Hello, everyone! MMN editor Midori here.   The battleground for bubble tea victory in Harajuku continues as new shops open one after the other. I paid a visit to the latest bubble tea shop to open in Harajuku. It's called CHA NUNG and is based in Taiwan with branches in America, Singapore and elsewhere too.   Located in the Omotesando part of Harajuku, this is the first CHA NUNG to open in Japan! This is how the outside looks. The neon signs are super cute!   The inside walls and columns have tiles on them which gives the shop a refreshing atmosphere. Having such a simple design means guys and adults can enter without embarrassment too since a lot of bubble tea shops in Harajuku have designs catered toward young girls. The decor and designs may be simple but there are plenty of Instagrammable opportunities! The handy menu shows you the steps on how to order your drink. You can choose the sweetness of your drink, how much ice you want in there, and more. You can even have no sweetness in there at all, meaning they cater to everyone from those who don't think sweet things to the biggest sweet-tooths out there! The menu is pretty big! Not only do they serve the standard milk tea but fruit teas too, something which I saw a lot of people ordering.   I went for the classic Taiwan Tapioca Black Milk Tea! The first thing that struck me when I held my beverage in my hand was the amount of tapioca pearls inside! You could say they filled up about 1/3 of the cup.   At other shops you can pay extra to have more tapioca pearls in your drink, but this is more cost efficient as you get pretty much the same amount as that here anyway. Let's taste! It has a strong milky flavour but the taste of the tea really comes through. The tapioca pearls are about the same size as usual but are a soft "chewy" type. The ice is quite thin so by the time you've finished all the ice has already melted away. In any case, you get a lot of tapioca pearls so it's a very satisfying drink.   If you're feeling peckish or just love bubble tea then I recommend paying a visit to CHA NUNG!

