Starbucks Coffee Japan opened a new branch at CIRCLES Ginza on July 30, 2020 that will serve as a dream location for business people.

The dream coffee shop, split into two floors, offers a unique environment and service created in collaboration with Think Lab. Rather than your regular, more public Starbucks, this branch also lets customers reserve booths and meeting spaces. This includes the SMART LOUNGE™ aimed at business users, as well as solo working spaces by Think Lab.

Starbucks Coffee CIRCLES Ginza caters to both solo workers and co-workers, giving them a space to think and concentrate alone, or come together in groups to exchange ideas. Booths offer a place to host online meetings, the SMART LOUNGE lets groups arrange chairs and tables however they like, and the Think Lab—which you pay an extra fee to use—is the perfect spot for some quiet contemplation.

1st Floor: Quick TOGO experience

The first floor is for people who aren’t looking to stay at the cafe long. They are looking for a quicker experience where they can order their Starbucks drink and food and head on out. The cafe offers cashless payments, which is notable as Japan is still very much a cash-based country, as well as the Starbucks mobile order and pay service where you pick what you want on your phone and then go and pick it up.

2nd Floor: A place where you can focus

Reserve a booth for video calls and more

There are four individual half-booths which can be reserved, each of which have a screen for video calls and online meetings. These can be used for 40 minutes and can be booked in advance. The booking system was co-developed by Starbucks and Vacan.

Tables for in-person group meetings

The window tables offer a place for meetings, discussions, and business negotiations for 2-12 people. It’s a relaxing area where workers and clients can chat freely.

解放される“ひとり”のためのパーソナル空間

For those who want to work along, Starbucks has created a spacious area with individual booths where you don’t have to meet eyes or be bothered by other people.

If you’re working in Tokyo, and need a business-oriented location where you can enjoy a coffee, then look no further than Starbucks Coffee CIRCLES Ginza.

RIVERSIDE CLUB officially opened on the first floor of “THE WORKS” along Meguro River in Tokyo on July 17, 2020. An all-day lounge which can be enjoyed from breakfast to dinner, its concept is a fusion of food, art, and music cultures which it calls “GOOD CULTURE SALON.”

RIVERSIDE CLUB boasts an incredible menu forged by chefs at the forefront of Tokyo’s food culture. Meals can be enjoyed while gazing at the various artwork on display, and customers can look forward to seeing collaborations with numerous apparel brands. It’s a unique space designed by adults for adults, the likes of which has never been seen before.

Comfort food is at the heart of RIVERSIDE CLUB’s menu design which they have cooked up using their own unique vision.

For breakfast, customers can enjoy a healthy smoothie made from a blend of kale, pineapple, kiwi and avocado. If they’re looking for something more classic, they can order the avocado toast served with bacon and eggs, or cold-pressed juice by SUNSHINE JUICE which hails as Japan’s first shop specialising in cold-pressed juice. The thought behind the morning menu is making sure to get both a tasty and nutritional meal down customers even if they’re in a rush.

If customers are looking for something a bit more hearty in the morning then they can check out the all-day menu where they’ll find the lounge’s fat and juicy 100% beef “RIVERSIDE BURGER.” There’s also the “Lemon Rice” provided by LEMON RICE TOKYO, a popular Shibuya-based restaurant owned by Yuhi Komiyama, the vocalist of Hoff Dylan and known as the gourmet chef of the music industry. Everything on the menu is made with Tokyo’s food culture in mind, and if you’re looking for something very Tokyo-esque, then there’s the “Hamburger Naporitan,” a bed of spaghetti topped with a hamburger.

Popular foods from NAKAMURA GENERAL STORE will also be served, such as scones, carrot cake, apple crumble, lemon pie, and more. NAKAMURA GENERAL STORE is a popular Hawaiian bakery which was originally in charge of pastries served at Diamond Head Market & Grill, which is famous for its Hawaiian lunches and scones, but subsequently opened its own store in Kyoto and became so popular that it often sells out its stock by evening time. Coffee made using specially selected coffee beans provided by Minami-Aoyama-based coffee rosters will also be served and goes perfectly with NAKAMURA GENERAL STORE’s food. Customers will be able to order their own coffees or buy their own bag of beans to take home.

RIVERSIDE CLUB has collaborated with numerous artists for graphics on show there. Their logo was created by “& Supply,” a Tokyo-based creative studio. Various artwork will be displayed, including a photograph of Lady Gaga taken by Nobuyoshi Araki for a bondage-themed photoshoot in Vogue Hommes Japan. Pieces by LEEGET, who creates graphics and illustrations, will also be displayed. RIVERSIDE CLUB will continue to serve its “GOOD CULTURE SALON” theme by promoting more artwork in the future.

