Fanta Seasonal Flavors

Back in America, I was a big soda drinker. I did eventually manage to give it up in order to try to be more healthy so drinking soda is now just a treat for me. Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of options for soda in Japan.

The standards tend to be Coke, Sprite, and Fanta. Lemon Coke is also available occasionally. You can find Pepsi, but it’s usually Pepsi Strong, which does have a very slightly different flavor than Pepsi. Of course Pepsi Next is also popular, but I’m one to stay away from diet options. Mountain Dew is available, usually in cans in vending machines, but it’s made with a different type of sugar than the Mountain Dew in the States, so the flavor is totally different. If you venture to an import store, Dr. Pepper, Cherry Dr Pepper, A&W Root Beer, and A&W Cream Soda are also added to the list of choices.

This gives you about 10 total choices for soda from back home. Of course, Japan has its own sodas too, Kalpis Soda (horrible name imo), Mitsuya Cider, and Mets, just to name a few.

These flavors tend grow old if you spend any length of time in Japan. Fortunately, Fanta has the answer to our (maybe just mine?) problems.

Fanta is available in the standard grape and orange versions but also puts out new flavors seasonally. Japan seems to like seasonal items, and soda is no exception! The only major drawback is that these flavors are not sold in convenience stores or vending machines, you have to go to the supermarket for them.

This seasons flavor is blood orange. It has a distinctly Halloween-y feel to it, with black and dark orange packaging and the orange design somewhat resembling a blood moon. The drink itself is a pinkish orange. The flavor, in my opinion, doesn’t resemble a blood orange at all but it isn’t a bad flavor. It does remind me of last seasons flavor quite a bit though. Fanta had a salt and watermelon flavor during the summer that was quite refreshing on hot days.

While Fanta’s seasonal flavors usually aren’t great, I haven’t tried any that are completely horrible yet. They are great though if you’re looking for a new drink, and for someone like me, a wonderful break from the monotony of drinking the same thing over and over again.

What’s your go to drink in Japan?