In celebration of Mr. Fullswing‘s 20th anniversary, Animate are collaborating with the manga series to serve up a themed menu at their own Animate Cafe in Ikebukuro from June 23 to July 26. The entire menu including the meals, drinks, and desserts are all inspired by the series, and fans can get their hands on some exclusive merchandise too.

Mr. Fullswing is a baseball manga series written and illustrated by Shinya Suzuki which was serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2001 to 2006. This year marks 20 years since it was first released.

Menu item names have been translated from Japanese.

A peek at the manga-themed menu

Is That Rice? No, It’s Curry | ¥1,000

Rations From Shiba | ¥1,000

Gou’s Secret Batting Form ~Hachiku~ | ¥800

Sei’s Secret Batting Form ~Utsusemi~ | ¥800

Terrible Tatsuragawa’s Glasses | ¥600

A peek at the merch

CoLotta Acrylic Plate Key Rings | 15 Designs | ¥800 Each 

Acrylic Character Key Rings | 14 Designs | ¥800 Each

Acrylic Uniform Key Rings | 14 Designs | ¥650 Each

Campaign to win a free photo card

24 photo cards based on the manga volume front covers

Win a birthday bromide photo

For every ¥2,000 spent at the cafe on menu items or merchandise, customers will receive one free photo card. There is also a birthday campaign being held from July 19 where you can win a free birthday bromide for every ¥2,000 spent.

(Ｃ)鈴木信也／集英社

Mc Donald’s Japan released its new Sweets Trio Fruchu menu on Friday which features a line-up of three fruit-flavoured Pikachu items: the Yellow Peach McShake, Chocolate Banana McFlurry, and Hot Apple Custard Pie.

The menu items comes in limited-edition cups and packaging featuring the adorable Pikachu.

Yellow Peach McShake | Small ¥120 – Regular ¥200 (Tax Included)

A fruity and refreshing summery McShake made with sweet and sour yellow peach with that satisfying creamy McShake texture. Available in small and medium, both sizes come with three different cup designs each for a total of six.

Chocolate Banana McFlurry | ¥290 (Tax Included)

The Chocolate Banana McFlurry is served in an ice cream cup with a fresh squirt of milky rich soft serve and drizzled with banana and chocolate sauces. The ice cream is finished with a sprinkle of crunchy yellow cornflakes. Another perfect choice for cooling down in the hot summer weather. There are three possible cup designs to receive.

Hot Apple Custard Pie | ¥150 (Tax Included)

The apple custard pie is served hot with a crunchy outside and filled with custard cream made with fresh apple and vanilla beans and seasoned with caramel and cinnamon. There are three possible packaging designs to receive.

McDonald’s Japan is also serving a Pikachu-style Happy Meal as part of the collaboration which come with one of six possible toys.

nel craft chocolate tokyo, a craft chocolate shop located in Nihonbashihamacho, Tokyo, released two chocolate shaved ice desserts last Wednesday for the hot summer season. The desserts are also being sold at Saryo Tsukikage, a restaurant inside the hot spring ryokan Yuen Bettei Daita in Setagaya.

Left: Cacao Kintoki | Right: White Cacao Kintoki

Cacao kintoki is a type of shaved ice made with specially-selected cacao beans from Vietnam. It uses a ‘bean to bar’ method where the shaved ice is made from scratch, roasting the beans fresh to create the dessert.

The two new treats at nel use a chocolate base and add cacao pulp to the mix, adding a natural fruity flavour derived from the bean. Each is also served with a special cacao sauce for extra flavour. The white cacao version is made by combining with in-house white chocolate. It also comes with an Okinawan passion fruit and cacao pulp sauce, resulting in a sour kick and refreshing taste.

Saryo Tsukikage

The open-air baths at Yuen Bettei Daita

A special matcha version of this shaved ice can also be enjoyed while bathing in the open-air baths at Yuen Bettei Daita. It’s made with nel’s homemade white chocolate as well as dark chocolate, cacao pulp, and specially-selected yame matcha from Shimokita Chaen Ōyama, a cafe in Setagaya.

Tower Records has announced a collaboration with the Hetalia World★Stars anime series which will take place at three TOWER RECORDS CAFÉ branches: in Shibuya and Umeda NU Chayamamachi from June 9 and Nagoya Sakae SKYLE from June 22.

The cafe collaboration will see two different menus served across two periods. See the Information section at the bottom for more details.