RIVERSIDE CLUB also allows pets, so customers can enjoy a quiet time with their furry comrades. Pets will get their own pet-friendly menu, toys, and more in the future.

Sebastian Masuda, the leader of Japan’s culture of kawaii, released his first art book Masuda Sebastian Artworks PAINT IT, COLORFUL on July 31, 2020.

The scope of Sebastian Masuda’s influence is unrivalled. His touch can be seen all across Japanese kawaii culture, ranging from his work on Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s viral hit music video PONPONPON which skyrocketed her career, to Harajuku’s famous concept restaurant KAWAII MONSTER CAFE, the Miracle Gift Parade at Sanrio Puroland, as well as countless work on TV, commercials, advertisements, characters, stage, concerts, and more.

Printed in full colour, the art book covers Masuda’s art direction from 2010 to 2019 in the form of photos of his actual works, design sketches, and plenty of other content for fans to soak up.

It also includes photos of an installation that has been visited by over 20,000 people which was created during Masuda’s time overseas in places like New York and Amsterdam, as well as his art exhibit currently on display at World Disney World Florida.

Sebastian Masuda’s career as an artist spans over 30 years. Get your hands on a copy of his first art book to see his success over the past decade.

Eight shops inside Laforet Harajuku are participating in the shopping mall’s midsummer takeout dessert event which is taking place from August 1 to 31. This includes the new milk dessert shop “MILK MILK MILK” which opened as the first branch in Japan on July 17 this year. Desserts and merchandise of Sanrio’s popular character Cinnamoroll, who won this year’s 2020 Sanrio Character Ranking, will also be sold.

café de paris | Floor B1F

Many Many Fruits Sandwich: Mango ¥626 / Green Grape ¥561 (Tax Included)　*Takeout only

Fresh fruit is packed onto these adorable looking sweet sandwiches.

CAFE CREPE | Floor 1F

Honey Summer Orange: ¥730 (Tax Included)　*Takeout only

Another cute summer dessert finished with swirls of fresh cream, fresh orange, and a round dollop of ginger ice cream.

MILK MILK MILK! | Floor 2F

Milk Bottle Smoothie: ¥880 (Tax Included)　*Takeout and have-in

Served in a cute milk bottle, what better way to cool down than with a cool strawberry smoothie?

Cinnamoroll Milk Pudding: ¥1,078 (Tax Included)　*Takeout and have-in

Cinnamoroll Sky Beaker Parfait: ¥1,048 (Tax Included)　*Have-in only

There are two tasty Cinnamoroll desserts to choose from, including the milk pudding made with Hokkaido milk and a parfait with a gradient or jelly and chocolate mint ice cream, topped with mint, and served in a beaker.

© 2001,2020 SANRIO.,CO.LTD. APPROVAL NO.S610695

The Pokémon Cafe in Ikebukuro, Tokyo is introducing some refreshing Pikachu sweet treats  to its menu this summer, beginning on August 1.

Pikachu Pineapple Ice Bar | ¥650 (Before Tax)

First up on the is the tropical pineapple flavoured ice bar which comes with four different variations of Pikachu’s adorable face. There’s also two different packaging designs which come in blue or pink.

Pikachu Tail Chocolate Banana Frappe | ¥700 (Before Tax)

Drink Sleeve | ¥550 (Before Tax)

For drinks, the Pokémon Cafe is serving up a chocolate banana frappe topped with Pikachu’s tail made from chocolate. The drink comes with a free sleeve of Pikachu’s chubby face.

© 2020 Pokémon.©1995-2020 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.

Starbucks Japan is opening a new branch in MIYASHITA PARK on August 4, 2020. Set to be Starbucks Japan’s fifth “park” branch—opening inside a park—the new coffee shop is being produced by Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment brand.

MIYASHITA PARK is a shopping complex filled with shops stocking high quality products, and stands as a new landmark of Shibuya. On the rooftop is the newly-arranged park area which has its own skate park, bouldering wall, and more. It’s home to all-new facilities, and there’s also the actual park where events can take place.

Starbucks Coffee Miyashita Park offers a new style of Starbucks conceived from the mind of Hiroshi Fujiwara. Glass doors are fitted on both the front and back sides of the cafe, allowing for a full-open design. The flooring is coloured green, making it feel as if it has become one with the green outdoors of the park, and the same mesh used inside Miyashita Park is used for the ceiling.

The cafe’s design was conceived to be a unique standout in the park, specifically with the image in mind of countries outside Japan where you walk along a lone road and eventually come to a gas station.