Hello, everybody! It's Midori from MMN's editorial team.   Harajuku is a bubble tea battleground! A new bubble tea shop opens every month, and all of them enjoy huge lines of customers. I've tried most of the bubble tea in Harajuku, and so I've compiled the perfect list for those of you who don't want to take a gamble and choose the wrong place, or those of you not planning to do a bubble tea crawl to taste test.   Gong cha - The standard bubble tea shop Gong cha has multiple stores here and there, but the one in Harajuku is extremely busy on weekends, so much so that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's the one people line up for the most.   In spite of the many subtle customisations you can have with your drink, whether it's the ice and sweetness levels  or the toppings, the staff here are extremely skilled in what they do. This might explain the long lines of people.   You can't go wrong with this place, so I recommend it to newcomers of bubble tea.     THE ALLEY - Where they have chic cups! Chic cup server THE ALLEY is close to Gong cha. Its location can be difficult for people to explain, and yet this place too is bustling on weekends!   In addition to the standard bubble tea options, this shop also sells unique drinks, like its "Bonsai Tapioca." Personally, I prefer ordering this drink "mild hot" rather than the normal cool or hot. I've burnt myself drinking hot tapioca through a straw before, so mild hot is great for me. The tapioca balls are relatively small so I think those people who've never had tapioca before will find it delicious. I recommend it on a chilly day!   Review: Trying the New Cheese Tea at The Alley in Omotesando     KOI Thé - For those of you who want to try something a little different KOI Thé serves golden tapioca balls instead of black!   The shop has a simple interior design and enjoys more male and adult and adult customers compared to other places. When compared to Gong cha and THE ALLEY it may seem as if not many people line up for this one, but their flavours are great, and the small golden tapioca balls can be sipped smoothly.   I recommend going to KOI Thé if you're a little embarrassed about going into an overly 'kawaii' looking shop or if you don't want to line up for long.   Visiting Harajuku’s Newest Tapioca Drink Store KOI Thé     NONARA PEARL - Their pink kitty is so cute! NONARA PEARL is located on the second floor of Laforet Harajuku. As of now this is the only branch, so if you're looking to try Harajuku-exclusive bubble tea then look no further. Since it's located indoors, you don't have to worry about the heat, cold or rain when lining up. It's nice to have a leisurely chat with friends when lining up. The shop also has this big piece of wall art which is perfect for an Instagram steal. In any case, I recommend visiting if you want to drink some Harajuku-style cute bubble tea.     FORTUNER tea box - A little-known good place where you can drink cheese tea! FORTUNER tea box sells cheese tea topped with cheese foam that's like a bubbly cheese cake. Though their beverages are rich and delicious the shop is a little far from the station. But that means you don't have to line up to get your drink.   Their bubble tea is addictive, so I recommend it to anyone who has already tried regular bubble tea and those who don't want to stand in line.   Drink Tea in Style With FORTUNER tea-box’s Cheese Tea Tapioca in Harajuku   The building it's in also has a shop that sells really cute bottled drinks. Check it out via the link below.   Anyone Can Become an Instagrammer With Drinks Sold at Harajuku’s Popular ‘cafe no.’     Si an ju - Seahorse tapioca! Si an ju opened just recently, you'll know it by their seahorse logo!   Their brown sugar tapioca has a coral-like design as pictured above. The tapioca here is chewy and very filling. It's also conveniently close to Harajuku Station.   Their large-grained tapioca are freshly-made and you don't have to line up as much as Gong cha or THE ALLEY. I recommend this shop to those who want to try out the newest tapioca in Harajuku.   Food Review: Seahorse Bubble Tea at Sin an ju in Front of Harajuku Station     Chakasho - Famous flavours on Takeshita Street The last entry to this list is Chakasho which also just opened recently!   It being along Takeshita Street means you can also get some shopping in too. Their drinks may be less "Instagrammable" than other shops, but their tapioca are chewy and large-grained, and the drinks are rich but easy to drink, delicious, and very satisfying.   If you've made the effort to go to Harajuku and want some extraordinarily tasty tapioca then I recommend Chakasho. They have lots of staff working there so the lines move quickly.   Harajuku’s New Bubble Tea Shop Chakasho―Review     Many shops are crowded on the weekends, some where you can be waiting over half an hour! But all of the drinks sold at these shops are tasty so you'll soon come to realise why the lines are so long. Since you've made the effort to visit Harajuku, why not try lining up at one of them?   The shops are very busy at noon on weekends so I recommend heading to a shop around opening time to avoid that.   I hope this article is helpful to both those making their bubble tea debut as well as local bubble tea masters!

BOBA365, a bubble tea shop which just opened in Asakusa in November last year, has announced it is releasing a new drink and dessert on March 1, 2019.

Yaki Brûlée Matcha Latte - Regular Size ¥700 (Tax Included)

The new Yaki Brûlée Matcha Latte is an upgrade of BOBA365's most popular beverage, the Tapioca Matcha Latte Kiwami. It's a combination of bitter matcha from Shizuoka Prefecture and milk. It has just the right amount of sweetness to create an even deeper flavour than the store's original matcha latte. Matcha is said to be good for health and beauty, and so to make it even more delicious, BOBA365 has burnt the top of the drink like a crème brûlée. There are five layers of flavour to indulge in with just one sip.

Thick Dorayaki Matcha Kiwami: ¥480 (Tax Included)

The original Tapioca Matcha Latte Kiwami has also be turned into a delicious dorayaki dessert packed with a generous serving of cream laced with matcha from Shizuoka Prefecture.   BOBA365 has announced it will release more new items in the near future, but for now enjoy the Yaki Brûlée Matcha Latte and Thick Dorayaki Matcha Kiwami.

To celebrate their 15th anniversary, Japanese bubble tea shop Pearl Lady is now collaborating with six characters Sanrio characters including Hello Kitty and Pompompurin.

   

Participating Stores (Above Drinks): Shinjuku Higashi-guchi / Ikebukuro / Harajuku / Shibuya / Machiya / Machida / Omiya / Nagoya Natsuta / Kokura / Nago / Haebar

Pearl Lady is credited as the creator of 'dessert bubble tea' drinks. Their menu has many options from classic milk tea to whipped cream tea, ice cream tea and more.   For this collaboration customers can enjoy drinks inspired by Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Pochacco.  

