US burger chain Shake Shack hasn’t been on the fast food scene in Japan for that long, but they already have a spring treat up their sleeves to roll out as the country’s favourite season gets closer. One with an undeniably great pun.

The symbol of spring in Japan is unquestionably cherry blossom, called ‘sakura’ in Japanese. As sakura mania starts to grip the country in February and March, there will be plenty of florally-inspired food, drink, goods and even clothes on the market to help everyone celebrate.

Shake Shack are famous not only for their burgers but their milkshakes too (hence the name), and it’s these that they have decided to give a cherry blossom makeover to, in honour of spring's arrival. Their seasonally-apt shakes are called the ‘Shack-ura Shakes’, and the two tempting flavours won’t appear alongside each other but change as the season develops, much like the sakura itself.

The first in the lineup is the 'Shack-ura Shake Sakura' flavour. It consists of a fresh vanilla frozen custard base which is made in-store every morning, mixed with milk and sakura puree. Similar to the taste of sakura mochi, it’s sweetness is offset with a subtle salty accent. It’s available from 20th January until the end of February.

The 'Shack-ura Shake Cherry and Sakura' flavour starts with the same fresh custard base with added milk, but this time on top of the sakura puree, there’s also cherry puree, making the beverage into a ‘full bloom’ pink colour. The mildness of the milk and the tart cherry provides a refreshing balance perfect for spring. This second offering will be sold during the month of March.

Along with the colour of the shake itself, the blooming flowers are also expressed through the shakes’ cups. The first round of beverages has small blossoms adorning the cup, while the ‘fully bloomed’ cherry sakura drink has a larger flower design.

They can be picked up during their designated time periods from Shake Shacks all over Japan, costing 540 yen for a small and 710 yen for a regular size (not including tax).


By - Jess.