Kiyomizu Cheese Kobo opened in Kiyomizu Gojozaka, Kyoto in July this year as the first place in Kyoto to specialise in “bottled cheesecakes.” This month, they are releasing four new products to continue the cheese craze right to the end of 2019.

The first is a revamp of their number one most popular soft serve cheese ice cream: the “Chocolate Mont Blanc Cheese Soft.” The soft serve ice cream is a mix of refreshingly sweet milk and rich cheese topped with a full-bodied mont blanc-style chocolate—a welcome addition during the winter months when you want to stay in and indulge in some chocolate. The ice cream is finished with crushed chocolate pieces and a crowning raspberry to create a chocolate cake in a cone. You’re sure to become a frequent customer after a bite of this.

And for the Christmas season only, between December 18th-25th the shop is also selling another special soft serve that’s made to look like a Christmas tree. The cheese soft serve is covered with a sprinkling of Uji matcha powder and adorned with chocolate pearls and stars.

Kiyomizu Cheese Kobo is also releasing hot versions of its “Kiyomizu Cheese Drink” and “Matcha Cheese Tea,” the iced versions of which were greatly enjoyed in summer. The Matcha Cheese Tea can also now be ordered with tapioca topping, creating a delicious combination between the expertly crafted rich matcha cheese tea and the chewy and sugary tapioca pearls.

Also released this month is the “Homemade Matcha Tiramisu” when is served in a traditional masu box and served only on the second floor eat-in section. This irresistible delight is made with flavourful mascarpone cheese and bitter Uji matcha from Kyoto to create a dessert that’s perfect during a trip or day out in Kyoto. Because of the hard labour that goes into creating this dessert, only 5-10 are served per day, so be sure to arrive early to not miss the opportunity.

Starbucks Coffee Japan is celebrating Christmas 2019 with two new delicious beverages: the Matcha White Chocolate Frappuccino🄬 and Hot Matcha White Chocolate, both of which will be available to order between December 19 and 25 for this year only.

Both versions of this delightful holiday season drink are the perfect accompaniment to the winter days, combining richly fragrant matcha with smooth white chocolate. The Frappuccino🄬 enjoys the addition of maple syrup for a distinct sweetness which mixes gorgeously with the matcha and milkiness of the white chocolate.

The hot version is made with foamed milk which too is soaked in the full-bodied kick of the matcha. The fluffy texture of the foamed milk together with the sweet taste and velvety white chocolate is a combination sure to get you addicted.

If you’re in Japan for Christmas this year, be sure to stop by Starbucks for a cup of Matcha White Chocolate.

GODIVA Japan released two new chocolate products at the Daimaru Kyoto branch of ATELIER de GODIVA, a chocolate shop which combines GODIVA’s skilful craftsmanship with chocolate artistry. Named “ATELIER Christmas Showpiece Santa Claus” and “ATELIER Christmas Showpiece Snowman,” the two chocolate artworks were released on Wednesday and are available until December 25.

Each and every one of these chocolate sculptures are handmade in-store by the shop’s chefs. They are exclusive to ATELIER de GODIVA Daimaru Kyoto and the perfect Christmas treat to adorn any Christmas party this holiday season.

These cute Christmas-exclusives not only taste delicious, but are fun to look at. Santa is sat in a chimney ready to deliver the presents while the snowman is sat next to a Christmas tree looking warm with its scarf.

Both of these are limited in stock and won’t be available ever again after they sell out, so don’t miss out.

With just a small bit of ingenuity, turn everyday food into something cute using Kaori’s easy recipe! With a few simple ideas, an ordinary recipe magically transforms into a cute dish.

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to make Santa Rilakkuma cookies 

1: Ingredients: (For 10 Rilakkumas)

Unsalted butter: 55g

Icing sugar: 25g

White sesame seeds: 30g

Weak flour: 75g

2: Leave the unsalted butter out for a while until it reaches room temperature and then mix until smooth. Next, mix in the sugar, sesame seeds and then flour in that order. 

3: Next, split the dough into portions. To make one cookie, you need 15g for the face and 1g of dough for each ear. Arrange your face and both ears as shown in the photo below. 

Top tip: Rilakkuma’s face is oval-shaped so don’t make it circular.

4: After you’ve formed all your Rilakkumas, bake them at 180℃ for 15 minutes.

5: Please refer to the video below to decorate Rilakkuma’s face:

Before the cookies get cold, coat them in icing sugar, using a small brush to dust off the excess. Then, wait for the cookies to cool completely before decorating the face. Place a Meiji Apollo Strawberry Chocolate on Rilakkuma’s head for the Santa hat and you’re done. 