Participating Stores (Above Drinks): SHINJUKU TOHO BLDG / Shinjuku PePe / Akabane / Kamata / Kasai / Shimokitazawa / Kichijoji / Musashi Murayama / Kawagoe / Yokohama Vivre / Kamiooka / Chiba / Funabashi / Nikke Colton Plaza / Shizuoka / Osaka Tsurumi / Kashihara / Kobe South

  Sweets Pearl Lady is a sister brand of the shop and offers a rich menu with amazing ingredients. They also have a huge variety of tapioca options in four varieties of their milk teas. They will collaborate with Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin and Tuxedosam.  

All six of these drinks come with a seal tag that can be used as a sticker. You can also get your hands on one of twelve possible pin badges.

Tea shop TP TEA will open its third branch inside Ikebukuro's Tobu Department Store on March 20, 2019. The brand is opened by Chun Shui Tang, a Taiwanese bubble tea company. Connected directly to Ikebukuro Station, its convenient access means plenty of people can enjoy the store's all-new Tapioca Strawberry Latte and Tapioca Strawberry Soft Serve Ice Cream. And to celebrate the new branch, the first 200 people to arrive on on each day between March 20-22 will receive a cherry blossom themed TP TEA original drink holder. The Tapioca Strawberry Latte is a blend of carefully selected Jasmine tea and strawberry, milk foam, and chewy tapioca balls. The new ice cream too combines sweet strawberry and milk and bitter Jasmine tea for a mix of sweet and sour. It too is served with a generous amount of delicious tapioca balls.   TP TEA will sell over 50 drinks made with high quality teas and tapioca, such as their classic Tapioca Milk Tea, the Japan-only Tapioca Matcha Latte, and many more.   If you love tapioca then be sure to pay TP TEA a visit.

Hey, everyone. Midori here again from the MMN Editorial Team.   The bubble tea boom in Japan is still rife. Harajuku in particular has become a war zone with new bubble tea shops opening all the time. Si an ju is one of them and it has become popular for its delicious drink selection so I went to try it out myself! Si an ju is located just in front of Harajuku Station. Bubble tea shops in Harajuku tend to open along Cat Street or in Ura-Harajuku. Surprisingly there was even one in front of the station so it's safe to say bubble tea life is making progress. To get there, exit from Harajuku Station's Takeshita Exit, cross at the traffic lights. Turn left and you'll be able to see the outdoor shop sign. Also beyond that is Cafe Yolum, a South Korean cafe.   Related Article: Cafe Yolum: The Popular & Pretty Pink South Korean Cafe in Harajuku At the storefront is a huge and airy bubble tea monument. Now I'm getting excited! There are several tables inside for customers to sit down, relax and enjoy their beverages, but not many. The menu is fairly big and they even have options without tapioca balls. The Blue Lagoon drink sounds interesting, it has a mysterious colour. On my visit thought I ordered the shop's recommended Brown Sugar Bubble Milk.   The sauce in the cup is a brown sugar sauce which together with the decorative seahorse makes it look like a coral reef. Very beautiful! The sauce is collected at the bottom and sinking around the sides so be sure to give the drink a good mix before drinking. Compared to other bubble teas the tapioca look pretty big. They might be almost as big as the thickness of the straw.   Time to drink!   It's pretty sweet-tasting. It's sweet even for me who orders their bubble tea with the maximum sugar option. But it's not an overpowering sweetness - the brown sugar has a refreshing sweet flavour. The tapioca balls are large and so are filling The brown sugar sauce will fall and mix into the drink as you sip so it's best to take a photo right away.   I visited the shop at the same time as they opened so I was able to buy my drink without waiting, but if you go on the weekend in the afternoon the lines can get pretty long, so it might be an idea to go earlier.   A lot of bubble tea shops open at 11:00am but Sin an ju opens at 10:00am so I recommend going there if you're in Harajuku early in the morning when no others are open!   I also highly recommend it for people who like chewy tapioca balls. Be sure to pay them a visit.