Japanese confectionery company Lotte is joining white gloves with Mickey and Minnie Mouse to collaborate on their popular chocolatey Choco Pie treats. The tie-up will roll out in Japan from January 26.

Lotte Choco Pie Heartful W Strawberry

Lotte Choco Pie Heartful W Chocolate

Try and find the Mickey head on the packaging

Get your hands on one of 10 packaging designs

Line up these two to make it look like Mickey and Minnie kissing

Handmade Choco Pie Art

This marks Choco Pie’s first collaboration with Disney’s characters with Mickey and Minnie appearing in ten different designs. Each design has a hidden Mickey head to find (like in Kingdom Hearts III). Lotte is has also showcased some unique designs you can make for Valentine’s Day with the Choco Pies, so get creative!

ⓒDisney

K Confect released a batch of its new ‘SNOW SAND’ chocolate sandwich cookies for the winter season on Wednesday (January 20) made with ingredients from Hokkaido and within just 30-minutes the online stock sold out. The company has now been launching a new limited batch every day since January 21st. All orders come with an original polar bear postcard.

Front and back of polar bear postcard

The SNOW SAND sandwich cookie brings some warm and cosy love this cold winter season with its delicious combination of butter made in Hokkaido, wheat flour, and sugar. The cookie packaging comes in two designs based on two works of art by Japanese painter Otani Kazuyoshi.

Japan declared a state of emergency on January 5, 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and so those unable to make it to the company’s pop-up shops at Daimaru Sapporo and Daimaru Tokyo, which will open on January 27, can order the cookies online too.

The St. Regis Osaka, a hotel located in Chuo, Osaka, is seducing couples with the reveal of its luxurious Valentine’s Day dessert line-up which will be sold at the hotel’s Italian restaurant La Veduta from February 1 to 14.

2021 Valentine’s Collection Line-Up

Valrhona Chocolate Bark | Single Bag: ¥1,200 (Before Tax)

A bag of irresistible chocolates made using chocolate by the French premium chocolate brand Valrhona. It’s available in three flavours: Milk (Hazelnut/Miso), Dark (Almond/Soy Sauce), and White (Macadamia/Sake Lees).

Extra Dark Chocolate Gateau Chocolat | ¥2,800 (Before Tax)

A truly full-bodied chocolate experience made with 61% chocolate that can be indulged chilled or warmed up.

Valentine’s Edition Valrhona Guanaja & Jivara Lactee Chocolate Éclairs | ¥750 (Before Tax)

A chocolate cake strip loaded with thick ganache and topped with chocolate-covered hazelnuts to create a bite-sized éclair.

St Regis Signature Brioche | Set of 3: ¥1,000 (Before Tax)

A set of three of St Regis’s signature brioches: the extra dark Valrhona chocolate “Danish,” the Valrhona Guanaja & Jivara Lactee chocolate “Ganache,” and the Valrhona “Passion Fruit Inspiration.”

La Veduta’s Italian Valentine’s Day Menu

Dinner For Two | ¥32,000 (Before Tax)

The menu line-up at La Veduta features a dinner for two which includes an amuse-bouche, marinated Japanese amberjack, heart-shaped ravioli capresi, Tournedos Rossini beef fillet with tai sea bream, a strawberry tiramisu, and tea snacks.

This is a real indulgence for couples looking for a romantic dining experience or treat.

Ginza Cozy Corner released a new parfait and smoothie made with amaou strawberries from Fukuoka Prefecture at its 12 cafes and restaurants on Saturday (January 23).

The amaou strawberry is known for its plump form, rich sweetness, and refreshing flavour. Ginza Cozy Corner has taken this delicious fruit to whip up a parfait topped with strawberry gelato, vanilla ice cream, and fresh cream, as well as a smoothie made from a whole bunch of blended amaou strawberries and milky ice cream.

Left: Fukuoka Amaou Parfait – ¥1,380 (Tax Included) | Right: Fukuoka Amaou COZY Smoothie – ¥1,000 (Tax Included)

The parfait is loaded with four deluxe-size strawberries so you can enjoy their fresh, soft texture together with the ice cream, gelato, and fresh cream combo, while a straw-sip of the ice-mixed smoothie will tickle taste buds sweetly with the sherbet hidden at the bottom.

Café Al Bicerin released a special collection of chocolates in Japan for Valentine’s Day on Wednesday (January 20) in collaboration with Hello Kitty.

Café Al Bicerin is a cafe in Torio, Italy, that first opened back in 1763. It has a long history and is a place that was enjoyed by the likes of Friedrich Nietzsche and Ernest Hemingway.

Bicerin × Hello Kitty Love Assortment | ¥2,160 (Tax Included)

Bicerin × Hello Kitty Love Assortment | ¥2,160 (Tax Included)

Valentine’s Baci di Dama (Includes 5) | ¥1,350 (Tax Included)

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. L617585

Tokyo Neko Neko will open a new branch at ecute Keiyo Street inside Tokyo Station on January 25, 2021.

The launch comes just 6 months after the bakery opened its store in Ginza, attracting customers from all over for its line-up of cat-shaped pastries. Both of these bakeries are the result of yet another branch, Kyoto Neko Neko, which opened in June last year as the first in the line of these cute locations.

Tokyo Station Exclusives: Neko Neko Jam Bread – Marmalade, Caramel, Strawberry, Blueberry

Tokyo Neko Neko Bread – Plain, Chocolate, Caramel Almond, Tsubu-an, Matcha, Soybean

As well as the classic Tokyo Neko Neko Bread—which is like a croissant being loaded with French butter, crunchy on the outside, and moist on the inside—the new Tokyo Station branch is also serving its own exclusive pastry treat: the Neko Neko Jam Bread, made with plenty of milk, and arriving in four irresistible flavours including marmalade, caramel, strawberry, and blueberry. And most important of all: everything is shaped like an adorable kitty.