This is the perfect way to contribute to your next Christmas potluck and it is a flawless plan to impress all your friends.

Kaori invites you into her world of character-themed food dishes in her recipe series. Be sure to check out her Instagram where she has uploaded many pictures of her character dishes!

Now it’s December, we can unleash our festive spirits without anyone telling us “it’s too early”. The streets are glistening with Christmas decor and Christmas dinners, drinks and desserts are around every corner. Every year, Starbucks never fails to hype us up with their Christmas drinks and so without a moment to waste, I headed over to check them out. 

For many, the excitement of Christmas starts to unfold at one moment: opening the stocking. Starbucks has hit home once again with the Santa Boots Chocolate Frappuccino®, which not only takes on the appearance of a stocking stuffed with treats, but tastes as jolly as one too. The Frappuccino® was released on December 4, 2019 and is enough to leave you with a very merry belly. 

Once you place your order, you will be handed a sealed straw transformed with Christmas magic to become an edible cookie straw. This drink is the first of its kind for Starbucks and is on a whole new level of excitement. Just holding the straw in your hand waiting for your drink will have your heart racing in anticipation.

Here it is:

The small, bright red baubles of chocolate will immediately catch your attention. The Christmassy cup is literally a stocking packed with a range of delicious flavours and textures.

Now it’s time to insert the straw. You will be surprised at just how strong and sturdy it is. Alternating between a few refreshing gulps and an odd chomp on the crispy straw creates a new kind of flavour experience. Rest assured that you are also provided with a regular straw so no need to worry about devouring the straw before finishing the drink.

The frappuccino® base contains a rich chocolate sauce and is sprinkled with crispy potato chips. There are also some potato chips on top of the drink to moderate sweetness and add texture. 

Not only will this fill your stomach, but just seeing the jolly drink will leave you fully topped up with the festive spirit. Sales will end once stock is depleted so make sure to try it asap if you are interested. 

Have a jolly Christmas filled with excitement and love. 

If you’re a Peanuts fan, you can’t miss out on the gorgeous Christmas menu which will served up at the PEANUTS Cafe Nakameguro, PEANUTS DINER Yokohama and PEANUTS DINER Kobe from December 2 – 25. 

Order the Christmas Dinner course for a large angus beef steak drizzled with a sweet and tangy sauce made of berries and raspberry vinegar.

After your dinner enjoy the luxurious Christmas desserts plate of bite-sized treats such as a soft and tender canelé and sweet madeleine. The plate is decorated with a Christmas Snoopy pick where Snoopy’s face can be seen peeking through a wreath. 

You don’t have to book in advance but we recommend you do. This can be done via the links in the information section below.

Order the Salmon Cheese Gratin Christmas Plate for a luxurious course of mains, salad and dessert all on one tray. The sautéd salmon is the steal of the show as it sits in a bath of creamy stew and is topped with a generous layer of cheese. This is served alongside fluffy bread branded with Christmas designs that will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit. A Snoopy pick replaces the traditional cherry on the sundae that will leave you with a sweet aftertaste after your meal.

The White Hot Chocolate is the perfect way to ward off the cold of winter. Like a white blanket of snow, white chocolate milk fills the cup and is topped with the traditional colours of Christmas. Allow yourself to be soothed by the drink’s mild sweetness.

Make the most of your Christmas with Snoopy and friends. 

© 2019 Peanuts Worldwide LLC

ROLL ICE CREAM FACTORYーan ice cream chain in Japan specialising in ‘rolled’ ice creamーreleased its Christmas menu today.

From Left: Reindeer’s Christmas / Pink Pink Christmas / Blue White Christmas / Royal Pink Christmas

This will be ROLL ICE CREAM FACTORY’s third-ever Christmas menu, which they have made even more fun. There are three festive ice creams to choose from, including two featuring Santa Claus and a reindeer. The ice creams can be served in either their regular cups, or the store’s new “Fuwamoko” snowstorm cups, which looks like snow blowing in the wind. Check out the video below.

Until now, people would take photos of the ice cream being made, but these new cups make for an even more Instagrammable post. Edit in a Christmas song or your favourite music to make your own cute video for your Instagram Stories. The Christmas menu is available until December 25, but these cups will be served until late February 2020. You’ll find the Christmas menu at the select branches and pop-up stores listed below.

Looking for Instagram-worthy ice cream in Japan? You definitely need to check out Asakusa Tsuno Koi. Soon after opening in Tokyo’s traditional Asakusa on July 5, 2019, their soft serve unicorn ice cream instantly earned its fame on social media. From November 28 to December 24, the ice cream shop will be releasing a series of Christmas-limited ice creams that are sure to become a hit sensation.