Starbucks Coffee Miyashita Park will also sell a range of merchandise at the back of the shop, as well as Starbucks coffee beans. There’s also a glass table in the middle of the cafe which slots in nicely with the overall aesthetic. The fun design together with the expanse of the park outside adds for an enjoyable combination that makes it a pleasant stay as you sip your beverage.

The regular line-up of merchandise sold at the Miyashita Park branch, such as the tumblers, are all produced by Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment brand. Items are branded with the word “MYST” which lets you know it’s from this particular branch, as well as Fragment’s logo.

Discover a new Starbucks experience at Miyashita Park.

The Tokyo and Osaka branches of Pokémon Café have revealed a new limited-time menu they are introducing which is inspired by the free-to-play puzzle video game Pokémon Café. It will be served from August 8 to November 23.

Vulpix’s Burnt Caramel Sundae: ¥1,298 (Tax Included)

This gateau chocolate, vanilla ice cream, and fruit-filled sundae is drizzled in burnt caramel that has been scorched by Vulpix’s Ember.

Gossifleur’s Salad Plate: ¥1,848 (Tax Included)

Salad, soup, and plenty of veg fill this healthy late.

Sneasel’s Pickle Burger: ¥1,848 (Tax Included)

The combination of the tartar sauce, teriyaki chicken, and cheddar cheese is pure perfection. Served with pickles and a side of salad, this makes for a healthy and filling meal.

Additionally, if customers own the Pokémon Café Mix and show their in-game meal list on their console screen to the staff, they can receive the following special menu items.

Buneary’s Nutty Frappe: ¥1,188 (Tax Included)

Exclusive to those who have cleared up to Order 21.

Yamper’s Hide & Seek Bolognese: ¥1,848 (Tax Included)

Exclusive to those who have cleared up to Order 31.

The more orders you clear in-game, the more special and exclusive menu items you can receive.

ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM is set to open in Nihonbashi, Tokyo on August 28, 2020. Produced by Hidetomo Kimura, the museum will be Art Aquarium’s first permanent museum which will fuse music and lighting to create a breathtaking aquarium experience

Area Concepts

ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM will offer Art Aquarium’s biggest museum space to date, with each area having its own unique theme.

Prologue

Dive into the extraordinary world of water. This area will showcase popular artworks of past events held by Art Aquarium, with artwork altered on an irregular basis from the company’s collection.

Transitoriness

This area symbolises the modern Edo Hanamachi district, which represents the basic concept of the Art Aquarium. Feel the beautifully transient stories and gorgeous glittering world through the life of oiran.

Mystery

Visitors are invited to an extraordinary world and surreal space, one with different dimensions beyond human wisdom. Is it on the ground? Underwater? In the universe? Stepping into this mysterious and overwhelming space where different worlds coexist at the same time will bring you incredibly unforgettable experiences.

Traditional Art

Here, you can feel the Japanese aesthetics while gazing at Oimatsu, the cultural property drawn by the Kano school during the Edo period. Traditional art performances will often take place here too.

Joy

The sense of taste is most familiar to human beings among five basic human senses. Enjoy the Art Aquarium and feel the Japanese nostalgic atmosphere along with the original cuisines of the Cafe Lounge.

Gift

Souvenirs are essential for remembering the places where you have visited.  Visit the gift shop and take away a piece of the dreamlike Art Aquarium world away with you.

KAWAII MONSTER CAFE HARAJUKU is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year with a special limited-time summer lunch menu which is now being served until September 30.

KAWAII MONSTER CAFE opened its crazy doors on August 1, 2015. Since then, it has become an iconic must-visit spot of Tokyo’s youth fashion hub Harajuku, serving Harajuku-esque food, drinks, and desserts. And they haven’t held back on their colourful anniversary lunch either.

*Menu names have been translated from Japanese. The main dishes listed are an excerpt from the full menu.

MAIN DISHES

KAWAII Cold Noodles ~5 Years Begun~ | ¥980

This gorgeously colourful KAWAII MONSTER CAFE-style serving of cold noodles looks just like a parfait. The rainbow of ingredients is made to look like the goldfish scooping game seen at Japanese festivals.

Colourful Pop Burger – Froggy Looking Back Over 5 Years | ¥1,480

This frog burger has been seen at the cafe before, but this one celebrates 5 years of KAWAII MONSTER CAFE. It’s a filling combination of bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and of course the patty, all topped with BBQ sauce. It’s served with both shoestring potato chips and lattice-cut potato chips.

SWEETS

Choppy Macaron Ice Cream | ¥950

The popular “tunkaron” macarons make their way to the KAWAII MONSTER CAFE in this ice cream dessert which is a combination of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream made to look like the cafe’s mascot Choppy. He’s surrounded by a bed of sweet cotton candy.

