On February 19, Japan Airlines (JAL) and Lawson announced collaborative products supervised by JAL Group cabin crew members and the in-flight meal development team. They will go on sale at Lawson convenience stores across Japan from February 24.
Four items will be launched nationwide: three fried foods that recreate the flavor of the onion consommé soup served on JAL international flights, and gummy candy that reproduces the taste of the original in-flight drink “Sky Time (Peach & Grape).” The lineup consists of “Karaage-kun Onion Consommé Soup Flavor” (298 yen including tax), “L-Chiki Onion Consommé Soup Flavor” (258 yen), “L-Kara Onion Consommé Soup Flavor (4 pieces)” (298 yen), and “Cororo SKYTIME Flavor (Peach & Grape)” (160 yen).
Yoshiyasu Katano from JAL’s Products & Services Development Department, In-flight Meal Operation Group, who supervised the three fried food items, revealed that they initially created trial products based on the beef consommé soup served on JAL domestic flights. However, since that would have resulted in the “contradiction of beef-flavored chicken,” they ultimately chose the onion consommé soup flavor. He said they were particular about “recreating the flavor of the sky,” and repeatedly adjusted the balance between the taste of the onion consommé soup and the umami of the chicken through numerous prototypes, expressing confidence that “it is definitely delicious.”
Since 2025, JAL has been serving its original fried chicken “JAL Chiki,” made with onion consommé soup base, as a light meal in business class on international flights. However, Masaharu Iwamoto, General Manager of the Products & Services Development Department in JAL’s Customer Experience Division, explained that there is “no direct connection” with the current L-Chiki collaboration. “JAL Chiki is seasoned specifically for in-flight service. For the collaboration products, we took Lawson’s L-Chiki as the base and worked together to recreate JAL’s onion consommé soup flavor,” he said.
In addition, as region-limited items, Lawson will offer “Premium Roll Cakes” (268 yen each including tax) supervised by JAL Group cabin crew members. There are eight varieties featuring characteristics of different regions across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa: “Hokkaido Haskap Premium Roll Cake” (Hokkaido only), “Baba Hera-style Premium Roll Cake (Strawberry & Banana)” (Tohoku and Niigata Prefecture only), “Cream Anmitsu-style Premium Roll Cake” (Kanto region only), “An Butter Toast-style Premium Roll Cake” (Chubu region excluding Niigata Prefecture), “Mixed Juice-style Premium Roll Cake” (Kinki region only, around Osaka/Kansai), “Setouchi Lemon and Kitou Yuzu Premium Roll Cake” (Chugoku & Shikoku regions, excluding some areas of Shimane Prefecture and Yamaguchi Prefecture), “Shirokuma-style Premium Roll Cake” (Kyushu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and some areas of Shimane Prefecture), and “Brown Sugar & Black Tea Premium Roll Cake – using Tarama Island Brown Sugar –” (Okinawa Prefecture only).
The “Hokkaido Haskap Premium Roll Cake” was supervised by Makino Kato of Hokkaido Air System (HAC); the “Baba Hera-style Premium Roll Cake (Strawberry & Banana)” by Hitomi Sawamoto of HAC; the “Cream Anmitsu-style Premium Roll Cake” and the Chubu region (excluding Niigata Prefecture) “An Butter Toast-style Premium Roll Cake” by Mana Tsutsumi of JAL; the “Mixed Juice-style Premium Roll Cake” and the “Setouchi Lemon and Kitou Yuzu Premium Roll Cake” by Risa Shiwaku of J-Air; the “Shirokuma-style Premium Roll Cake” by Ririka Takami of Japan Air Commuter (JAC); and the “Brown Sugar & Black Tea Premium Roll Cake – using Tarama Island Brown Sugar –” by Megumi Shimoji of Japan Transocean Air (JTA) and Runa Kajitani of Ryukyu Air Commuter (RAC).
▲J-Air cabin crew member Risa Shiwaku
Risa Shiwaku of J-Air, who supervised the “Mixed Juice-style Premium Roll Cake,” proposed a flavor that symbolizes Osaka, as Lawson’s first store was opened in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture. She explained, “It is not only sweet but also has a pleasant tartness, so you can enjoy it until the very last bite without getting tired of the flavor.”
▲JAL cabin crew member Mana Tsutsumi
Mana Tsutsumi of JAL, who supervised items including the “Cream Anmitsu-style Premium Roll Cake,” commented, “The refined sweetness of the smooth red bean paste, the chewy texture of gyuhi (soft rice cake), the refreshing flavor of mandarin oranges, and the gently spreading sweetness of brown sugar kanten jelly create a succession of different flavors and textures. We developed this product with the wish to express, even in roll cake form, the satisfaction of eating a cream anmitsu full of toppings and the excitement and anticipation of choosing which part to start with.”
During the development stage of the roll cakes, more than 50 ideas were gathered from each area in total, and up to seven tasting sessions were held in each region. They went through much trial and error, including conducting tasting sessions with Okinawa online. “We received many unique ideas that we would never have come up with ourselves, such as using Senshu mizunasu eggplant and Kagoshima shochu,” said a Lawson representative.
Furthermore, “Cororo SKYTIME Flavor (Peach & Grape)” will also be offered in limited quantities at the Diamond Premier Lounge for domestic flights at Tokyo Haneda Airport from the afternoon of February 24.
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
