The Bubble Tea Craze in Japan

The Popularity of Tapioca in Japan

If you haven’t tried bubble tea yet, you’re missing out! Originating from the 1980s in Taiwan, this drink was picked up by the Japanese in the 1990s and continued to increase in popularity ever since! Since the 2010s, bubble tea has trended particularly amongst Japanese teenage girls, some even calling it the nickname “tapiru.” The popularity of tapioca has grown so much that in 2019 Tokyo’s pop culture and fashion district, Harajuku, opened the theme park “Tapioca Land.” With the fun colors of the drink, unique sipping experience, and sweet taste – it’s no wonder that the bubble tea craze has spread all over the world!

What Is Bubble Tea?

Bubble tea is a mixture of your choice of tea, your chosen milk, ice, and chewy tapioca. Tapioca, also called boba, is a starch made from the root of cassava. This gives the drink a fun chewy sensation, the bubbles coming up your straw, which is purposely made thicker to fit them.

Various Types of Tapioca

There are a variety of ways to make bubble tea to fit your taste buds! By choosing different flavors of tea- whether it be the traditional black tea, green tea, peppermint tea, etc.- you can enhance your experience and even take in their individual benefits. When it comes to milk, you can choose whatever dairy product or dairy substitute you prefer. Some prefer dairy substitutes such as soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk in their bubble tea! Some also substitute their tapioca with toppings like grass jelly, coffee jelly, agar boba, pooping pearls, or egg pudding. Add your favorite fruit flavors as well to make the tea into a treat! Many people enjoy strawberry, blueberry, mango, and other fruit flavored bubble tea!