Bubble Milk Tea

Following the successful launch of an outlet by Taiwanese bubble tea franchise Chun Shui Tang in Tokyo’s Daikanyama neighborhood in 2013, the numbers of bubble tea franchises such as Gong Cha and The Alley have mushroomed over the past two years, often serving customers on the street from a shop front with a counter (Read: How Taiwanese Bubble Tea Conquered the Taste Buds of The Japanese). Bubble tea introduced the Japanese to a novel texture: the chewiness of tapioca pearls. Meanwhile, non-beverage creations with bubble tea flavors have also emerged, such as toast and ramen, showing that the Japanese are quick at absorbing and transforming the bubble tea culture from Taiwan. It has become a trend in Japan for office workers to get a bubble tea and drink it on the go after getting off work. Unfortunately, this habit is also creating a lot of trash.

Steamed Soup Dumplings

Taiwan’s Din Tai Fung restaurant franchise expanded to Japan in 1997, which for many Japanese constituted the very first time that they’d sampled Taiwanese cuisine, including their signature soup dumplings. Today, the Japanese have adopted soup dumplings into their everyday diet. The snack’s popularity is evident in the Japanese TV drama No Working After Hours! The female lead refuses to work overtime, as is still widely practiced in Japan, because she wants to meet her boyfriend during happy hour over some dumplings. (Read: Taiwan’s Top 10 Soup Dumplings)

Minced Pork Rice

Although many people have difficulties distinguishing minced pork rice (lu rou fan) and braised pork belly rice (kuang rou fan), this dish, which consists of rice topped with minced pork and drizzled with a soy sauce gravy, has virtually become a staple on the menu of Taiwanese and Chinese restaurants in Japan. (Read: In Appreciation of Taiwan's ‘National Dish’)

Taiwanese Thin Noodles

Although thin noodles (misua) are not yet as popular as soup dumplings and minced pork rice, Japanese instant noodle brand Nissin launched a “Taiwan flavor” cup noodle product with thin noodles in April, indicating that this type of noodles has already won a place in the hearts of Japanese food lovers. (Additional reading: How Tseng Noodles Made It into The Ramen Rater's Top Ten)

Wang De Chuan Tea

Originally Japanese tourists in Taiwan were an important customer group for Wang De Chuan tea. With the Taiwanese bookstore chain Eslite recently opening its first outlet in Tokyo, Wang De Chuan now has a presence in Japan and will acquaint Japanese tea lovers with Taiwanese tea culture through workshops about Taiwanese Oolong teas, tea-tasting events, and alcohol-infused teas. (Additional reading: Taiwan Tea in Starbucks)

Kavalan Whisky

The family-run distillery in Yilan County on Taiwan’s northeastern coast and its whiskies have won numerous prestigious international spirits awards. In Japan, Kavalan whiskies are sold at more than 100 sales points. (Additional reading: Why Is This Taiwanese Brewery So in Demand?)

In Bloom

Launched in Dadaocheng, a traditional district in old Taipei, the In Bloom brand focuses on handmade, eco-friendly printed fabrics whose patterns feature traditional architectural elements and indigenous animals such as the crested myna, iron window bars, and ornamental bricks. In Bloom designs are also used in co-branded products in Japan such as Pentel stationery. (Additional reading: Papercraft Artist Johan Cheng Cuts a Slice of Life’s Most Beautiful Moments)

                       

H Three

These women’s shoes made from hand-dyed leather in eye-catching colors and designs are sold via an e-commerce platform. Japanese shoe enthusiasts are ready to splurge on this rather pricey footwear. (Additional reading: Turning Ocean Waste into Footwear - Taiwan Makes it Possible)

Alto

These smartphone cases made from fine Italian leather were originally sold via an e-commerce platform. Now a Japanese dealer is marketing the products, selling more than 10,000 pieces in two and a half years.

XPUMP Premium XROUND 3D Sound Effect Machine

Launched via a crowdfunding platform to test the market, this digital sound effect gadget by XPUMP has successfully conquered the Japanese market, demonstrating that Japanese consumers no longer only react to conventional advertising campaigns and blindly go for established brands, but also appreciate more independent, unconventional marketing approaches.

Translated by Susanne Ganz
Edited by TC Lin, Sharon Tseng