The second batch in a series of Kirby figurines, based on the Kirby’s Dream Land game series, began rolling out at game centres across Japan on March 26, 2020. They are part of the “Palcolce collection,” a line of palm-sized figures themed around desserts.

Three figures make up the second batch of the series, which includes Kirby standing atop a Star Block shortcake holding a bright-red strawberry, another of Waddle Dee climbing a cupcake on chocolate ladder, and Kirby flying through the sky on a cheesecake Warp Star.

A third batch is also planned drop in the near future.

Collect all three from arcades throughout Japan to create a truly kawaii Kirby scene!

©Nintendo / HAL Laboratory, Inc. KB19-3661

McCafé by Barista branches of McDonald’s in Japan released two new flavours in their macaron series on Wednesdayーpistachio and citronーwhich will be served for a limited time until the end of August this year.

 
The pistachio and citron flavours join McCafé by Barista’s colourful macaron series alongside vanilla, raspberry, and chocolate, which cost just ¥150 each.

The pistachio flavour is filled with a pistachio powder-dusted pistachio cream, giving the crunchy macaron a deliciously nutty flavour and fragrance.

The citron macaron is filled with a refreshing and sour lemon cream. Both of the new flavours are the perfect treat for the start of spring and going into the summer season. They’re even better with one of McCafé by Barista’s high quality coffees.

McCafé by Barista is also serving the “Special Macaron Set” for ¥500 which comes with any two macarons of your choice and a medium hot or iced latte.

GELATO PIQUE CAFE branches in Japan began their “Strawberry Fair” on Wednesday serving up drinks and desserts made using seasonal strawberries.

What is GELATO PIQUE CAFE all about?
“Desserts for adults” is the concept at GELATO PIQUE CAFE, a cafe brand developed by GELATO PIQUE which specialises is comfy loungewear. The cafe, which has branches in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and elsewhere in Japan, serves comfort food and is interested in the health and happiness of its guests. Their menu is overflowing with ideas, with all options made using only the best selected ingredients.

The enticing line-up is nothing short of kawaii, and screams springtimeーfitting for the season as Japan celebrated Vernal Equinox Day yesterday, the first day of springーwith sweet and sour strawberries adorning their crepes, smoothies, gelatos, soft serve ice creams, and more.

Strawberry Mille Feuille Crepe – ¥830 (Before Tax)

Topped with a whole strawberry, this mille feuille-inspired seasonal crepe is made with an in-house crafted strawberry cream, mille feuille puff pastry, and vanilla gelato. The strawberries used are a mix, all grown in Kumamoto Prefecture, including yuubeni, koinozomi, koiminori, and others. Much love and care is put into growing strawberries in Kumamoto, making them sweet and delicious.

White Strawberry & Red Strawberry Gelato – ¥460 (Before Tax)

This two-coloured serving of gelato ice cream is made with sweet-smelling white strawberries and a brand of red strawberry from Fukuoka called amaou. No strawberry lover will be able to resist this pick.

Strawberry Smoothie – ¥590 (Before Tax)

Enjoy a cold strawberry smoothie made from seasonal strawbs, milk, and honey. Indulge in the refreshing sweetness of the strawberries, and enjoy the cute pink flavour of the beverage.

Strawberry Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream – ¥450 (Before Tax)

Or grab yourself a cone of soft serve ice cream to enjoy the combination of flavours: sweet and sour strawbs and sweet, creamy milk.You can also get a mix together with the light blue vanilla flavour.

Shirasagi Coffee, a cafe in Ehime Prefecture, has released a new seasonal menu full of strawberries and cherry blossoms to commemorate the spring season.

Shirasagi Coffee’s logo features a heron, a reference to a legend that says the locals of Matsuyama in Ehime noticed that a white heron healed its injured leg by bathing in the hot springs of Dōgo Onsen, one of the oldest hot springs in  Japan. The cafe was renovated using furniture made from scrap wood from when Dōgo Onsen was built. It’s an artistic cafe that has garnered much attention from both locals and tourists.

Thick-Cut Natural Yeast Toast

This thick-sliced bread is provided by Panya Uzu, a bread shop also in Matsuyama, Ehime. Perfect for breakfast or lunch, it’s topped with a cherry blossom jam and mascarpone cheese cream.

Top: Cream Soda / Right: Cherry Blossom Tea Latte / Left: Cherry Blossom & Strawberry Mint Sour

This line-up of three drinks are made using seasonal strawberries grown in Ehime Prefecture.

Sweet Bavarois

Bavarois is a classic dessert at Shirasagi Coffee, and this one is made using matcha grown in the village of Shingu in Ehime and is coated in a cherry blossom cream.

Spring Madonna Parfait

This limited-time parfait is stacked with 12 different ingredients of varying textures and flavours, including cherry blossom, as well as Ehime strawberries, chestnuts, and matcha. It’s the culmination of Ehime’s springtime ingredients.

Takeout Drinks

Mini Parfait

The cafe also serves mini parfaits, drinks and other items for takeout. Pick something out and go and observe the cherry blossoms for Hanami at Dōgo Park.