The cafe collaboration’s main visual

Menu ① Line-Up

Gutentag! Assorted Germany Plate / Dobrý den! Czech Style Goulash / Ahoj! Slovakian Kapustnica Set – ¥1,500 Each (Tax Included)

Buono! Panna Cotta & Tiramisu Set / Anmitsu Parfait – ¥1,300 Each (Tax Included)

Italy’s Bicerin / Germany’s Spezi / Japan’s Matcha Milk / Czech’s Berry Lemonade / Slovakia’s Honey Wine-Style Apple Juice – ¥800 Each (Tax Included)

Menu ② Line-Up

C’est bow! Big Brother’s Special Pot-au-feu / Hello! England’s Meat Pie / Здравствуйте! Our Beef Stroganoff – ¥1,500 Each (Tax Included)

Hi! Hero’s Special Muffins / Hào chī! Sesame Seed Dango & Annin Tofu – ¥1,300 (Tax Included)

America’s Cherry Cola Float / England’s Biscuit Tea / France’s Rose Ginger Ale / Russia’s Varenye Tea / China’s Floral Jasmine Tea – ¥800 Each (Tax Included)

Available in Menus ① and ②

Pochi-kun’s Latte | ¥800 (Tax Included)

Takeout Bottle Drink | ¥972 (Tax Included)

Menu Order Bonus Items

Menu ① Postcard

Menu ② Postcard

Menu ① Business Card Set (3 Included)

Menu ② Business Card Set (3 Included)

Menu ① Sticker (You must book a table in advance to receive)

Menu ② Sticker (You must book a table in advance to receive)

Exclusive Merchandise

Pins | ¥440 Each or Full Set ¥4,400 (Tax Included)

Key Rings | ¥880 Each (Tax Included)

Mini Character Acrylic Stands | ¥990 Each (Tax Included)

Folder Set (2 Included) | ¥990 (Tax Included)

Acrylic Diorama | ¥3,850 (Tax Included)

Hetalia World★Stars is a manga series by Hidekaz Himaruya that’s serialised in Jump Comics+. In promotion of the new original net anime series which began airing on April 1, Tower Records has teamed up with the popular franchise to create a themed cafe experience with food, drinks, and desserts.

Fans can also get their hands on a selection of cafe-exclusive merchandise featuring their favourite characters including Italy, Germany, America, England, France, Russia, China, Czech, and Slovakia. These items are also available at Tower Records’ online shop in Japan.

Since you have a time limit of 80 minutes to dine at the cafe, you can book a table in advance, which also earns you some freebie merch. Tickets are now available. Additionally, if there is a free table on the day, you can also go straight in. Same-day tickets are available in limited quantities.

©日丸屋秀和／集英社・ヘタリアW★S製作委員会

Six branches of PEANUTS Cafe in Japan, including PEANUTS Cafe Nakameguro, released a new collection of products and pouches on May 26.

The colourful line-up is made from TPU, a material that’s lightweight, waterproof, and has high wear resistance, making it a convenient pick when a sudden downpour of rain erupts when you’re out.

The collection features a kissing-Snoopy design along with the line “WE’D VOTE SWEETIE!”

The Line-Up

TPU Daily Shopper Bags | ¥3,740 Each (Tax Included)

These shopping bags are handy to take out when popping to the shop. They are durable, can fit inside a handbag or other bag, and can carry 5kg of items.

TPU Daily Pouches | ¥1,650 Each (Tax Included)

These zipped pouches are perfect for storing little everyday items like lipstick, earphones, and so on. Since they’re see-through, they’re great for putting cosmetics in when you’re out so you can see exactly what you want to take out. You can even use it for coins and money. Perfect for the summer leisure season too as they’re durable against rain and dirty.

Tyvek x PVC

These bags look like paper – the inside is made from Tyvek and the inside from PVC. These too are water and dirt resistant.

Hour Glasses

These hour glasses make as beautiful room decorations whether for yourself or as a gift to someone. Sit back and watch the relaxing sand and feel the tiredness of the day slip away.

Triple Pouch Set | ¥2,970 (Tax Included)

A collection of three pouches featuring Flying Ace Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang. Each one is of a different size which you can use for storing various items, like earphones, cords, and so on. You could even use them for bagging up a gift for someone. The pouches also have the PEANUTS Cafe logo on them.

©2021 Peanuts Worldwide LLC　

gelato pique café is now serving up a selection of three desserts topped with seasonal American cherries. The items are available on the menu until July 15.

American Cherry Crepe: Have In ¥980 / Takeout ¥970

American Cherry Soft Cream: Have In ¥580 / Takeout ¥570

American Cherry Soda: Have In ¥580 / Takeout ¥570 (Photo for illustrative purposes only – served in a takeout cup)

American Cherry Crepe & Soda Set: Have In ¥1,380 / Takeout ¥1,370

Plain Crepe & American Cherry Soda Set: Have In ¥980 / Takeout ¥970

The American Cherry Crepe is filled with sweet and velvety royal milk gelato and seasonal American cherries. The sweetness of the gelato, sour kick of the cherries, and rich chocolate ganache cream make for a tasty combination, complemented by the range of textures including the soft fruit and crunchy granola.