If you’re travelling through Tokyo Station then don’t miss out on a trip to Tokyo Neko Neko, opening January 25.

McDonald’s Japan is teaming up with Nestlé next week to bring back last years’ customer-favourite McFluffy® KitKat® for a limited time starting on January 27.

McFlurry KitKat | ¥290

The delicious dessert combines McDonald’s tasty soft service ice cream with crushed KitKat and finishes it with a drizzle of special sauce made with couverture chocolate. Mix everything together for pure chocolatey heaven goodness.

McFlurry Oreo | ¥290

McDonald’s Japan also serves the McFlurry Oreo, a regular item on the menu, and right now is the only time you can enjoy comparing the tastes and textures between both the Oreo and KitKat McFlurries.

Which one has you drooling more?

Japanese sweets and dessert brand KAKERI opened pre-orders for its new luxury chocolate “Nihonshu Gateau Chocolat” on Monday (January 18) which is made in collaboration with Inami Shuzo, a distillery based in Miki, Hyogo, a city known for a type of rice called Yamada Nishiki. Pre-order opened exclusively on Makuake.

Daigin Koshu – Bronze Award winner in the Sake category at IWC2020

Inami Shuzo

The chocolate is infused with Daigin Koshu, a sake made by Inami Shuzo which won a Bronze award at the International Wine Challenge for Japanese Sake in 2020. The chocolate is also best paired with a cup of strong sake too. Online orders are shipped in freezer refrigeration and can be eaten frozen too, giving it an ice cake-like texture. If left to defrost in the fridge, the taste and fragrance of the infused sake increases, so sake-lovers can pick how they best want to enjoy their gateau treat.

What makes this chocolate so special is that it enjoys the combination of ingredients and a workforce all from the city of Miki where the distiller is located. The sake is made with a rice called Yamada Nishiki which is grown in Miki and is famous for being used to make sake. The consumption amount of this rice has decreased as a result of the pandemic and so the chocolate was developed to help spread word of the rice and ensure it doesn’t go to waste.

TOKYO MYSTERY CIRCUS, Japan’s first and biggest puzzle-themed theme park, has announced the opening of a new escape game based on the popular manga anime series Chihayafuru which will begin at the site on March 4, 2021.

The immersive story-driven escape game has players take on the role of a member of the Fujiyama High School karuta club. While learning the essential points of competitive karuta from Chigaya Ayase and the gang, they must aim for victory to escape. No prior preparations are necessary – players can book their tickets and just turn up on the day.

This unique escape game takes place in a traditional tatami mat room and combines puzzle-solving skills with competitive karuta in which clues are written on the cards. Fans of the manga and anime series are sure to enjoy this immersive game.

Tickets will go on sale on January 23, 2021 at 12:00 (JST).

©末次由紀／講談社

Creative and sustainable concept store Firsthand released a collection of items in collaboration on Wednesday (January 20) with the TV anime series Kingdom, which is set to begin airing its third season this April, and Japanese artist Kosuke Kawamura. The items are available to buy both online in Japan and at a pop-up store at OPEN STUDIO inside FREAK’S STORE Shibuya.

Firsthand is a Japanese brand centred on upcycling and sustainable production. Fans of the ongoing anime series can get their hands on a range of clothing items, phone cases, and more. If they head to OPEN STUDIO they’ll also find an illustration exhibit, a photo spot, and more. The gallery is also selling posters signed by Kosuke Kawamura.

Will you be watching Season 3 of Kingdom this spring?

FANCL has brought the hot spring experience to its flagship site FANCL Ginza Square for a limited time with a variety of content that makes visitors feel like they’ve come to a Japanese onsen. The experience, named Tabi Suru Square Yu, is running until February 11, 2021.

Café au Lait / Fruit au Lait / Soy Milk Aojiru – ¥300 Each

Reiwa Honzen (FANCL Ginza Square Floor 9F)

Lunch Sana Winter Seafood Bento | ¥3,500

Winter Dinner Seafood Course | From ¥9,000

FANCL BROWN RICE MEALS (FANCL Ginza Square Floor B1F)

Hiroshima Oyster & Spinach Risotto Parmesan Cheese Galette Lunch Set | ¥1,850

Tomato Cream Pasta Lunch Set ¥1,850

Original Hand Towel

FANCL Ginza Square Onsen Essentials Set | ¥3,668

Breathing exercises at SUU-HAKU

At Tabi Suru Square Yu, visitors can enter a room that fully recreates the experience of being in a hot spring. The room is set at the same temperature, is filled with the same aromas, and is decorated in the same way. Visitors sit on one of the relaxation sheets to soak up the experience – effectively getting into a hot spring without having to change their clothes.

A variety of classic drinks and dishes sold at hot springs in Japan will also be sold, and visitors can get involved in the breathing exercises on offer.

CHAVATY, a cafe in Harajuku that serves tea lattes made with high quality tea leaves, is getting ready for Valentine’s Day early with the release of some tasty new desserts which they began serving up on Thursday (January 14).

Valentine’s Set | ¥1,100 (Before Tax)

Valentine’s Scone Set (6 Included) | ¥2,480 (Tax Included)

Raspberry Chocolate | ¥970 (Tax Included)

The Valentine’s Set comes with a cute scone as well as fondant chocolate made with rich, high-grade chocolate from the French chocolate brand Cacao Barry. It also comes with a tea latte of your choice. There’s also a scone set which comes with two each of three different scones for a total of six including the Berry & Cocoa Pink Chocolate, Orange & Chocolate Chip Double Chocolate, and Dried Fruits & Nuts White Chocolate. CHAVATY has also made their own seasonal homemade spread: the Raspberry Chocolate.