Colourful Rainbow Ice Cream Cake (Quarter) | ¥800

KAWAII MONSTER CAFE’s popular “Poison Cake” dessert arrives in an ice cream version for thr 5th anniversary. The marshmallow ice cream is filled with chocolate chips and the whole thing is coated in cream cheese. It’s topped off with a rainbow made entirely from chocolate.

Melty Ice Cream Chocolate Banana Pie: ¥1,300

A custard pie topped with an upside down ice cream and adorned with a kaleidoscope of fresh cream, chocolate, sweets, and more. As you eat through the dessert, you’ll find a chocolate coated banana – a classic sweet treat sold at Japanese summer festivals.

DRINK

Shake Hip Shake Chocolate Banana / Harajuku Decora Smoothie / Frozen Lemonade Ginger

Shake Hip Shake Chocolate Banana | ¥900

A shake that mixes cocoa and banana to create that Japanese summertime chocolate banana flavour.

Harajuku Decora Smoothie | ¥900

This peach smoothie is subtly sweet and has a satisfying texture that feels good when it goes down the throat. It’s topped with fresh peach and nata de coco.

Frozen Lemonade Ginger | ¥850

A combination of sour lemon and fragrant ginger makes this a healthy beverage. Topped with lemon and ginger sherbet, it’s a frozen, non-alcoholic cocktail.

Briana Gigante Shake: ¥950

This shake is a collaboration with Briana Gigante, a YouTuber. It’s also inspired by her, mixing together coffee jelly, berry sauce, and brown cane sugar. It’s finished with a topping of fresh strawberry, Oreo, and chocolate lips.

KIDS MENU

Kids Pop Mini Sliders w/Drink: ¥780

A colourful slider dish that’s sure to be adored by kids. It comes with both a mini cheeseburger and fried shrimp burger with a side of nuggets and fries.

Kids Kiss Parfait: ¥850

The cafe’s “Poison Parfait” has been turned into a kids version, layered with strawberry sauce, milk sauce, Japanese pudding, vanilla and strawberry ice cream, gummies, marshmallows, fresh berries, and chocolate lips.

In this edition of The Café That You Want to Visit to See Someone, I visited Sepia in Shibamata, a Showa-retro style cafe which I’ve always wanted to visit.

The cafe is just a 2-minute stroll from Shibamata Station which appears in the Japanese film Otoko wa Tsurai yo. The walk along the road that leads to Sepia, which is nearby the Buddhist temple Shibamata Taishakuten, is a pleasant one. Tokyo is a city consistently perceived as one that is cutting-edge in every aspect, but what I felt from each and every building surrounding Shibamata Station was a kind of warmth that you feel when something has history to it.

It’s been seven years since I came to Tokyo. Visiting Shibamata made me me realised how many places there are which I still don’t know about. It invigorated me. As my mind wandered with these pondering thoughts, I finally spotted the sign outside the cafe, and it sure is a cute one!

The moment I stepped inside, I stood, my mouth agape, and looked at my surroundings. It’s the first time I’ve entered such a bright, shining cafe. It was littered with characters I’ve never seen before, manga, magazines, and more.

When you hear the word kira kira (“glitter,” “sparkle”), the first thing that comes to mind for a lot of people is probably Harajuku and the Harajuku style, but Sepia’s version of kira kira is a nostalgic one betwixt 1965 and 1975 during the Showa Period. The cafe is incredibly delicate in every spot and corner, like I’m looking inside some grand treasure chest.

The owner of Sepia is Kiyoko Hasezawa. The cafe gets its name from the manga Milky Sepia Monogatari by Ako Mutsu. Ms. Hasezawa said that she wanted to bring to life the world of the manga she loved. The cafe is full of her dreams and is enjoyed by everyone, both children and adults alike.

The cafe menu is even inspired by the food that appears in the Milky Sepia Monogatari manga. The hard pudding I had, which combined caramel sauce and cream, was an absolute delight.

Homemade Showa Pudding & Cream Soda Set: ¥1,200

If we’re talking cafes, then you can’t go wrong with cream soda. The cream soda served at Sepia comes in seven different flavours and colours: melon, Blue Hawaii, strawberry, lemon, peach, grape, and orange. I was spoilt for choice on which to go for, but in the end I went with the pink-coloured strawberry. It had a sweet flavour and was really delicious.

Strawberry Cream Soda: ¥750

I devoured the hotcakes too. The pastry was so fluffy and tasty – I could have eaten a hundred of them. The second one I ate with honey.

