{"id":4844,"date":"2026-03-01T21:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T04:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=4844"},"modified":"2026-03-01T21:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T04:00:50","slug":"lawson-adds-doughnuts-to-its-convenience-store-sweets-range-but-are-they-good-enough-to-go-viral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=4844","title":{"rendered":"Lawson adds doughnuts to its convenience store sweets range, but are they good enough to go viral?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

A new convenience store sweet\u2026but you need to be lucky to find it.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Whenever we see the words \u201c\u5148\u884c\u767a\u58f2<\/strong>\u201d (\u201csenkou hatsubai<\/em>\u201c) during our travels in Japan, we always step in for a closer look. That\u2019s because it translates as \u201cadvance sales<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cpre-sale<\/strong>\u201c, which means you might just discover the next big thing before it goes viral and becomes widely available<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So when we stopped by our local Lawson convenience store and saw those words on a large promotional poster, we were immediately intrigued.<\/p>\n

\u25bc The poster was advertising a new type of doughnut called \u201cMochimochimochibee<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cMochimochi\u201d is an onomatopoeic term for things that are wonderfully soft, squishy, springy, chewy, or doughy, like the texture of mochi (Japanese rice cakes). The word \u201cMochimochimochibee\u201d goes overboard with the description, suggesting these doughnuts will be incredibly soft and chewy, and tacks on the suffix \u201cbee\u201d at the end, a term of endearment like \u201cbaby\u201d or \u201ccutie\u201d in the Ibaraki dialect, to add a sense of cute plumpness to the product.<\/p>\n

\u25bc There are two varieties, sugar<\/strong> and kinako<\/strong>, priced at 171 yen (US$1.10) each, and we bought both of them for a taste test.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Another thing you should look out for at any store in Japan is the words \u201c\u65b0\u767a\u58f2\u201d (\u201cshinhatsubai\u201d), which means \u201cnew release\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Once we got these babies home, we found they were much heavier than expected, so we plonked one on the scales, where it weighed in at 102 grams (3.6 ounces); a lot heavier than a regular convenience store doughnut.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Releasing them from their packaging, they were plump yet elegant, with a look that wouldn\u2019t seem out of place at a famous specialty doughnut store.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Time to start the tasting with the \u201cMochibee Sugar<\/strong>\u201c, which goes by the less playful English name \u201cDonut with Sugar<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The cross section doesn\u2019t hint at any extra chewiness, so we weren\u2019t entirely sure what to expect in terms of mochi mochi texture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, as soon as we bit into it, our eyes widened with surprise as it was insanely delicious.\u00a0<\/strong>The exterior was slightly crispy, and the inside was incredibly fluffy, with just the right amount of chewiness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The dough sprang back beautifully with every squeeze, making us wonder what the secret was behind the fantastic texture.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Checking the back of the package revealed that it contained cracker flour and poppy seeds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Cracker flour was a surprising element, as it\u2019s usually used for making rice or wheat crackers. However, after taking another bite, we realised this may well be the secret ingredient behind the slightly crispy surface, with poppy seeds adding to the contrast in texture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As for the delectable chewiness, this is probably due to the starch in the flour mix. The doughnut also contains soy flour, but it\u2019s not really noticeable, and the entire treat has only a subtle sweetness, which adds to its greatness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Next up, we have the Mochibee Kinako<\/strong>, or \u201cDonut with Soybean Flour<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc The cross section here looked identical to the sugar doughnut.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The amount of kinako used is one that makes or breaks a Japanese sweet, as too much can drown out the other ingredients and too little will make it disappear on the palate.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Here, though, Lawson shows extreme skill as the amount of kinako is perfect for the doughnut.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Again, the texture of the doughnut was a highlight \u2013 so much so that we couldn\u2019t resist cutting a piece of the inside out to enjoy on its own, and we can confirm that it\u2019s one of the mochiest doughs we\u2019ve eaten.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

While a lot of people rave about Japanese sweets, it\u2019s often not just the flavours but the textures that contribute to their deliciousness. This new doughnut is testament to that focus, as the textures help to make the ingredients sing on the palate, lingering as you chew through every bite.<\/p>\n

The only downside to the doughnuts is they\u2019re not available nationwide \u2013 in fact, we couldn\u2019t find any information about them at all online.<\/p>\n

\u25bc We purchased ours at a Lawson in Tokyo\u2019s neighbouring Chiba Prefecture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Since it\u2019s being marketed as a \u201cpre-sale\u201d product, we have high hopes that the doughnuts will soon be making their way to Lawson stores around the country. After all, 7-Eleven recently introduced doughnuts as a permanent item at stores in Saitama, Chiba and Tokyo<\/a>, so our fingers are firmly crossed that these doughnuts will follow suit.<\/p>\n

Photos\u00a9SoraNews24<\/em>
\n\u25cf Want to hear about SoraNews24\u2019s latest articles as soon as they\u2019re published? Follow us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>!<\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new convenience store sweet\u2026but you need to be lucky to find it. Whenever we see the words \u201c\u5148\u884c\u767a\u58f2\u201d (\u201csenkou hatsubai\u201c) during our travels in Japan, we always step in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4844\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}