Nippon Animation has announced the Maruko & Coji-Coji Fest, two pop-up shops that will open at Kita-Senju Marui in Tokyo and Kobe Harborland umie in Hyogo on April 20 and 29 respectively.

Inside the Kita-Senju Marui store

New merchandise

Acrylic Key Rings | ¥880 Each (Tax Included)

Sticker | ¥385 (Tax Included)

Postcard | ¥275 (Tax Included)

Mugs | ¥2,200 Each (Tax Included)

Bonus Item: Wrapping paper bag

The Maruko & Coji-Coji Happy Fest welcomes an all new series of original artwork themed around snacks and sweets. Fans will be able to enjoy pre-sales of new merchandise, and all who spend over ¥2,000 (tax included) will be given a free wrapping paper bag.

KADOKAWA has announced that it’s taking the Mr. Osomatsu themed hotel room from EJ Anime Hotel at Tokorozawa Sakura Town in Saitama, which ran from December 3, 2020 to March 31, 2021, to six hotels in Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Hakata starting on April 28.

Mr. Osomatsu anime freebies for guests

Design of the free mask case

Free coaster

The ‘EJ’ of EJ Anime Hotel stands for ‘Entertainment Japan.’ The hotel aims to have guests living inside the stories they love from a wide range of Japanese media from anime to manga, movies, tokusatsu SFX movies, idol culture, and more. As well as room decorations and the exclusive merch that will be on sale, the hotel is also offering a new kind of accommodation experience by incorporating videos, sounds, lighting, and more. Its restaurant will also offer a selection of food and drink in collaboration with various series including all-out full course dinners.

Due to its popularity with guests, the Mr. Osomatsu themed anime room is heading to six locations across Japan which are listed below.

©赤塚不二夫／おそ松さん製作委員会

Anime product and merchandise chain Gamers is set to open an official shop in collaboration with the upcoming anime series Love Live! Super Star!! on May 30.

Pre-Sale Merch

Full-Colour Pass Cases | ¥1,430 (Tax Included)

Luggage Tags | ¥1,320 Each (Tax Included)

Rubber Key Rings | ¥660 Each (Tax Included)

Korokotto Love Live! Super Star!! | ¥990 Each (Tax Included)

Love Live! Super Star!! comes as the latest entry to the Love Live! anime franchise and will begin airing this July. The story follows five girls who aim to become school idols. Fans of the series won’t want to miss out on a chance to visit the shop if they’re in Tokyo this spring as they get their hands on a selection of exclusive merchandise, pre-sales, and more.

(C)2021 プロジェクトラブライブ！スーパースター!!

The Gintama @ Dash Store pop-up shop is returning to Ikebukuro P’PARCO and Animate Osaka Nipponbashi where fans can get their hands on lots of merchandise of Hideaki Sorachi’s manga series Gintama.

Gintama’s characters wear blue for the store

Dash Store will sell a range of exclusive items as well as offer pre-sales on upcoming merchandise. The illustration pictured above of the characters in blue hoodies was also drawn exclusively for the store and will feature on a range of items.

For every ¥2,000 (tax included) spent by fans at the store they will receive one of nine possible bromide pictures. And for an extra ¥500, those who buy one or more items can get a special tote bag too.

A look at some of the merch line-up

Acrylic Stands | ¥1,650 Each (Tax Included)

Folders | ¥440 Each (Tax Included)

Acrylic Key Rings | ¥715 Each (Tax Included)

Hoodies | ¥5,500 Each (Tax Included)

©空知英秋／集英社・テレビ東京・電通・BNP・アニプレックス

This summer, the Japanese ryokan inn HOSHINOYA Tokyo is once again hosting its “Tokyo Midsummer Night’s Banquet” event which brings Edo period culture to the modern day in the form of a traditional festival with entertainment and food.

Tokyo Midsummer Night’s Banquet: 4 Things to Enjoy

1. The new HOSHINOYA Tokyo Sake Bar

For a limited time only, the new HOSHINOYA Tokyo Sake Bar is opening on the first floor of the inn which will serve an izakaya-style experience to guests who can expect to enjoy Japanese sake together with various otsumami foods to enjoy with alcohol provided by restaurants nearby in Kanda, Nihonbashi, and Ningyocho. There will be old-timey noren entry curtains, lanterns, and other little decorations to give it that Japanese summer festival vibe. Staff will also be clad in traditional happi coats.

