Photos by Tohoku Digital Archive
Babahera is a term used to refer to elderly women of local farmers (Baba) who sell ice cream on the streets using a spatula (hera). Local students began to call them “Babahera” in the 1970s. Kodama-Reika, an ice cream company, began producing and selling ice cream in 1948. They later provided ice cream to Shindo-Reika and Sugishige-Reika, which were sold together. The first ice candy was square or snowman-shaped and sold on a bicycle. In 1954, they began putting ice cream in corn and selling it at festivals and sports events in Akita. As the number of festival shops increased, they started selling ice cream on the streets. Elderly women often engage in this work because they can earn money without leaving their homes.
Further historical background
Shindo, a representative of Sindo-Reika, an ice cream company, stated that Babahera was initially sold in Oga City, Akita. Due to the high cost of strawberries and bananas, Babahera was flavored to imitate those tastes.
My great-grandmother used to sell Babahera in Oga. She passed away a few years ago so I interviewed my mother, who was also born in Oga, about her memories of her grandmother and Babahera. When asked what the motivation was for great-grandmother to start selling Babahera as her job, she answered: "The Babahera company was in Oga and my grandmother was invited by her friend to sell Babahera, so she started doing so. She used to take Babahera to various places every day during the summer.” When asked about her memory of her grandmother with Babahera, she said: “When my grandmother sold Babahera near my house or shops she often visited, she called me and invited me … When eating Babahera, I feel nostalgic because I often had that in childhood.” When asked how you introduce Babahera to people from other places, she said “Babahera is sherbet with two colors. The taste is refreshing and delicious” It can be said that Babahera is a type of soul food for the Akita people. (A Story from one of the Akita International University students).
Babahera is an ice cream with two colors (usually pink & yellow). This is like a sherbet and different colors have different tastes. The Standard is the one with pink and yellow which taste like strawberry and banana. You can see the Babahera standing on the streets in summer.
A local hero in Akita introduces how elderly lady makes babahera ice cream (Japanese only)
A short clip showing how babahera ice is shaped like a beautiful flower
There was a collaboration with Neon Genesis Evangelion, a popular animation in Japan, in the Masuda Comic Museum in Yokote City (2023, August).
In this collaboration, there were three new tastes
Evangelion test type-01 (grape & muscat)
Asuka (strawberry & orange)
Rei (soda & milk)
©Yokote Masuda Manga Museum, All rights reserved
You can find Babahera stands on the streets in summer. In addition, if you visit festivals or events in Akita, you might find Babahera stands as well. In winter, you can still buy Babahera ice candy or Babahera cups in some supermarkets and souvenir stores in Akita station. They are not real Babahera but the taste is good. In the online shops that each company has, you can find Babahera sets or various types of Babahera. Please check it out!
On streets (only in summer)
Akita station (Topico)
Supermarkets (Aeon mall)
Online
Topico
1F of the building directly connected to Akita station
7 Chome-1-2 Nakadori, Akita, 010-0001
Price
Normal 150-250 yen
Babahera on streets - 250 yen (Aug, 2023)
Babahera ice candy in Aeon Mall - 158 yen (Dec, 2023)
Special 300 yen
Babahera on online stores