Hoshino Resorts, which manages 42 ryokan inside and outside Japan serving Japanese tradition and culture, signed a partnership agreement with the town of Shiraoi in Hokkaido on June 28, 2018, which would have them open a hot spring ryokan there. It has been revealed that the new facility will be named Hoshino Resorts KAI Poroto.

Hoshino Resorts KAI Poroto. Built by Japanese architect Hiroshi Nakamura, the site will open its doors in winter 2021 as the 19th branch of Hoshino Resorts’s hot spring ryokan brand KAI, of which it operates 16 in Japan. It will be the third branch of KAI in Hokkaido, following from Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu in Shimukappu village and Hoshino Resorts OMO7 Asahikawa.

Hot springs in Shiraoi, Hokkaido include moor springs, a type of organic spring water that is rare globally. KAI Poroto faces Poroto Lake, which is enveloped in nature and home to creatures such as wild birds. All rooms at the ryokan enjoy a view of the lake, as well as a chance to see the trees and flowers bloom and change in different colours throughout the seasons.

KAI’s aim is to offer Japanese hospitality that can only be experienced in that town or city, and during that season, as well as to give guests a comfortable experience in a Japanese-style accommodation. At KAI Poroto, they are set to offer a completely new experience tied to Ainu culture in collaboration with the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park currently in development in Shiraoi.

Upopoy is scheduled to open at Lake Poroto on April 24, 2020. “Upopoy” is a word in the Ainu language that means “singing in a large group.” The museum is the first national museum in Japan to be dedicated to the indigenous Ainu people. It will serve as the national center for the revival and development of Ainu culture, something which is on the verge of extinction, and it will do this by showcasing Ainu culture and history through exhibitions, hands-on programmes, performances, and more.

Hiroshi Nakamura is the architects that designed Hoshino Resorts KAI Poroto. “Poroto” is also a word in Ainu to mean “large lake.” The ryokan’s lobby, which is decorated with Japanese white birch, offers a view of the lake and Mount Tarumae. There are also small bath houses called kashi which have been made using Ainu architectural methods, as well as open-air baths that have you feeling like you’re taking a dip in the lake.

Dandelion Chocolate and IYEMON SALON ATELIER have joined sticky fingers to bake up their new “Tea & Cocoa Brownie” which is now being served at IYEMON SALON ATELIER KYOTO and Dandelion Chocolate Kyoto Higashiyama Ichinenzaka.

This collaboration came about to celebrate 1 year since IYEMON SALON ATELIER KYOTO opened. The chocolates fuse IYEMON SALON’s tea with Dandelion Chocolate’s organic, single origin bean to bar chocolate.

Tea & Cocoa Brownie (Uji Matcha/Houjicha) – ¥1,800 (Before Tax) *Contains 2 of each flavour

The two different flavoured brownies, Uji matcha and houjicha, are filled with a ganache made from Japanese tea and carefully selected chocolate from the Dominican Republic. The chocolate has a strong, rich flavour like that of coffee and cherries, but is still easy to get without it tasting overwhelming. The brownies are also vegan-friendly and gluten-free, containing no eggs, dairy products, wheat, or white sugar. They are the perfect accompaniment to both tea and a mild-tasting sake.

The vegan lifestyle is slowly gaining recognition in Japan, so don’t miss this chance to treat yourself to some melt-in-the-mouth vegan delights.

©Dandelion Chocolate Japan

TOKYO BANANA WORLD released a new vegan-friendly almond caramel flavour of its popular Tokyo Banana sponge cakeーthe official souvenir sweet of Tokyoーat the TOKYO BANANA store on the JR side of Tokyo Station on March 15, 2020.

This is TOKYO BANANA’s first vegan-friendly sweet. It’s made from 100% plant-based ingredients while keeping 100% of the product’s delicious flavour. That includes almond milk, which is promoted for its health and beauty benefits, and delicious caramel.

TOKYO BANANA Almond Caramel Sandwiches – Box of 4: ¥680 (Tax Included) / Box of 8: ¥1,200 (Tax Included)

Other ingredients include beat sugar, which is made from beetroot, a subtle banana flavour, and crunchy roasted almonds, all wrapped together in a bite-size sponge cake.

The product is both vegan and vegetarian friendly, containing no eggs or dairy products.

This tasty snack is available only at TOKYO BANANA in Tokyo Station, so be sure to pop buy and pick some up if you’re travelling through there.

The Pokémon Cafe in Nihonbashi Tokyo is bringing two new “Sakura Aloha Pikachu” items to its menu this spring for a limited time. They will be served between March 14 and April 19.

The Pokémon Cafe previously served up a cherry blossom Aloha Pikachu-inspired dessert and latte last year too to celebrate one year since the cafe opened. This year, they’ve changed their designs.

Sakura Aloha Pikachu Fruit Sandwich Cake – ¥1,738 (Tax Included)

Sakura Aloha Pikachu Latte 2020 – ¥770 (Tax Included)

The fruit sandwich is filled with flurry strawberry cream and fruits, while the latte features cute latte art of Aloha Pikachu who has a fluffy cherry blossom afro.