2. HOSHINOYA Ennichi

At the inn lobby and entrance, guests will be welcomed straight into the heart of the summer festival experience coupled with Edo culture. When evening settles in, the calm atmosphere will be transformed with the sound of lively music reminiscent of a Japanese matsuri orchestra. Guests can enjoy a range of activities from Edo times, such as ‘fishing’ for a flower as pictured above.

Location: HOSHINOYA Tokyo lobby and plaza

Times: 17:00-21:00

Price: Free

3. A very special menu for guests staying at the inn

Enjoy a range of Edo period foods like conger eel, refreshing cold sea bream chazuke perfect for the summer weather, and more. Food is served in guest rooms so they can enjoy a private dining experience.

Location: Guest Rooms

Times: 17:00-21:00

 4. Rental yukata service for that real Japanese summer vibe

Use the inn’s rental kimono service to pick out a summery yukata and obi sash to look beautiful and get into Japanese summer festival mode. Guests can walk in and around the inn as well as around the local district of Otemachi.

Time: 10:00-18:00
Price: ¥5,000 per person

Bookings: Mandatory
Book Here: https://hoshinoya.com/tokyo/

Shoe, boots, and sneaker brand Camper opened a pop-up shop at Isetan Shinjuku on Wednesday which is set to run until April 27. The shop is a collaboration with Japanese textile designer Masaru Suzuki who has provided his iconic designs to a collection of bags and sneakers that you can get your hands on. The shop also has a display designed by Suzuki.

Pop-Up Store Line-Up

HOP STEP LIFE | ¥19,800 (Tax Included)

ANIMAL BISCUIT | ¥22,000 (Tax Included)

CHARM POINT | ¥5,500 (Tax Included)

TWINS by MASARU SUZUKI (Women’s) | ¥25,300 (Tax Included)

TWINS by MASARU SUZUKI (Men’s) | ¥25,300 (Tax Included)

TWINS by MASARU SUZUKI (Kid’s) | From ¥12,100 (Tax Included)

Men’s Building – “CAMALEON 1975” Pop-Up Store

Men’s Building Pop-Up Store Original Novelty

This marks Camper’s third long-awaited collaboration with Masaru Suzuki and the first in four years, and this time the series adds shoes to the mix in addition to the popular bags. Suzuki visited Camper’s main office in Majorca, Spain, for detailed discussions on the designs.

Suzuki is set to attend the pop-up event on April 17. Customers who spend over ¥5,500 (tax included) on this day will receive a fabric swatch signed by Suzuki. Additionally, the men’s building of Isetan Shinjuku is also opening its CAMALEON 1975 pop-up shop once again selling shoes made from recycled materials from Camper. Those who spend over ¥14,300 (tax included) at this shop will receive a free eco-friendly bag made from 100% recycled nylon.

This spring, Hilton Nagoya is set to serve up a special afternoon tea set and buffet plan at its first floor all-dining restaurant IN PLACE 3-3. The theme of the afternoon tea line-up, which will be served either as a set-only plan or the set plus a buffet, is ‘Lost in Europe.’ Fans of Lewis Carroll’s beloved novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland can look forward to jumping in the rabbit hole as they indulge in a colourful and delicious line-up that sends them straight to wonderland.

The plans will run for three months during which three different menu line-ups will be served, each with a European feel to them as Alice finds her curiosity tending away from Japanese cuisine to the delectable assortments of overseas.

Spain will serve as the first menu. Travelling to Spain, Alice finds the country one overflowing with creativity in the arts, so says the story of this fun afternoon tea. Dishes will be plated with desserts fusing together Spain’s food culture with that of Wonderland, traditional Spanish desserts, sweet treats inspired by Spanish art, and more. Many of the irresistible items will also be made with almonds – Spain being the second largest producer of almonds in the world.

Inside the restaurant, diners will feel like they have travelled to a Spanish rendition of Wonderland with a mix of styles from both locations, such as Spanish sunflowers, mosaic tiles, stained glass windows, and more.

A little look at the menu (some of it)

1. Afternoon Tea Set Menu: ¥4,600 (Tax Included)

Cubism Cheshire Cat Arroz Con Leche

A coconut-flavoured Spanish rice pudding made with coconut lavender jelly. Its design, from the stripes to the grinning teeth, are references to the Cheshire Cat.

Blue Caterpillar Siesta Cake

A cake covered in striking blue chocolate, made with pistachio mousse, and filled with a mixed berry jelly.

Butterfly Windmills Mousse

An artistic delight made with smooth chestnut mousse and colourful butterfly wings attached.

