Rilakkuma and his chicken friend Kiiroitori are no strangers to wagashi traditional Japanese sweets. The Tabemasu series exclusively available at Lawson convenience stores in Japan have featured the adorable pair many times before. For example, last year, for they dressed up in cherry blossoms for a special Spring sakura version.

Now, they're back with a berry cute strawberry motif for the strawberry season. If you've seen strawberries on strawberry shortcakes and desserts for the Christmas season in Japan before, you may be puzzled about the timing. Until about 30 years ago, strawberries were only available between April and June, but developments in greenhouse farming have now made them available earlier. So, in terms of tradition, it is accurate to say we are now in the middle of the strawberry season.

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Tabemasu Rilakkuma 2020 Series

Let's take a look at the two in more detail. As you can see, both Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori are dressed up in a strawberry hood, complete with a little green calyx (the leafy top):

Ichigo Rilakkuma

Strawberry Rilakkuma has a pudding flavor and costs 285 JPY (incl. tax)

Ichigo Kiiroitori

Strawberry Kiiroitori has a strawberry flavor and costs 285 JPY (incl. tax)

You can pick up your cute Rilakkuma or Kiiroitori wagashi at all participating Lawson convenience stores from April 28th, 2020. For more information, see the product page here.