This shop is famous for being the only ice cream shop in the world to make unicorn-shaped cones out of financier cake dough and filling them with a sweet spiral of soft serve ice cream for the unicorn’s horn. This Christmas, the shop is introducing Christmas-limited toppings, flowers and wreaths to the decorations menu, making customising your ice cream more fun than ever before. 

* According to research conducted by Asakusa Tsuno Koi. Protected status has been received for America, Korea and Japan. Applications are still being processed in the EU, Singapore and Mongolia.  

For the Reindeer Soft Serve Ice Cream (￥780), each and every single financier cone is baked carefully, but this time in the shape of a reindeer – and it’s chocolate flavoured. Filled with soft serve ice cream, this reindeer is too cute to eat. 

The Christmas Tree (￥830) is a soft serve pistachio ice cream made using high-grade pistachos: the reigning queen when it comes to nut varieties. The ice cream is finished with one of Asakusa Tsuno Koi‘s original Christmas trees. 

The Santa Claus Soft Serve (￥500) is made using Asakusa Tsuno Koi’s rich-flavoured vanilla ice cream. Young or old, the moment you set eyes on Santa Claus’ face, a smile will automatically appear on yours! 

The Christmas-limited toppings include stars, candy, and gingerbread men (￥100 each). Can’t choose? There is set including all three which costs ￥250.

The shop interior is also looking more Christmassy. The interior is a fusion of Asakusa’s traditional heritage and the unicorn motif, which is popular in western countries. A colourful flowery background and Asakusa’s traditional folding fans and umbrellas perfectly finish the western-Japanese fusion scene, which is currently soaking in fame on Instagram.

Asakusa Tsuno Koi is serving up a totally unique kind of ice cream that has not been spotted anywhere else in the world. The Christmas-limited ice creams are definitely worth the hype. 

* Prices Before Tax

Starbucks Japan has revealed its drink in its line of holiday season beverages for 2019. The Santa Boots Chocolate Frappuccino® will be released at Starbucks branches across Japan on December 4, but will receive an early release at four branches in Shibuya on December 3.

The best moment during Christmastime is when you open a present. This drink is inspired by the candy and gift-stuffed stockings from childhood.

The drink contains everybody’s favourite indulging ingredients: chocolate, cookies, and potato chips. The base of the drink is filled with dipping chocolate sauce and crunchy chocolate chips. The potato chips on top add a delicious salty flavour to the sweetness.

The drink is closed off with a squirt of snow-white whipped cream covered in red chocolate balls and an edible cookie straw. Suck up all of those delicious flavours through the straw and then enjoy munching on it afterwards, ensuring nothing goes to waste. A perfect beverage to enjoy this holiday season!

Christmas is almost here, and at Q-pot CAFE. in Omotesando, the festivities have already begun as they begin serving a selection of special Christmas-exclusive menu items. These will be available until December 25.

Q-pot. is known for its accessory brand, which features jewellery made to look like sweets and desserts. It is also known for the Q-pot CAFE. which flips that concept, instead making sweets and desserts that look just like real accessories.

I visited Q-pot CAFE. to treat myself to their exciting Christmas afternoon tea.

Q-pot. Omotesando is a 7-minute walk from Omotesando Station’s A2 exit. You’ll spot the entrance by its sparkly illuminations as pictured above.

The cafe is split into seven concept rooms, such as Melt, Chocolate, BisQuit, SAKURA, and so onーso you can pick which sounds good to you and sit there. It also gives a reason to go back more than once!

The Story of Sweet Kingdom Afternoon Tea Set ¥2,400 (Tax Included/Drink Included)

The afternoon tea set: an indulgence any cafe-lover craves for at least once. And since Christmastime is coming, you want to enjoy a little treat too, right? Well, this two-tiered set comes with desserts, sweets, and some light food too.

The top plate includes gingerbread man pops, cupcakes, vanilla panna cotta, and macarons.

The gingerbread man pops are filled with caramel ganache, while the red velvet cupcakes topped with pistachio cream and made to look like a Christmas tree. The panna cotta is also sprinkled with dragees to look like stardust.

The macarons are strawberry and melon flavoured. The melon one has a particularly rich flavour and contains red melon pieces. This macaron is so popular that there are people who go to Q-pot CAFE. just to sink their teeth into one of them.

The bottom plate contains some hearty and crunchy  croissants filled with roast beef, mini tomatoes, and broccoli. It also comes with a side of rich cheese soup with onions and potatoes inside.  It’s a great palate cleanser after the desserts.