Plate Menu

Pistachio Crema Catalana in Berry Sauce

A traditional dessert of Catalonia, this crema catalana features a rich pistachio-flavoured custard cream and is served with a berry sauce.

Savoury Items

Salted churros that are crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the inside, and a checked bocadillo filled with Spanish omelette.

Lost in Europe Afternoon Tea Set Summary

10 desserts, two savoury items, and a choice of a soft drink, coffee, or tea.

2. Afternoon Tea Set & Dessert Buffet: Adults ¥5,000 / Children ¥2,500

Mischievous Crazy Clock Cake 

A warped, melted clock made with passion fruit cream and orange and mango mousse.

Mosaic Tile Sangria Jelly (Non-Alcoholic)

A refreshing beverage made with non-alcoholic white wine and grape, strawberry, and grapefruit jelly, all made to look like mosaic tiles.

Savoury Items

Pick from nine different savoury items like paella, sopa de ajo garlic soup, patatas bravas, tapas, and more.

There are also a range of other desserts like a coffee jelly ice cream, a melon cake, and more, as well as fruity iced candies.

Afternoon Takeout Box

Customers can also get their afternoon tea set to go with a mix of desserts and savouries.

Earth Day Tokyo 2021 is set to run from April 17 to April 25 both online and offline. Messages of eco-friendliness, organic products, sustainability, ethics, and inclusiveness will be at the core of various events held as part of the festival and it will bring together environmental NPOs, charities, and locals.

As part of this year’s Earth Day Tokyo, sustainability and fashion are set to interweave with the SUSTAINABLE FASHION WEEK 2020+1 event which is running on April 24 and 25.

With less than nine years to go until the world must achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Earth Day Tokyo believes individuals need to be doing more to change their lifestyles and the way they do certain things. Fashion is an area that enrichens people’s lives—but it’s also one that can call for environmental action by changing our consumption habits.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION WEEK 2020+1 will bring together various teams and organisations to hold booths and talk sessions online and offline where people can learn about these issues. It’s a collaboration between Fashion Revolution Japan, the Japanese branch of the global Fashion Revolution campaign to reform the fashion industry by enabling a greater transparency in the fashion supply chain amongst other problems. Fashion Revolution Week takes place every year on April 24, the same date as the 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse where 1,134 people died and more than 2,500 people were injured.

The main visual for SUSTAINABLE FASHION WEEK 2020+1 features Japanese singer and artist KOM_I who is best known as a member of the Japanese music group WEDNESDAY CAMPANELA. It was created by HYPE FREE WATER, an artist collective headed by KOM_I and art director Minori Murata. KOM_I will participate in a planned talk program at MIYASHITA PARK on April 24 and 25.

A Message From KOM_I

“HYPE FREE WATER will be taking part in Sustainable Fashion Week at Earth Day this year. Our organisation focuses on the future of water. We want to be able to wear something beautiful without having to make sacrifices like selling out the future or destroying the environment. I’m looking forward to new people getting involved with us as this discussion takes off.”

JIMOTO is a company in Japan whose products and concept is designed around returning to your home or a place you love. Their tote bag brand, JIMOTOTE, is now introducing Tama design bags centred on the Tama area of Tokyo on their official website and at shops around Tama on April 16. They will also be sold at a pop-up shop in as well as at Nonowa Kunitachi from April 16 to 18.

JIMOTO stands for jibun ni modoru tokoro, which is Japanese for that concept of returning to your local region – to your roots. The JIMOTOTE brand started in 2015 with bags design around Hokkaido before introducing Kyushu and Shonan. Tama comes as the fourth entry to the series and includes Kunitahci, Tachikawa, Kichijoji, Chofu, and Hachioji.

This year’s Earth Day Tokyo will take place at Yoyogi Park from April 17-18 where messages of eco-friendliness, organic products, sustainability, ethics, and inclusiveness will be at the core of various events held as part of the festival.

This year marks Earth Day Tokyo’s 20th run as part of the global Earth Day initiative and brings together environmental NPOs, charities, and locals. Due to COVID-19, in-person events will only take place on April 17 and 18 but the festival will run online from April 17 to 25.

Earth Day Tokyo 2021 Concert

Concerts will take place across the two-day Yoyogi Park festival. Many musicians and guests have committed themselves to the future of the planet at the Earth Day Tokyo’s concerts, with past line-ups including Japan’s King of Rock Kiyoshiro Imawano, UA, BONNIE PINK, and more.

