Food and beverage fads come and go. On frequent occasions, "Gatten," NHK's health-oriented Wednesday evening program, used to present evidence that eating this food or drinking that beverage achieved seemingly miraculous results, including weight loss, lower blood pressure or relief from constipation. Soon afterward, retailers would report a run on that particular product.
Eventually, of course, demand would taper off, with sales returning to normal.
For 2019, the favored fad of Japanese urbanites, especially young women, is chilled milk tea containing black pearls of tapioca, which is also known as "bubble tea."