The American Cherry Soft Cream contains a cherry sauce made with fresh cherries – and the whole thing is topped off with a cute cherry.

The beautifully red American Cherry Soda is made completely out of sweet cherries. The cherry syrup adds a gorgeous gradation to the drink as well as a refreshing after taste. There are two ways to enjoy this special drink: as it is, which offers a feeling of refreshment, or mixing the milk-flavoured gelato in for sweetness and creaminess.

Japan is home to many official Moomin establishments including the Moomin Shop, Moomin Cafe, and Moomin Stand. Located up and down the country, each brand began the Snufkin Fair on Friday last week.

Moomin Cafe: Snufkin Fair Menu

Camping Feast: Hot Skillet Chicken on the Bone | ¥1,700 (Tax Included)

Camping Feast: Hot Skillet Grilled Salmon | ¥1,700 (Tax Included)

Northern Europe Blueberry Coffee Jelly | ¥550 (Tax Included)

Snufkin Hat Cream Soda | ¥1,100 (Tax Included)

Snufkin Coffee Smoothie | Regular ¥580 – Large ¥700 – 2 Hattifattener Cookies +¥70 (Tax Included)

Snufkin Fair: New Merchandise

Kalita Coffee Mill | ¥9,020 (Tax Included) – Kalita Hasami Ware Dripper | ¥3,850 (Tax Included)

Kalita Vintage Snufkin & Moomin Mugs | ¥1,540 Each (Tax Included)

Kalita Measuring Spoon | ¥1,650 (Tax Included)

Kalita Stock Bag | ¥3,300 (Tax Included)

Wall Mug (Mustard Moomin – Red Little My – Olive Snufkin) | ¥2,200 Each (Tax Included)

Robert Bowling Coffee (Coffee Beans – Coffee Powder) | ¥2,036 Each (Tax Included)

Harmonica Charm (Ivory – Red – Black) | ¥2,310 Each (Tax Included)

Embroidered Handkerchiefs (Snufkin – Hattifatteners – Moomin) | ¥1,100 Each (Tax Included) *Moomin Shop exclusive

Outdoor Snufkin Hat | ¥3,520 (Tax Included) *Moomin Shop exclusive

Polo Shirts (Navy Moomin & Shadow – Black Moominpappa) | Sizes: S, M, L, XL | ¥4,290 Each (Tax Included) *Moomin Shop exclusive

Bonus Items | Left: Moomin Shop, Right: Moomin Cafe (Limited Stock)

The Snufkin Fair is centred on Snufkin, a character who appears in the Moomin series. He’s a wanderer, explorer, and philosopher. The fair is being held at six Moomin Shop branches, three Moomin Cafe branches, 11 Moomin Stand branches, and the Moomin Japan online shop.

At the Moomin Cafe, fans can tuck into one of two camping-style skillet dishes along with some coffee desserts and more. Over at the Moomin Shop, there’s plenty of items to get your hands on including apparel such as polo shirts and hats. There’s even a cafe mill, dripper, vintage mugs, measuring spoons, and more all made in collaboration with Katila which are all available both at Moomin Cafe and Moomin Shop. Roll up to the Moomin Stand for Snufkin and Hattifattener inspired drinks. Have your coffee smoothie topped with some Hattifattener cookies. And if you spend over ¥4,400 on select Snufkin Fair items, you’ll get a free bonus item: a coffee bag-style jute pouch. There are two designs available depending where you spend – at Moomin Shop and Moomin Cafe.

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy some Moomin goodies at the Snufkin Fair this spring.

The Pokémon Tokyo Banana confection series launched its first two products that it ever released at Yume Town, Yume City, LEC, and Yume Mart branches in the South-west most part of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu on May 14.

Pikachu Tokyo Banana (Banana Flavour) | Includes 2 | ¥292 (Tax Included)

Eevee Tokyo Banana (Caramel) | Includes 2 | ¥292 (Tax Included)

Heart-shaped tail ends

Six different packaging designs each for Pikachu and Eevee

Tokyo Banana are popular cream-filled cakes and are the official souvenir sweet of Tokyo. The Pokémon series turns these fluffy treats into cute confections for you to enjoy with your favourite Pokémon during snack time.

Pikachu was the first to enter the Pokémon Tokyo Banana series who was turned into a banana custard cream-filled sponge cake. The second was Eevee with the fluffy sponge a delicious caramel macchiato flavour and filled with sweet banana custard cream

The confections are both branded with adorable heart-shaped tails, and each comes with one of six possible packaging designs.