Don’t miss these seasonal picks at Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe this year.

© 2020 Pokémon.©1995-2020 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Pokémon, ポケットモンスター, and ポケモン are trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and GAME FREAK inc.

Cafe & Dining ZelkovA is set to offer a new “Japanese Tea Set” service from March 3 to July 2 this year which gives customers a mini tea ceremony experience where they can enjoy a cup of matcha and tuck into some matcha sweets.

Japanese Tea Set – ¥2,600 (Tax Included) *Plus separate 12% service charge

This tea set comes with genuine a nanbu tekki cast iron kettle for pouring hot water and a chasen tea whisk for mixing the matcha powder. Authentic Uji matcha from Kyoto is used which has a wonderfully rich fragrance that reminds you just how good matcha really is.

The tea set also comes with an Uji matcha tiramisu and a rice flour dumpling anmitsu which comes with an assortment of fruits like the setoka citrus and melon, Tokachi adzuki beans, and brown sugar syrup from Okinawa.

Sit either on the sunny terrace or inside with the cafe’s high-end interior design and enjoy yourself luxuriously with a cup of matcha and some Japanese matcha treats.

Lobby Lounge FONTAINE on the first floor of Royal Park Hotel in Tokyo never fails do outdo themselves in terms of intricacy and cuteness when it comes to their afternoon teas. For the spring season this year, they’re serving their adorable pink “Sakura Afternoon Tea” set which is inspired by a garden in full bloom during Hanami.

Sakura Afternoon Tea For One – ¥4,235 / With Sparkling Wine – ¥4,840 (Tax Included)　*Photo shows serving for two people

This is the kind of food you want to eat but also want to keep staring at because of how good it looks. This pink perfection comes with light coloured chocolate creations made to look like Japanese umbrellas with fallen cherry blossom leaves fallen on them, a glass dessert which has a faint cherry blossom scent that goes deliciously with the cheese of the crémet d’Anjou, a cherry blossom roll cake, macarons, and more.

Line-Up:

・Top Tier

Sakura Chocolate Saiku / Glass Desserts (Crémet d’Anjou & Sakura Jelly)

・Middle Tier

Sakura Roll Cake / Matcha Madeleine / Raspberry Cream Puffs / Scones (Sakura & Plain) / Macarons

・Bottom Tier

Open Brioche Sandwich With Broad Bean and Egg / Rape Blossom and Seafood Quiche

・Drink

Tea or Coffee

Sakura Roll Cake – ¥486 / Sakura Verrine – ¥540 / Sakura Anpan Bread – ¥216 / Sakura Sweet Bean Danish – ¥324 / Sakura Sweet Bean Brioche Cube – ¥216

Sweets & Bakery IKI is also located on the first floor of the hotel, where they too are serving up the perfect sweets and pastries for the spring season, like cherry blossom roll cake, cherry blossom cream puffs, and more. These cute treats are great as gifts too.

Treat yourself to a lovely afternoon tea time with the Sakura Afternoon Tea in the hotel’s luxurious lounge.

Writer: Shihori Shibui

The rooftop terrace space of the CHANEL Ginza building is set welcome LE JARDIN DE TWEED this March which is collaborating with champagne producer Perrier-Jouët.

LE JARDIN DE TWEED will open for a limited time this March where it will run until late October. As the name of the chic café suggests, the space takes on a tweed design with trimmed plants housed throughout. They will serve finger food from BEIGE ALAIN DUCASSE TOKYO as well as afternoon tea and more.

For drinks, there is of course exquisite Perrier-Jouët champagne, as well as a selection of special original cocktails. Their detox non-alcoholic cocktails are special recommendations for refreshing the mind and body.

©PierreMonetta

Afternoon Tea – ¥4,800 (With Tea or Coffee) / With Perrier-Jouët – ¥6,000 (1 glass serving)　Serving: 14:00-16:00

The items adoring the afternoon tea set will change with each passing season. Enjoy with a glass of Perrier-Jouët, tea, coffee, or one of the available soft drinks.

What could be more indulging than sitting atop CHANEL in Tokyo’s high-end Ginza district while tucking into a tasty afternoon tea with a glass of champagne?

New Greenpia Tsunan, a resort facility in Tsunan, Niigata, is holding an exciting sky lantern event every day until March 31, 2020.

The sky lantern event is held every winter at New Greenpia Tsunan, and has returned again for 2020. It began in 2012 as a means of showing respect for and praying for the revival of disaster-stricken areas, such as the areas affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the Nagano and Niigata earthquake, and so on. Every year, couples and families come together to put their prayers and wishes into the lanterns before letting them go into the night sky. The countless lanterns raised at once soar up high and light up the black cloak of the night like burning stars.

For 2020, the event will also sell lantern t-shirts, handkerchiefs, hand towels, cookies, and other themed items.

If you’re travelling in or around Niigata in Japan this year, then don’t miss New Greenpia Tsunan’s very special winter event.