Hey, readers. It's Midori again, from MMN's editorial team.   Summertime in Harajuku means the cafes and ice cream shops start serving up some seriously kawaii and tasty ice creams. It's always nice to grab a cone to enjoy while walking around shopping, but relaxing in a cafe to enjoy it is fun too♡   If the latter sounds like your kind of thing, then I've got a new recommendation for you. I visited STRAWBERRY MANIA recently, cafe located along Takeshita Street in Harajuku that specialises in strawberry desserts. You'll find it right above the 7-Eleven on Takeshita Street. Look for the strawberries! There's also a sign outside showing a few of the desserts. Go up the staircase right next to it and you'll come to the cafe entrance. No matter where you turn while you're here, your eyes will be met with strawberries. It looks so cute♡ The shopfront showcase is shelved with lots of succulent strawberry treats. The chef whips up other desserts to order besides these too. Everything's almost too cute to eat!   For the strawberry soft serve ice cream you can pick between three flavours: milk, strawberry or mixed. I couldn't pick between them so I went for mixed. The combination of the bright red strawberry ice cream and pure white milk ice cream makes for a beautiful colour contrast. It's also topped with a huge fresh strawberry.   I took no time at all in taking a spoonful. The strawberry ice cream has a really rich flavour. It's sweet but has that sour kick too, like you're eating a real strawberry. The milk ice cream has a milder sweetness and a real milky taste, the kind you'd imagine if it was sold at a farm with cows. Everything is packed snug into the cone right down to the bottom, making it a filling treat. It can be ordered for takeout if you like, and if you do that you can get your ice cream straight away so you don't have to wait for seats.   They serve other things besides soft serve too, like shaved ice and parfaits. There's so much to choose from, I think you'll be spoiled for choice! Be sure to visit if you're in Harajuku.

With just a small bit of ingenuity, turn everyday food into something cute using Kaori’s easy recipe! With a few simple ideas, an ordinary recipe magically transforms into a cute dish. Today, I will show you the perfect recipe for making chocolate Minnie Mouse cakes using the Mickey Mouse Tezukuri Okazu Maker kit which you can buy on Belle Maison.   1. Ingredients About 3-4 prep bowls 1 large egg 40g sugar Oil or 10g melted unsalted butter 15ml milk 50g weak flour (sifted) 10g cocoa 5g baking powder 2. ①Crack the egg into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and whisk well. ②Add a drizzle of oil or melted butter and milk and whisk again. ③Add the sifted flour and stir in gently with a rubber spatula. 3. Oil the silicone cake moulds and spoon in your mix. 4. Steam on a high heat for about 10 minutes.   5. Now it's time to make Minnie's ribbon. I got this ribbon mould from Daiso. Place it onto some baking paper and outline the shape with a pen. Fill the outline with red-coloured chocolate and leave to set in the fridge. Once it has completely set, add the polkadots. 6. Once the cake has finished steaming, stick her onto a lollipop stick so it the cake be eaten like a lollipop, and fix the ribbon onto the top of Minnie's head. And she's finished! It looks cute when you put a Mickey and Minnie one together side by side. You can make a lot of cute recipes using the Okazu Maker, so get your hands on one and try making your own! Kaori invites you into her world of character-themed food dishes in her recipe series. Be sure to check out her Instagram where she has uploaded many pictures of her character dishes!   ©️Disney    

Character-inspired Japanese confectionery series Tabemas has unveiled its new Snoopy, Joe Cool and Charlie Brown wagashi confections that will go on sale at Lawson convenience stores across Japan on August 20. The characters are made from a type of dough called "nerikiri" which is used in making traditional Japanese wagashi sweets. Each of their charm points have been recreated, including Snoopy's collar, Joe Cool's shades and folded arm pose, and Charlie Brown's instantly-recognisable outfit. Their cute designs make it hard to decide where to start eating from, with Snoopy's beady eyes, Joe Cool's composed manner, and Charlie Brown's smiley face. Each character is filled with different flavoured bean pastes, maintaining that traditional wagashi touch. Snoopy is chocolate flavoured, Joe Cool is salted vanilla, and Charlie Brown is custard. The three of them line up perfectly for a cute Instagrammable photo. They are limited in stock so if you're in Japan this summer be sure to stop by a Lawson store.   ©️2019 Peanuts Worldwide LLC