Mister Donut is teaming up with Gion Tsujiri, a traditional green tea maker in Uji, Kyoto, for some tasty new treats starting March 25 for a limited time. Four new items will be available until the end of April. To celebrate the new collaboration, a new TV commercial starring actor Masaki Suda has started airing nationwide.

Fresh Pon de Uji Green Tea

Fresh Pon de Uji Green Tea with Brown Sugar Syrup

Uji Hojicha Warabimochi

Uji Hojicha Mochi with Whipped Cream

In the new ad, Suga is seen in a manly kimono with one of the new products in hand. Remaking on the soft and chewy texture of the new items–which are kneaded with Gion Tsujiri’s Uji Green Tea–Suda slowly falls in love with Mister Donut and commands viewers to do the same. How could you not?

Which of these new items look the best? 

Interview

――How do you feel about the Fresh Pon de Uji Green Tea and the Fresh Pon de Uji Green Tea with Brown Sugar Syrup?

“They’re so crazy delicious. Each of them are so moist and smell so yummy, and the topping…I mean, that’s everyone’s favorite, right?”

――Speaking of toppings, what are some of your favorites?

“I love garlic and green onion on just about everything. Cheese is also my go-to. Condiments are everything.”

――How about the Warabimochi and the Whipped Cream Mochi? 

“I can’t get enough of them. I’d definitely buy them myself. They aren’t too bitter, and I could really enjoy the rich aroma of the hojicha. It’s honestly amazing that Mister Donut can come out with these creative new items so often. This isn’t like memorizing lines in a play or following a formula. It must take so much work.”

――Do you prefer matcha or hojicha?

“That’s really tough. (laugh) I like both. I love the flavor of matcha but I think hojicha has flavors that aren’t as common. I find myself eating a lot of chocolate, drinking lattes, or grabbing hojicha more often.”

――How did it feel to shoot the Mister Donut commercial in a kimono?

“It was so lightweight, it felt great. The stylist told me that it was entirely made of silk. I typically only wear kimono during rehearsals or things like that, but I’d love to wear something like this during a festival. Someday.”

――The new commercial will begin airing during graduation season. Is there anything you’d like to ‘graduate’ this year since it’s the last year in your 20s? 

“That’s true, I am almost 30. I hadn’t thought about it! In my job, everyone is so polite to me, and I have the habit of leaving things up to other people. I need to be more personally responsible. For example, if I have to be somewhere for a meeting in the morning, I always get up at the last minute. Why don’t I get up 10 minutes earlier, you know? I need to be better.”

――What would you like to tell those who are coming of age this year? Do you have anything to say to students and working adults who will start new grades and jobs in the spring? 

“As you grow older, you have less and less to do outside of work. I’m really impressed by people who do something consistently during their free time. I thought I should have done something like that back when I was a teenager, so I tried saving ¥500 coins last year. It was hard to do, even though it was something so small. After a year, I had saved up about ¥40,000 and I felt satisfied, so I stopped. But doing something each day outside of work is important.”