Halloween in Japan: 7-11's Pumpkin Pudding

When it rolls around to October, there's a flavor that always reminds me of the season, and that's pumpkin. When I lived in the United States, autumn was all about pumpkin spice - but here in Japan the pumpkin offerings tend to be more kabocha flavored than anything incorporating cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves.

If you walk into a 7-11 and don't get entranced by their seasonal foods, did you really visit a 7-11 at all?

Despite this, I still get a little excited when I see pumpkin flavored things at stores here, and at 7-11 recently I was entranced by their Halloween display which featured a pumpkin pudding on offer. For 188 yen plus tax (203 yen total) I figured what the heck - I'd give their newest seasonal delight a try.

Once you get to the bottom of 7-11's pumpkin pudding, you'll find a layer of caramel sauce. It's worth mixing this through if you prefer a bit of added sweetness!

The pudding itself is topped with a small rosette of whipped cream, and texture-wise it's satisfyingly light yet creamy. I do wish that there would be more of a pumpkin spice flavor to the pudding rather than just the straight kabocha taste, but I will say that at the bottom of the pudding cup there's a nice caramel sauce. Personally I think the pudding tasted much better with the caramel sauce mixed through it, so just keep that in mind if you try it and prefer a little more flavor with your kabocha desserts.

The pudding had a good, creamy consistency, but I recommend stirring through the caramel at the bottom - otherwise the taste seemed a little bland in my opinion.

If you're not really a fan of pumpkin flavors, 7-11 also had a pretty decent range of other offerings in cute Halloween packaging, including a chocolate mousse filled daifuku (next on my to-try list, although I really probably shouldn't...) and a chocolate whipped cream filled sandwich. If you're more of a savory food fan, they have you covered there as well - but it's a bit of a weird choice! They're selling a sausage and bolognese tortilla wrap which looks similar to a breakfast burrito, but the bolognese sauce is black! I guess the 7-11 Japan marketing team assumed that black bolognese sauce equals spooky Halloween vibes, but to me it just looked off-putting. I don't know...maybe some of you have tried it and want to tell me how delicious it is, but I'll stay a doubter until someone can actually vouch for it.

I'm not sure if the full product range will be on shelves right up until Halloween or they'll abruptly stop beforehand (like some Halloween events and foods in Japan seem to!) so if you want to give any of the products a try I'd recommend popping in sooner rather than later.

What's happening for Halloween at your local convenience stores? Any interesting offerings you've seen or tried at the other chains like Lawson, Mini Stop or Family Mart?