Hotcakes: ¥600

At the back of the cafe, they also have the “Candy Candy Museum.” There’s a personal collection of items from Candy H Milky, a female fashion enthusiastic who used to be a customer at Sepia. There’s a photo spot for snapping a photo in the cafe too.

It’s a great time getting to go and look at the displays after eating. I recommend going to see the collection yourself with your own eyes. Entry to the museum is ¥300.

There’s a tearoom up on the second floor which has a nostalgic vibe to it. I felt warm and relaxed, like I’d been transported to my grandma’s house.

Humans can’t travel back in time, but if we look after mementos properly, we can go back there in our minds and memories. Sepia, a place that continues to be cherished and loved, is everybody’s treasure trove.

My oh my, I really want to go back there again.

Writer/Model：Ema Tanioku
Photographer：Haruka Yamamoto
Design：Yuko Takayama（ASOBISYSTEM）

Tower Records is collaborating with Rilakkuma for “Rilakkuma x TOWER RECORDS Campaign 2020” which will run at Tower Records, TOWERmini, and Tower Records Online in Japan from August 1 to 30.f

For the campaign, Tower Records selling a range of merchandise with exclusive designs illustrated for the event, and there’ll even be Rilakkuma themed cafes. Tower Records began collaborating with Rilakkuma on merchandise in 2009 and has done so every year since. This year sees the arrival of Chairoikoguma for the first time too.

Yhose who use the Tower Records app to show their coupons in-store, they will receive the above-pictured selection of must-have exclusive goodies including a mirror, postcard, bag, and bookmark. These are available on a first-time, first-served basis. Additionally, Rilakkuma themed cafes will be held at TOWER CARDS CAFE branches in Omotesando, Nagoya SKYLE, and Sapporo PIVOT which will have entirely original menus and bonus items for dining there.

Collaboration Merchandise

The merchandise collection will drop on August 1 and will include a range of Tower Records exclusives. Pre-sales opened on July 15. You can see the full list here.

Available at all Tower Records branches and Tower Records Online

Exclusive to Tower Records Shibuya, Tower Records Sapporo PIVOT, TOWER RECORDS CAFE Omotesando, TOWER RECORDS CAFE Nagoya SKYLE, Tower Records Online

Exclusive to Tower Records Online

Rilakkuma and the Honey Forest’s Concert Cafe

The entire cafe menu line-up is so cute you’re completely spoilt for choice.

Rilakkuma and the Honey Forest’s Concert Dessert Plate: ¥2,500

“Honey Forest Concert” is the theme of the cafe, and this image is captured in the adorable dessert plate which is topped with various desserts and fruits. Everyone who orders one of these also receives a free sticker.

Rilakkuma’s Meatball Stew: ¥1,580

This hot meatball stew is served in a cute bread cup with Rilakkuma poking his head out from inside.

Kiiroitori’s Omurice: ¥1,580

Kiiroitori’s face is made from omelette and rice. Served with a side of healthy veg.

Rilakkuma’s Honey Lemon Drink: ¥850

A sweet and sour mix of honey and lemon.

Korilakkuma’s Strawberry Calpis: ¥850

Strawberries are Korilakkuma’s favourite, and that’s the flavour of this refreshingly sweet Calpis drink, topped with Korilakkuma vanilla ice cream.

There are lots of other dishes to look forward to in addition to the ones above, making this cafe one to go back to many times. And you can special free merchandise when visiting and dining there too.

Collaboration Cafe – Participating Stores

Omotesando/Nagoya SKYLE: August 1, 2020 – August 30, 2020

Sapporo PIVOT: August 1, 2020 – August 17, 2020
Official Website: https://tower.jp/rilakkumacafe

©2020 San-X Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

The first Tokyo branch of the chocolate dessert shop SÔ CÔ La opened in Harajuku on July 15, 2020. Together with Harajuku Milk & Mot Tram—a shop which opened in collaboration with bubble tea shop Mot Tram and fresh cream shop Milk—SÔ CÔ La serves to further cement Harajuku as the number one place to go for desserts.

SÔ CÔ La Soft Serve Ice Cream: ¥550

SÔ CÔ La Soft Serve Ice Cream Sundae: ¥550

SÔ CÔ La will serve a range of desserts using ruby chocolate—the officially-recognised fourth type of chocolate alongside milk, dark, and white—the cocoa beans of which have a natural pink colour. It has a sweet, sour, and fruity taste. Customers can look forward to trying a range of rich desserts made with this rare type of chocolate and blended with dark chocolate.

The crunchiness of the shop’s handmade “Aragosta Cones” goes perfectly with the rich chocolate blend ice cream.