Pistachio Cream Tea Latte ¥750 (Tax Included) *Also sold separately

The drink that’s served with the afternoon tea set is a Christmas-only pistachio cream tea latte.  It’s a latte made with one of the cafe’s original flavoured tea brews called “Flower Garden.” The tea ensures the drink isn’t overly-sweet and leaves it with a mild flavour. It also comes with a holly-shaped cookie. This drink is also available to order separately from the drinks menu.

The set comes with a special fairy tale-like Christmas lunch mat.

CHRISTMAS CAKE ~The Story of Sweet Kingdom~ ¥3,800 (Tax Included)

The cafe is also selling a cake that looks like something out of a children’s picture book. It’s topped with a coconut meringue snowman, gingerbread man, and strawberry Santa. This would make a great addition to a home party.

Saku Saku Meringue ¥600 (Tax Included)

Take away some crunchy snow-white meringues too, so addictive you won’t be able to stop after just one!

The cafe is also selling a Christmas collection of their dessert-like accessories too.

Christmas Tree Cupcake: Necklace ¥10,000/Bag Charm ¥8,000 (Before Tax)

The Christmas tree cupcake features a chocolate cookie-like base topped with a realistic pistachio cream adorned with pearls.

Strawberry Santa Claus: Necklace ¥10,000/Bag Charm ¥8,000 (Before Tax)

Check out these adorable bright-red strawberry Santas too!

Q-pot CAFE. has lots of other Christmas food and accessories in addition to these too, so if you’re in Tokyo anytime from now up to Christmas Day, then be sure to visit.

Writer: Ellie (MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON)

Translator: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga

Disney magic flows through the veins of Disney Resort throughout the year. However, when the clock strikes Christmas time, the entire resort transforms for Disney Christmas: the annual event where the streets sparkle the most compared to any other yearly event.

With Christmas just over the horizon, the Fairy Godmother waved her magic wand over all areas of the park ー including the hotels. This year, a whole load of delicious Christmassy afternoon tea dishes have poofed onto the menu at Disney Ambassador Hotel’s Hyperion Lounge. Today, we’ll be looking at a few.

Disney Christmas Cake Set: ¥1,800

The Hyperion Lounge’s Disney Christmas Cake Set is shaped like a wreath and is garnished with your favourite Disney characters. 

The wreath, which is sat on a bed of chocolate mousse, is woven from pistachio dough that is full of flavour and soft mousse. The sweet tanginess of the raspberry and cherries mixes with the sweet chocolate for a refreshing flavour that will fill your mouth. It is just too cute to eat. 

Disney Christmas Special Drink: ¥1,300 *with Drink Coaster

The Christmas Special Drink is an iced tea coloured with a raspberry and strawberry syrup. Above the syrup is a mixture of milk tea and peach juice which will send a fruity scent floating to your nose. Mix the syrup with the milk tea thoroughly for a magical flavour adventure. Mixing the drink will turn it a cute light pink colour, too.

Two yellow chocolate stars shine in the middle of the drink. Can you spot them?

This drink was created to look just like Santa Claus and the two stars represent the buttons on his clothes.

This drink comes with a free original coaster, however, the coasters are in limited supply. Many restaurants around the resort are serving up special drinks which come with a free Disney Christmas coaster. The design available at Hyperion Lounge is Mini Mouse. Try collecting them for an extra special Disney Christmas. 

Collect all the drink coasters and put them together for a Disney Christmas masterpiece!

Whether inside the park or not, Tokyo Disney Resort never fails to make our hearts race with excitement. If you’re staying at the resort, don’t miss out on the restaurant’s irresistible Christmas drinks and desserts.

Original Text Author: Sayuri Mizuno (MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON)

Christmas is about to fall upon VenusFort in Odaiba, Tokyo, with a snow-pile of Christmas content set to take place at the mall from November 30 onward. This will include the exhibiting of teamLab’s hugely popular “The Trees of Resonating Colors of Life” installation.

teamLab, The Tree of Resonating Colors of Life, 2018, Interactive Installation, Endless, H: 8000 mm W: 6000 mm D: 6000 mm Sound: Hideaki Takahashi© teamLab

Located in the Olive Plaza, this interactive art piece is a three-dimensional tree made up of many light spheres which change colour as people touch them.

The popular annual “SNOW WISH” event will also take place again this year, where delicate snow falls gracefully from the ceiling. This year the event is collaborating with “VenusFort Illumination 2019-2020 -Grateful Harmony-” to create a heart-warming and enchanting Christmas display that’s sure to put you in the Christmas mood.

There will also be a Christmas raffle where you can win prizes, a special VenusFort Christmas party menu, as well as a Black Friday Market where you can grab some serious bargains.

Be sure to add Odaiba on your list of places to visit if you’re celebrating Christmas and the holiday season in Tokyo this year.