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.

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?

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.

Hinamatsuri is almost here, and I’ve got the perfect treat for this year’s festival: Hello Kitty Sushi Cakes. These Hello Kitty decorations can be made with basic Japanese ingredients, so follow along and try making them yourself.

1: Equipment/Ingredients

15cm cake tin

1 cup vinegared sushi rice

200g tuna

200g salmon

3 Japanese rolled omelettes (dashi-maki tamago)

20 beefsteak plant

Ikura salted salmon roe

Hanpen pounded fish cake

2:

Line a cake tin with baking sheet paper like in the photo. Use a cake tin with a detachable bottom spanning 15cm. In the case that you don’t have a cake tin with a detachable bottom, cover the bottom of your tin with cling film which will make it easy to remove everything afterwards.

3:

Cut Hello Kitty, flowers and other shapes into some hanpen pounded fish cake.

4:

Slice the tuna, salmon, and Japanese egg into cubes about 1.2cm each.

Pile the ingredients in this order: rice→tuna, salmon, and egg→rice. Refer to the photo below.

5:

Leave the ingredients exposed around the outside like so✨

6:

Top with the rest of the ingredients as you like.

7:

Finish by adding your Hello Kitties and flowers which you can decorate with leftovers, like the noses and middle of the flowers. I also used cucumber and crab sticks for the head decorations.

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!

BAKE Inc., a confectionery company that manages the freshly-baked cheese tart chain BAKE CHEESE TART and cream puff chain CROQUANTCHOU ZAKUZAKU, has announced the launching of a new brand.

Named “OIMON,” the brand will specialise in creating sweets made from local sweet potatoes, with the first branch opening at the new Gohobi Street zone inside Amu Plaza Kagoshima, a shopping complex connected directly to the JR side of Kagoshima-Chūō Station, on March 13, 2020.

What is OIMON?

OIMON is a new shop specialising in sweet potato confectionery whose concept is “Tradition x Innovation.” Its first branch is opening in Kagoshima, a prefecture that produces sweet potatoes and shochu from its warm climate. These traditional ingredients and methods will be combined with both Kagoshima’s contemporary food and food culture and BAKE Inc.’s design, flavours and preparation methods to create a new kind of local Kagoshima confectionery

Sweet potato cakes aplenty with Kagoshima flavour

Freshly-Baked Mini Mikan Sweet Potato Cake: Single Serving – ¥237 / Box of 5 – ¥1,188 / Box of 10 – ¥2,376 (Tax Included)

Freshly prepared in-store, you can pick from a single serving as well as a box of 5 or 10. The mini sweet potato cakes are inspired by gane, something taken from traditional Kagoshima cuisine. Gane refers to julienned sweet potatoes, but it also means “crab” in the Kagoshima dialect because the way it’s cut looks like a crab. The sliced sweet potatoes are wrapped and baked in a sweet potato paste to bite-size pieces.

The cakes are also soaked in caramel sauce, and their surface lathered in “Kosama Gin,” a craft gin made using lots of mikan oranges grown on Sakurajima in Kagoshima. Enjoy the delicious milky taste of the caramel coupled with the crunchy gane texture. The sweet potato paste is laced with powder made from the mikan oranges, adding a fresh and fruity flavour.

OIMON will promote Kagoshima to the rest of Japan

The brand colouring is a mix of beige and pink, reminiscent of Japanese sweet potatoes. OIMON went for a minimalist design to convey the simplicity of sweet potatoes. The logo is made up of round slices, also like round slices of sweet potato. The entire design conveys the fact that this is something from and exclusive to Kagoshima.