Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Japan is releasing three new end-of-year doughnuts on December 26. They will be available for a limited time only.

2020 is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac, and so Krispy Kreme has taken that theme to create its own adorable rat doughnut. Lathered in caramel chocolate, this cute doughnut is filled with rock salt caramel cream. Its eyes, tail and large round ears are made of  dark chocolate while its nose is made of coffee chocolate.

The second New Year’s doughnut in the series is the Lucky Strawberry Ring (¥230), which gets its deep crimson colour from the sweet and sour nappage made from strawberry puree and milky white chocolate. It’s finished with sprinkles of freeze-dried strawberries and gold leaf for that festive touch.

The Snowman Chocolate (¥230) is a cute snowman shaped doughnuts filled with a rich chocolate cream and covered in a milky snow white chocolate coating. Together with the Lucky Strawberry Ring, you get a festive mix of red and white which are symbolic colours of the New Year in Japan.

The three doughnuts are also available to purchase in a box set called Good Luck Zodiac Dozen which comes with twelve doughnuts including four Original Glazed®, the chain’s most popular doughnut.

Welcome the new year with some delicious and kawaii doughnuts from Krispy Kreme Japan.

BAKE CHEESE TART will be baking up another fresh flavour which will be released in BAKE CHEESE TART shops across the country from November 15. The new featured flavour is of a Japanese Satsuma sourced from Shizuoka prefecture called Mikka Mikan. The brand new Mikan Cheese Tart will be sold at BAKE CHEESE TART shops countrywide. 

The Mikka Mikan Satsumas used for the cheese tart are sourced from Shizuoka, which is renowned for its deep history of producing Mikka Mikans, which are a kind of Satsuma Mandarin (Unshu Mikan). The Mikka Mikans are used to make a purée and powder which is then mixed with an original recipe cheese mousse for the tart.

This flavour first arrived at BAKE CHEESE TART’s PARCHÉ branch in Shizuoka to celebrate its grand opening back in November 2018. The tart was intended to be a delicacy limited to the Shizuoka branch and to only be sold for a limited time. However, following its immense popularity, the Mikka Mikan Cheese Tart is going to be released again this winter for a limited time. 

The mild and fresh cheese mousse is perfectly balanced with the tangy sweetness of the Mikka Mikans. The subtle sweetness of the biscuit base makes for the perfect match with the soft cheese mousse which will melt in your mouth. 

BAKE CHEESE TART is also running an Instagram campaign involving the hashtag #おすそわけタルト. Those who purchase the Mikan Cheese Tart and post a photo of it on Instagram during the limited time period have the chance to enter a prize draw for a BAKE CHEESE TART coupon.

Warm up your heart with a soft and sweet, freshly-baked cheese tart and join in the campaign fun. 

Jolly faces are all around at Tokyo Disney Resort right now as Disney Christmas kicked off last Friday. It’s set to sleigh its way up to Christmas Day this year.

The editorial team at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON jumped ahead and got a taste of the festive fun at the parks recently, so we’re going to showcase some more of the seasonal food and merry merchandise you can get your hands on this Christmas at Tokyo Disneyland.

Food that makes you want to kick back and enjoy a nice break

Special Set – ¥1,500 @ Grandma Sara’s Kitchen

Grandma Sara’s has created the perfect hot lunch for warming up cold guests this year, adorned with a clam and seafood tomato cream, cheese and white sauce. Dip your bread into the rich sauce and tuck in! For dessert, you get a cranberry cake inspired by the look of a snow-tipped Christmas tree.

Hot drinks of all kinds

‘Tis the season to stay warm, and so Tokyo Disneyland has devised a line-up of tasty drinks to warm the cockles of your heart, with flavours ranging from ruby chocolate to matcha and tapioca cheese teaーa unique flavour that’s all the rage right now.

We actually covered these drinks in detail last Monday, so check out our report here.

Deck the halls with these dessert & souvenir sets

Cranberry & Tea Cake With Souvenir Cup – ¥800 @ Sweetheart Cafe and elsewhere

Strawberry Dessert With Souvenir Cup – ¥800 @ Sweetheart Cafe and elsewhere

Head to the Sweetheart Cafe to enjoy some desserts which come with cute take-home souvenirs, like cups and plates. The cranberry and tea cake is a subtly sweet cake with a fragrant tea flavour and filled with sweet and sour cranberries.

The strawberry dessert is like strawberry shortcake with ascending layers of cake batter, cream, and strawberries. It’s topped with holly to give it that Christmas-y finish.

Chocolate Doughnut – ¥380 @ Cleo’s and elsewhere

The chocolate doughnuts at Cleo’s are completely lathered in a chocolate danish-like dough and custard cream.

The doughnuts even come in this cute Mickey and Minnie packaging, who are dressed ready and for giving gifts to guests.

