虎扑电竞

In a delicious fusion of cultures and creativity, a group of Tohoku University students from nine different countries have collaborated with Gelateria Natu-Lino to create four new unique gelato flavours this summer.

Known as "Travelling Gelato," this year's set features flavours inspired by the traditional tastes of countries as diverse as Bangladesh, China, Italy and, of course, Japan.

The Global Learning Centre recruited about a dozen students for this project at the start of the academic year. The group then spent numerous evenings over four months developing their ideas with Natu-Lino and university staff, including three rounds of tasting to get the balance of the flavours just right.

To better understand Miyagi's agricultural industry and the ingredients used in the making of the gelato, the students visited Komatsu Farm, where they learnt about milk production, as well as La Fata Farm where they were shown special tomato cultivation techniques.

"The field trip was memorable," said Tejaswini Machhindra Pawase, a graduate student from India. "I have always been sceptical of drinking tomato juice and did not have good experiences in the past. But the juice at La Fata was amazing, with sweet and tangy notes."

Japanese medical student Hiroha Sakai, who's from Saitama, said she enjoyed seeing and learning more of Miyagi prefecture. "I'm usually focused on my medical studies so the field trip was really nice," she said. "The passion of the people working at the farms and how proud they are of their products was impressive and inspiring."

For some participants, the project was an opportunity to reminisce and share hometown memories through flavour.

"When I was a child, nothing made me happier than eating a mung bean popsicle after school," said doctoral student Wang Haopeng, whose group created the "Creamy Mung Beans" gelato. "In Japan, bean-based desserts tend to feature red beans or zunda. Our gelato has a slightly different texture, is less sweet and has a slight bitterness that leaves a clean aftertaste. In China, mung beans are considered a food that helps cool down the body, so the taste is an essential part of summer memories for us."

Davide Bitti, an Italian who works at the university's Alumni and Outreach Office, also took part in the project, helping his team create a flavour that might surprise a few people. "Tomato is not a normal flavour for a sweet treat such as gelato, so it was a bit of a challenge at first," he admitted. "But on the other hand, this made the task of creating a totally new flavour more interesting." The result was a pizza-inspired gelato that Bitti says turned out "exactly how I envisioned pizza gelato to taste like!"

The project was also a great way to meet new friends and learn new skills.

Elizabeth McCarthy, an exchange student from the UK, joined hoping to meet Japanese and international students outside her programme, "I not only met some great people, I also learnt about product development and marketing, which I had no experience with before," she said. Her group, including members from Japan and Bangladesh, created "Very Berry Mango," which she describes as having "a unique summer taste."

"Travelling Gelato" will make a special early appearance at Open Campus on July 30-31. It will then go on general sale from August 1-11 at S-PAL, on the east side of Sendai Station. Scoops will be sold from an ice cream truck on the first floor, while sealed tubs will be sold at a pop-up counter on the 2nd floor.

In addition to the four new flavours, Natu-Lino will also bring back a few familiar favourites for this event.

Tohoku University x Natu-Lino Travelling Gelato

Open Campus: July 30 - 31, 2025

Time: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Location: In front of Sky KAWAUCHI Forest, Tohoku University Kawauchi North Campus

General Sale: August 1 - 11, 2025

Time: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. (Sun - Thurs), 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Fri, Sat and days before holidays)
Location: S-PAL Sendai

• Pop-up counter: 2nd floor of S-PAL Sendai East Building (next to Date no Komichi)
• Ice cream truck: 1st floor of S-PAL Sendai East Building (next to the escalator)

Price: Single = 550 yen, Double = 660 yen, Triple = 770 yen (all prices include tax)

*A portion of the sales will be donated to the Tohoku University Fund to support international exchange programmes.

Students who created the new gelato flavours will take turns to be on hand in the first week, selling scoops from the truck and manning the counter.

虎扑电竞 in Japanese