©2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
ポケットモンスター・ポケモン・Pokémonは任天堂・クリーチャーズ・ゲームフリークの登録商標です。

AMAZAKE STAND opened its first branch in Kamakura a year and a half ago as the first store in Japan serving homemade rice-malt amazake sweet sake. The cafe has announced that its second branch will open in Sendai on June 10, 2021. It hopes to promote the delicious taste of amazake to more people and pass it down to the next generation.

Homemade Amazake – Plain (Small Size) | ¥390 (Tax Included)

Strawberry Chocolate Amazake – Blueberry Cheesecake Amazake – Apple Pie Amazake | From ¥600 Each (Tax Included)

Amazake is a great alternative for those who can’t handle the taste of ordinary strong sake. The cafe makes it with koji and rice from Tohoku and offers it in a range of different flavours. All beverages are made without granulated sugar and include a range of ingredients that have beautifying effects on the skin and help with recovering from fatigue such as grape powder, amino acids, and Vitamin B.

Mirume Shinryoku Sabo is a new cafe and tea-lover paradise that opened in Nagoya on May 10, 2021, serving high quality bottled Japanese tea, desserts, and other delicious delights.

Daifuku : Eat-In ¥250 (Tax Included)

Ise Tea Sweet Bean Jelly: Eat-In ¥250 / Store ¥500 (Tax Included)

Ise Tea Cheesecake: Eat-In ¥350 / Store ¥3,300 (Tax Included)

Mirume Shinryoku Sabo is the newest cafe to be opened by Shinryoku Sabo, an award-winning tea company in Mie Prefecture. The cafe’s tea experience includes using a kyuusu, which is a type of small teapot, to brew Isecha green tea. Customers can learn the best way to prepare tea from an in-house instructor of Japanese tea, who will also provide backstory on the tea leaves used. Their deliciously brewed cup can be paired with a variety of desserts like daifuku, maju, cheesecake, and more.

The cafe also sells the “Morning Bottle,” its signature bottled cold-brew tea which is prepared on the day in the early morning. Bottles can be returned to the cafe to be reused, allowing for no waste. Since the tea is cold-brewed, it also contains little caffeine.

Tram No. 204, a tram that used to run in the city of Omuta, Fukuoka, has been placed in front of the west entrance of Omuta Station as a symbol and turned into ‘hara harmony coffee,’ a new cafe.

The cafe opened on March 28, 2021.

A little look at the menu

Coffee (Hot/Iced)

Fruit Sandwiches (Kiwi/Pineapple/Strawberry/Strawberry & Anko)

hara harmony coffee serves coffee, fruit sandwiches, and other items from Coffee Salon Hara, a now-closed cafe that was loved by the people of Omuta for many years. They will also introduce alcohol to the menu as well as a night-time service in the near future. The cafe even sells souvenirs.

Roll up to the retro tram for a nostalgia trip and cup of coffee.

Japanese company Banc, which specialises in setting up hotels and other sites, held the grand opening of the new Architecture Cafe Sumika, a new museum/cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, on April 28.

A peek inside

A recreation of Fallingwater, a house designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright 

Painting by chalk artist Misuzu Wakai

Architectural designs recreated at the new museum cafe

Villa Savoye (Le Corbusier)
Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd Wright)
Casa Ligornetto (Mario Botta)
Sky House (Kiyonori Kikutake)
Maison a Bordeaux (Rem Koolhaas)
Malin Residence “chemosphere” (John Lautner)
Eames House (Charles and Ray Eames)
Silver Hat (Toyo Ito)
Fisher House (Louis Kahn)
Mailam House (Paul Rudolph)
The Glass House (Lina Bo Bardi)
Steel House (Kengo Kuma)

A little look at the menu

<Miho Chef Chocolatier> Premium Gateau Chocolate: ¥1,200 / Raw Marble Chocolate: ¥1,000 / Raw Dami Chocolate ¥450

<Ten no Ya> Egg Sandwich: ¥750

Architecture Cafe Sumika aim sto be a cosy space for architecture lovers who can enjoy thinking about their ideal home, talking about their favourite architect, and thinking about how architecture changes with the times. The cafe has recreated 12 architectural marvels from 12 different renowned architects, each at which sits at a different table.

The cafe, which is located in Shinjuku Sanchome, employs a spacious cafe area with high ceilings that can be enjoyed by both lovers of architects and cafe enthusiasts where they can relax with a cup of tea, coffee, a soft drink, or even alcohol, the latter of which is served at bar hours from 18:00, completely changing the atmosphere into a night museum. There’s also a tasty food menu to tuck into.

If you’re looking to speak to someone about architecture and real estate, Architecture Cafe Sumika also houses its own resident experts. Customers can also enjoy a range of other works by architects and interior designers.

In celebration of the cafe’s opening, a competition is being held to create a jungle gym for children where entrees can win cash prizes, the top being ¥300,000. More details below.