If you pay an extra ¥700 you can get this adorable pouch featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy as snowmen.

Have a merry little Christmas with these holiday season goodies

Headband – ¥1,800

Fun Cap – ¥3,000 / Plush Toy Wristband – ¥1,700

Feel happy simply by placing these Mickey & Minnie headband ears and getting into party mode. The park has also developed a Christmas version of the Pluto fun cap so he has reindeer antlers and holly attached. Both items were previously available in a pre-sale on the park app, so depending on the shop you visit, they may have none left in stock. But if you see one, be sure to grab it quick!

There’s also a Mickey version of the Minnie Mouse plush toy wristband. Wear one and have your friend or loved one wear the other!

Popcorn Basket – ¥2,400 @ The Gazebo (Popcorn Wagon)

Pick up some popcorn served in a Christmas present basket decorated with cute illustrations of Mickey and company celebrating Christmas.

It comes strung with a ribbon decorated with green, red and white colouring like a candy cane.

Spend a Disney Christmas this winter at Tokyo Disneyland where you can stay warm with some comfort food and dress up!

Model: Yuna Yabe

Writer: Sayuri Mizuno (MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON)

Translator: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga

The butter sandwich specialists over at PRESS BUTTER SAND are bringing their famous Uji matcha flavour butter sandwiches to their Tokyo Station branch on November 13.

Known as the Uji Matcha Butter Sand, this tasty snack was developed to celebrate the grand opening of the Kyoto Station branch of PRESS BUTTER SAND. Due to high demand, they’ve decided to take the product to Tokyo for a limited time.

The exterior is made with butter cream and carefully selected Uji matcha. You get the full rich flavour of the matcha and delicious taste of the butter at once. The sandwich itself is filled with bitter matcha butter cream and sweet caramel butter for a sumptuously smooth combination that marries temptingly with the crunchy cookie exterior.

The sandwich biscuits come in packaging that features navy Kyoto-esque artwork inspired by the characteristic cultivation method for Uji matcha which blocks out sunlight. The sandwiches themselves are individually packaged in matcha green packets to contrast with the box.

Don’t miss out on a chance to enjoy the flavours of Kyoto while in Tokyo. Available at Tokyo Station only.

With Halloween now out of the way, it’s time to plunge ourselves into that Christmas spirit! We’ve compiled a list of some of the most delicious-looking and Instagrammable Christmas cakes available to buy in Tokyo this year that make for the perfect Christmas party accompaniments.

Noel Tokyo Station Hotel @ Tokyo Station

Noel – ¥6,200 (Tax Included) @ Tokyo Station Hotel

This chestnut cake is inspired by the pine pillars that supported the Tokyo Station Marunouchi station building until it was restored. It has a chestnut and sweet potato base and is layered with chestnut mousse and coffee mousse to recreate the rings of a tree which are used to tell a tree’s age.

*10 served per day

*Reservation Window: November 5 – December 17, 2019

*Delivery Window: December 22-25, 2019

*Online reservations available. Exclusive to GRANSTA.

More Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/267999

pon pon×Chris.P @ Tokyo Solamachi

Crispy Cakes (Happy Wreath/Santa/Reindeer) – ¥508 Each @ pon pon×Chris.P (East Yard Floor 2F) [Available From November 15]

These tiny crispy cakes are another great little bite to eat. The cute Santa version is cookie and milk flavoured and has marshmallows as the fluff of his hat.

More Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/269015

Café Cova Milano @ GINZA SIX

Panettone Babbo Natale – ¥7,407 @ Café Cova Milano

Cova’s panettone is made with a secret recipe that has been handed down since the beginning of the 19th century.

More Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/265169

Tokyo Disney Resort

Christmas Cake: ¥1,480 / Available at: Tokyo DisneySea (Horizon Bay Restaurant), Tokyo Disneyland (Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall)

There’s lots going on at Tokyo Disney Resort this year, at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Don’t miss out on this cute Mickey and Minnie Mouse Christmas cake!

More Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/266495

Which is your favourite from the list? Christmas cakes are a must-have on Christmas Day, so make sure you pick one up before the big day!

Tabemas is a Japanese confectionery series of small, traditional sweets designed to look like characters. For the first time, Tabemas is collaborating with the popular fictional character series Sumikko Gurashi to release Shirokuma and Penguin? sweets. The new confections will be sold in the chilled desserts corner of Family Mart convenience stores across Japan from November 12, 2019.

The lovable characters who have been transformed into delicious sweets are Shirokuma: the shy polar bear who tends to get cold easily; and Penguin?, who has no confidence in their identity as a penguin. 

The series name “Tabemas” means “edible mascot” and as the name suggests, these are traditional nerikiri confections which are made from bean paste and soft mochi, creating an adorable plump appearance.  Shirokuma’s body is white with pink ears whereas Penguin? has a pea-green body with a white stomach and yellow feet and beak. Both confections are kneaded with the characters’ charm and stand joining their tiny hands, staring at you with their adorable round eyes. 