This year will see performances from Itou Seikou ITP, Kenichi Nagira, yae, scoobie do, Taiji Sato, Nozomi Nobody, hachi_Aigoz, tico moon, Rokuta Yanagiya, and Ichido Ryutei.

Market area

Every single product at the market booths has a story, and visitors will be able to hear about them from the makers in-person as they shop. And the items sold at the market will be different each day, stocking something to add a little environmental consideration into our lives.

C. W. Nicol’s “Nicol’s Forest Kitchen” sausages help plant forests

The late Welsh-born Japanese writer, actor, and singer-songwriter C. W. Nicol was the Executive Committee Chairman for Earth Day Tokyo from 2000 until his passing last year. He also launched Nicol’s Forest Kitchen in 2011 which has been a regular at Earth Day Tokyo to help protect Japan’s forests. The food stall will make an appearance this year too.

C. W. Nicol began to wonder how he could help raise people’s interest in forests as well as help revitalise forests that had been destroyed. Nicol’s Forest Kitchen project was his answer: to spread awareness through food, and in doing so, the project could help build up forests.

Visitors separate garbage themselves with the help of volunteers

At the Eco Station, volunteer staff will help direct visitors in separating garbage properly, raising awareness on the proper procedures which they can take away home with them.

Tokyu Musix Challenge is set to take place at Bunkamura Orchard Hall this year on March 7 at 18:00.

2020 saw the cancellation of music events across the world, with Japan being no exception. Shibuya, Tokyo’s hub of countless live music venues and halls, was particularly affected by the effects of the pandemic. But the energy and power that music artists hold is one they can offer to brighten up peoples’ time during today’s times. That’s where Tokyu Musix Challenge comes in, a new kind of music festival that will bring together a multitude of genres, and where better for it to be held than the cultural melting pot that is Shibuya.

This year will be the first run of the festival, where a collaboration between classical music and contemporary pop music will clash at Bunkamura Orchard Hall. The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, which is recognised as Japan’s oldest symphony orchestra, will play alongside acts such as Little Glee Monster, Ai Higuchi, Win Morisaki, Meimi Tamura, Kayoko Yoshizawa, ROTH BART BARON, and more. And the line-up is set to grow as more performers will be announced in the lead up to the event.

Comments from the Artists

Little Glee Monster

“We are really looking forward to feeling the fresh breeze of our music colliding with the grand scale of an orchestra. We’ll be sure to play our part so that we don’t lose to the overwhelming performance of everyone in the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, but also so that our music complements theirs. We hope that everyone can have a good time and feel good from the strength that music has.”

Ai Higuchi

“In 2020, we may have all lived kind of complicit with so many options in front of us leading down different paths. A certain friend might have gone to a drinking party, another might not have seen their lover for a long time. What choices do we make? We become darker depending on our choices. In Shibuya, a city that continues to change, I will sing my unchanged songs.”

Win Morisaki

“Over this past year, the respect I have for the position I’m in where I can express myself has really sunk in. I’m so happy I’ve been able to get involved with this challenge. And getting to sing with an orchestra, it’s magnificent. I’m so excited about what’s to come.”

Meimi Tamura

“I can’t contain my excitement at a genre collaboration between classic, which is the foundation of music, and pop which is strongly tied to Shibuya. I think I’m going to start feeling tense at getting to perform alongside everyone in the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and singers of all different kinds of music. We don’t have a lot of freedom today during the pandemic, but I will work my hardest so that I can deliver love through music from the city of Shibuya.”

Kayoko Yoshizawa

“My chest roars and having the opportunity to perform along side Japan’s oldest and longest-running Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra at the legendary Orchard Hall. It’s my first time experiencing singing with an orchestra, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the songs will be structured, and how my voice will sound, when we do it.”

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’ll teach you how to make Baymax mushi-pan steamed bread.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 5 portions

140g strong flour

20g granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

3g dry yeast

3g baking powder

5g vegetable oil

85ml-90ml milk (room temperature)

1

Mix everything together in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also knead the ingredients well by hand.

2

Ferment at 40℃ for 40 minutes. If you don’t have a fermentation machine, leave in a warm environment.

3

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide into five portions and put into separate cups. If using paper cups, rub a little bit of oil inside.

4

Bake in the oven at 40℃ for 20-25 minutes.

5

After baking, steam in a steamer for 12-13 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer, put into a frying pan or large pot with a little bit of water and cover.

6

Once cooled, use some nori seaweed to make Baymax’s face and you’re done!