Japan has a wide selection of unique and delicious dishes that adventure-seekers should try at least once in their lives. One of these must-try foods is the soft serve – a kind of ice cream that has a softer texture than regular ice cream. In Japan, soft serve comes in a long list of unconventional flavors that are great to enjoy on the hottest Summer days or even in the middle of Winter. Below are some of the best unusual Japanese soft serve flavors to check out:

Wasabi

The Japanese have found that wasabi is not only good for spicing up sushi but also in making different kinds of sweets. In addition to wasabi-flavored Kit Kats, there is also the wasabi-flavored soft serve ice cream that has just the right blend of sweetness and spiciness to be gentle on the palate.

Miso

Miso is among the staple foods of the Japanese diet. For many centuries now, it has been used in making soup stocks, sauces, and marinades for pork, beef, chicken, fish and vegetables. Today, the salty sweet taste (very much like that of salted butterscotch) of this fermented soybean paste can also be enjoyed in soft serve ice cream.

Bitter melon

Bitter melon is a common vegetable-fruit cultivated in Okinawa. It is rich in vitamins and is frequently used in making a variety of dishes, including goya champuru which is a local favorite cooked by stir frying goya bitter melon. At Okinawa’s Goya Park, you can find the bitter melon-flavored soft serve along with numerous other bitter melon dishes.

Volcanic ash

Hakone is known for its lush natural environment, with top notch onsens, gorgeous forests and fantastic views of Mount Fuji. While there, it is a must to try the volcanic ash vanilla soft serve which is prepared by using volcanic ash to blacken the vanilla-flavored soft serve. The ash does not exactly affect the flavor of the dessert, but it does make the texture slightly powdery.

Squid ink

Another uniquely colored soft serve to check out is the squid ink flavor which comes in black or dark grey and is prepared by mixing in some squid ink (or ikasumi) to create a sweet but slightly fishy flavor. It is a popular dessert among tourists in the Hokkaido region, which is known for its high-quality seafood.

Red bean

A traditional ingredient used in making a wide array of Japanese cakes, sweets and pastries for hundreds of years now, red bean paste (or anko) can also be used to make a thick-textured, sweet-flavored soft serve.

Udon

Udon is a type of Japanese noodle dish that is usually served as a hot noodle soup with mirin, soy sauce and dashi and topped with vegetables and meat. It is a common sight at several family restaurants, diners and izakaya around the country. In Kagawa Prefecture, it is also one of the most unique soft serve flavors available. You can get the local specialty, kamatama udon, added to soft serve topped with chopped green onions.