Both confections are filled with the mild flavour of red bean paste. To match the colour schemes of the characters, the white Shirokuma is milk-flavoured and the pale green Penguin? is apple-flavoured. The flavours of these confections are just as irresisitble as their appearance. You’re bound to be taking lots of photos of them for your next social media post in no time!

As these confections are in limited supply, make sure to buy them as soon as possible if you are interested.

(C)2019 San-X Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Meiji plastered up some new billboard advertisements for their Meiji Oishii Gyunyu milk and Meiji Milk Chocolate products at Shibuya Station on Monday.

Actors and singers Masaki Aiba and Jun Matsumoto were chosen to be part of the ad promos for the products respectively.

The advertisements will also feature back-to-back in the Saturday November 9 issue of Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun where they have both written columns about what they like about their chosen products.

The pictures in this photoshoot were also released as downloadable wallpapers on Tuesday. Links below!

Confectionery company Nakataya has teamed up with Sanrio to release the Hello Kitty Kintsuba.

Kintsuba is a type of traditional Japanese confection of sweet beans wrapped in wheat-flour dough. Nakataya is famous for their kintsuba, which are made with large-grained beans and red bean paste. They have maintained the flavour and quality of these confections, each of which is made with the utmost precision, and all individually.

This year marks the 85th anniversary since Nakataya opened. The long-standing store hopes to bring in more foreign and younger customers by collaborating with Hello Kitty.

They have crafted several flavours. Pictured above is the apple pie flavour, Hello Kitty’s favourite. It’s made with fuji apples from Aomori Prefecture which is known for its incredible apples. It’s mixed with white bean paste and is lightly flavoured with cinnamon.

The mixed berry flavour is a fruity sweet and sour mix of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries which have been mashed together with white bean paste.

The confection comes in two kinds of packaging: one designed by Nakataya’s founder Nakata (中田憲龍), and a Hello Kitty version where she is dressed as a dragonーa symbol of the shop. This is a completely original Hello Kitty design made specially for the collaboration.

The outer packaging is made with a wrapping cloth to both pass down an aspect of traditional Japanese culture while also catering to the eco-friendly lifestyle of the modern age. It’s made from amuzen fabric and can be reused. The inner packaging is a simple paper tray so can be recycled. And if you take the wrapping cloth back to the store, they can refill it with the three Hello Kitty kintsuba confections at a discounted price.

McCafé by Barista branches of McDonald’s Japan will release its new “Marshmallow Cream Tart” and “Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake” on November 6, both of which will be available for a limited time until the end of March 2020.

Marshmallow Cream Tart – ¥340

The tart has a dough base made from baked Graham crackers. It’s layered with almond cream and chocolate ganache and topped with marshmallow that has been browned on the top. It offers a delicious variety of textures, from the smooth ganache to the sweet and fluffy cream and crunch tart base.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake – ¥340

The cute cupcake is a bitter dark chocolate decorated with a smooth sweet and sour raspberry cream.

You will be able to order either of these desserts as a set with either a regular size hot or iced Americano or latte until January 14, 2020 once they are released.

The Omotesando Hills shopping complex recently began rolling out information for its Christmas celebrations for 2019. Omotesando Hills Christmas 2019 is set to run from November 13 to December 25.

Enchanting illuminations will adorn the main building and its atrium, taking on the theme “Christmastime seduced by water magic.” Restaurants and eateries will also serve up some limited-time goodies for “CHRISTMAS SWEETS with CHOCOLATE.” Christmas shoppers can also look forward to getting their hands on a range of festive items amongst other things.

CHRISTMAS SWEETS with CHOCOLATE

10 restaurants throughout Omotesando Hills will serve up chocolatey Christmas-themed desserts from November 13 to December 25. There’s a lot to look out for, including the strawberry-packed parfait, a parfait made with noble rot wine jelly, a vegan tiramisu and more. Let’s take a look at a select few of these mouth-watering delights.

Parfait do Noel – ¥1,870 (Tax Included) @ HUGO & VICTOR (Main Building Floor 1F)

This Christmas parfait is lavish with fresh strawberries and adorned with tempting dark chocolate ice cream and chocolate flavoured macaron. It’s also layered with a spicy crumble, caramel sauce, and smooth chantilly cream. Your taste buds will be treated to each distinct flavour and texture as you spoon your way through the dessert.

Serving: 11:00-20:30 (Until 19:30 on Sundays)

Noble Rot Wine Parfait – ¥1,980 @ Wine Shop Enoteco & Bar  (Main Building Floor 3F) *15 served per day

Noble rot wine has a distinct rich sweetness like that of honey. This jelly used in this parfait is made with noble rot wine from intenrnationally revered winery Baron Philippe de Rothschild and topped with chocolate ice cream and orange. Pour over the rest of the wine to complete this sophisticated dessert.

