This is beni imo (scarlet potato) ice cream. A delightful purple sweet potato-flavored frozen treat from the Blue Seal ice cream company of Okinawa, Japan. Founded in 1948, Blue Seal's tag line is "Born in America," and it virtually was. From the time Okinawa was first occupied by US troops after WWII until it was officially returned to Japan 27 years later, it was under US military rule. For years the currency was the US dollar and residents were required to carry passports when traveling to other prefectures of Japan. While US administration and occupation ostensibly ended in 1972 the US military presence looms large on this tiny island prefecture. The issue of enduring US military bases is a political hot potato in Japan and has more often than not produced frigid relations between Americans and Japanese.
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