JR East Water Business and House Wellness Foods will be offering a unique dessert beverage that’s basically a roasted sweet potato in drinkable form.

Roasted sweet potato, called yakiimo in Japanese, has been a popular snack in Japan for close to two centuries since the late Edo period, and a particular favourite during the autumn and winter months. 

The drink, which is being marketed under the name Yakiimo Dayori (which roughly translates as “a message/gift of roasted sweet potatoes”), contains artificial flavoring to recreate the sweet taste and roasted scent of yakiimo. In addition, a bottle of the drink also includes 4.8 grams of dietary fibre and 10 milligrams if Vitamin E, just to make it that much healthier.

The drink will be available exclusively from the “acure” vending machines located in JR East (East Japan Railway) stations starting Oct 17 at a price of 140 yen for a 280-milliliter bottle. JR East Water Business’s acure vending machines offer a wide range of drinks from different brands specifically selected to suit the needs of customers using the JR East stations, and Yakiimo Dayori should certainly make an interesting addition to the selection.