Serving: 11:00-21:30 (Until 20:30 on Sundays)

*Contains alcohol

Vegan Tiramisu Chocolate Parfait – ¥1,518 (Tax Included) @ Cosme Kitchen Adaptation (Main Building Floor B2F)

Vegan food has not entered the mainstream in Japan yet but more and more places are catching on. This mascarpone-flavoured vegan tiramisu is made with tofu and nuts. It has a refreshing taste and is sure to fill you up with its mix of tofu gateau chocolate, organic and domestic blueberries, cacao nibs, and organic coffee.

Serving: 11:00-22:00 (Until 21:00 on Sundays)

*Contains alcohol but can be ordered without alcohol

Raw Chocolate & Wine Marriage – ¥1,100 (Tax Included) @ bar à vin PARTAGER (Main Building Floor 3F) *15 served per day

Another one for the adults is this sweet made with rich raw chocolate and red wine, served together with with a fruity wine in a glass. Enjoy the bitterness of the chocolate together with the full-bodied notes of the wine.

Serving: 11:00-22:00 (Until 21:00 on Sundays)

*Contains alcohol

Omotesando Hills Limited-Edition Items

20 stores throughout Omotesando Hills will sell holiday season-inspired items between November 13 and December 25, from bags and purses in Christmas colours to cosmetics and fragrances. Here’s a small peek at what’s to come. Everything will be limited-edition and available while supplies last.

Bag – ¥53,900 (Tax Included), Wallets – ¥31,900 Each (Tax Included) @ EPOCA UOMO PRIMA (Main Building Floor 2F)

Adorned in Christmas colours are this bag made from soft sheep leather from Turkey and three fold purse. The inside of the bag is made with synthetic leather, and the bag itself is both light and holds plenty.

Millefiori Christmas Gift – ¥12,650 (Tax Included) @ Millefiori (Main Building Floor B2F)

This gorgeous kit is decorated with bright-red preserved flowers and contains high-quality room fragrances from ZONA. The scents include the refreshing “Oxygen” with citrus notes and the “Musk Flower” with elegant floral notes. These are limited in stock with only 5 available for each.

There are countless other sweets and items to get your hands on at Omotesando Hills this Christmas season, so if you’re in Tokyo, don’t miss out.

In South Korea, which has been dubbed “a cafe battleground,” one particular cafe called Cafe de paris has stood out from the rest for their visually impacting fruity desserts. This immensely popular chain is now heading to Laforet Harajuku with a new branch opening on November 1.

Cafe de paris first appeared in Japan back in February this year, with its eye-popping “Bon Bon” parfait series attraction a great deal of attention for its Instagram-worthy appearance. In just six months, it exceeded 100,000 customer visits. The cafe, however, was only open for a limited time. But that’s about to change, as Laforet Harajuku welcomes the country’s first permanent branch.

The cafe interior takes on a light blue and white colour scheme, with table and counter seats lining the room and gorgeous chandeliers adorned overhead.

Kumo Smoothie – ¥594 (Tax Included)

To commemorate its opening, the new shop has developed a new item exclusive to the Laforet Harajuku branch: the “Kumo Smoothie.” Inspired by fluffy clouds, this fruit-packed smoothie comes in a pink strawberry milk flavour and blue sky-coloured soda flavour.

And of course, Cafe de paris’s famous fruit-topped Bon Bon parfaits will be sold too, with the upper part of the parfait towering 20m high. There are 5 seasonal fruits to choose from, such as strawberry, mango and grape.

Cafe de paris has plenty of cute must-buy goodies for customers to enjoy, so if you’re in Japan, why not take the opportunity to try out something popular in South Korea  too while strolling around Harajuku?

Japanese food chain BAKE CHEESE TART, which specialises in freshly baked cheese tarts, is serving up a rich new delight for the holiday season: the “Freshly Baked Caramel Cheese Tart” will be released on December 1.

Freshly Baked Caramel Cheese Tart – ¥290 Each (Tax Included)

Made with an original blend of cheese mousse, this fragrant cheese tart is mixed with rich caramel and has a gentle flavour. The saltiness of the cheese mousse helps bring out the sweet taste of the caramel, effectively creating a salted caramel flavour.

The cream cheese used for the cheese mousse is a balanced mix of carefully chosen cream cheeses, with the majority of them coming from Hokkaido, to bring out unique flavours and textures. And to make the tart itself nice and crunchy, it is doubled-baked: once by itself, and again with the mousse on stop. The characteristic bitterness of the caramel has also been eliminated, so kids and adults alike can enjoy the tart this holiday season.

And to get people in the Christmas spirit, the tarts are served in holiday season packaging too. Available for a limited time only, grab yourself a tart and get munching.