lot further than just your ‘zero sugar’ variety.

Soda drink makers in Japan continually roll out a new variety of tastes – sometimes really crazy ones – in hopes of grabbing that ‘trend’. Here are some of the weird (and limited release) Pepsi Japan creations you can try to snag:

  1. Pepsi Christmas Cola (Nov 21, 2017)
    This is supposed to taste like ‘Christmas cake’ – in Japan, it’s a sponge cake topped with whipped cream and filled with strawberries. This white cola will have a taste of tart strawberry and cream.


  2. Pepsi Halloween (Sep 2017)
    Released this year for Halloween, this pink drink has a cherry flavour, with a strong and overly sweet taste of bubblegum.


  3. Pepsi Pink (2011 & 2014)
    It tastes as you would imagine: a sweet strawberry milk flavour.


  4. Pepsi Special (2012)
    This Pepsi actually contains a dietary fibre supplement that makes it difficult for the body to absorb fat while eating! Unsurprisingly, this popular line is still on sale.


  5. Pepsi Salty Watermelon (2012)
    The Japanese actually put salt on their watermelon to bring out the flavour, so this drink evokes that ‘taste of summer’.


  6. Pepsi White (2008 & 2012)
    The flavour can be described as Pepsi and yogurt (yakult?).


  7. Pepsi Dry (2011)
    Finally, they had a Pepsi that didn’t taste sweet.


  8. Pepsi Baobab (2010)
    No idea what a baobab tree tastes like, but apparently it had a taste of ginger ale.


  9. Pepsi Strong Shot (2010)
    This is Pepsi’s idea of ‘energy drink’. The can has a warning label recommending that drinkers wait 15 seconds after opening the can to take a sip. This is now replaced with Pepsi Strong, Pepsi Strong Zero, and now Pepsi Strong 5.0 GV, a soda so carbonated that a new bottle had to be designed to contain it.


  10. Pepsi Mont Blanc (2010)
    This drink is supposed to taste like the creamy French chestnut dessert that the Japanese love.


  11. Pepsi Azuki (2009)
    The Japanese love their red bean (azuki), so it’s only natural their soda tastes like it.


  12. Pepsi Shiso (2009)
    Shiso is a popular Japanese herb (the one they serve a lot of raw seafood on), and tastes minty – like this soda.


  13. Pepsi Blue Hawaii (2008)
    Inspired by Hawaii, this blue fizzy drink tastes like pineapple and lemon.


  14. Pepsi Ice Cucumber (2007)
    Funky green and apparently didn’t taste like cucumbers.


  15. Pepsi Red (2006)
    It has a “spicy” taste soda which was, er, red.