Through June 16th, Starbucks is running a retro promotion that imagines the classic Japanese coffee houses of the Showa era. Check out our write up about the promotion for more details:

Just outside of Shinjuku Station, the Starbucks at the Southern Terrace has a nice outdoor seating area surrounded by sky scrapers. Outside the door to the shop was this cool vintage-style sign:

Inside, a board displayed the special limited-edition items available during the promotion.

The Coffee Jelly Cake sitting under the glass was tempting, but I was on a mission to try the new Frappuccino.

The menu describes the Pudding A La Mode Frappuccino as 'New, despite being retro.' It is made to represent a classic Japanese coffee house dessert called the 'pudding a la mode' that features pudding covered in fruit, caramel, and whipped cream.

This'll be interesting...

Although it's not as pretty as I imagine a real pudding a la mode would be, I think that Starbucks did a good job at recreating the essential elements of the dessert while combining it with a Frappe.

The pink mixed-fruit jelly hiding under the whipped cream is made from mangoes, apples, and strawberries, and has a nice balance of tart and sweetness.

The Frappe itself is very sweet, and is laced with a bittersweet caramel sauce. The taste is actually pretty similar to the custard-like Japanese pudding that it is imitating!
It was too sweet for my taste, but if you normally enjoy the sweetness of Starbucks Frappuccinos, you'll probably like it. It's definitely fun to try!

The promotion is happening at Starbucks stores throughout Japan until June 16th. If you're in Japan during the next month, try out the Frappuccino for yourself!
As mentioned earlier, 20 Starbucks locations will feature the retro sign, including the Shinjuku location that we went to: