The Tokyo, Osaka, and Makuhari branches of Hotel New Otani are now serving seasonal autumn versions of their specially made pancakes at their coffee shop and all-dining restaurant SATSUKI until November 30, 2020

Fantastically fluffy pancakes

Hotel New Otani has been serving its special pancakes for the past 10 years which have become a favourite amongst guests.

The hotel’s pastry chefs have whisked up a variety of flavours in line with the changing seasons this past decade using strictly-selected ingredients including strawberry, melon, mango, chestnut, and more.

A marriage of rich chestnut and fluffy pancake

Hotel New Otani Specially Made Chestnut Pancakes 2020 | ¥2,800 (Before Tax/Service Charge)

Chestnuts are the flavourful theme for autumn 2020’s pancakes, made with strictly-selected chestnut astringent skin, sweet bean jelly, and topped with a chestnut macaron.
The pancakes are served with melt-in-the-mouth Italian ricotta. There are two different doughs, one made from coffee flour which has high nutritional value, and the hotel’s original “White Cereal” which is a combination of millets and amaranth.
The pancakes are cooked on a low heat for about 5 minutes on each side so they rise to a fluffy 5cm thickness and become startlingly smooth.

Strawberries for winter

For this year’s winter, the hotel will be serving strawberry pancakes.

Enjoy a selection of seasonal pancakes when staying at Hotel New Otani.

The Tokyo branch of New York-based restaurant chain Sarabeth’s has announced a special autumn event that goes by the name ‘HIGH TEA TERRACE NIGHT.’ Set to run from September 23 to October 31, customers will be able to sit on a rooftop terrace in the evening with Tokyo’s towering cityscape surrounding them while drinking sparkling wine and other all-you-can-drink free-flow alcoholic beverages—high tea style.

High tea refers to post-dinner evening tea time. At Sarabeth’s, customers can look forward to dining on a special set menu for grown-ups with alcohol and other treats.

High Tea Style Set Menu With Free Drink | ¥5,000 (Before Tax)

Served on an afternoon tea stand, tuck into six different appetisers, meatball sliders, and truffle flavoured French fries. For the main dish, there’s steak made in a red wine sauce and boletus mushrooms. Free drinks include sparkling wine, red and white wine, beer, high balls, cocktails, soft drinks, and more.

Feel the evening breeze of autumn while indulging in a special high tea experience in Tokyo.

Hi, everyone. It’s Banako of MOSHI MOSHI FRIENDS. Today I’m reviewing Chatei Hatou, a long-standing cafe in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Shibuya is a place that bustles with youth culture and fashion. It’s also home to many eateries, but there aren’t many places around that you can go to to get away from the busy streets for a quiet break.

Chatei Hatou opened in 1989 at Miyamasuzaka Shita in Shibuya, where it has gone unchanged and welcomed customers for the past 30 years. It’s very easy to get to, being just a 3-minute stroll from the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station.

When opening the door to the cafe and stepping inside, the first thing to jump out at you are the rows of coffee cups lined up along shelves behind the counter.

The coffee cup collection features a selection of works by many different makers. There’s even a cup in there valued at ¥200,000!

The antiques littered here and there around the cafe elevate the vibe of the cafe. There’s a number of seating areas, including the counter seats as well as tables for two, four, or big groups.

I felt the faint tasty scent of the Japanese pudding calling to me so I went and ordered a pumpkin pudding along with a hot chocolate.

Cafe Chocolat (Hot) ¥950 / Pumpkin Pudding ¥500

The pumpkin pudding was nice and moist and rich in flavour. Nothing short of delicious. It’s made even sweeter when eaten together with the fluffy whipped cream―which also elevates the flavour of the pumpkin too.

I was inspired by the cafe owner to go for the cup I chose for my hot chocolate. There is so much variety between the cups; it’s fun getting to see rare ones. Be sure to check their Instagram page where they have more detailed write-ups about their coffee cups and coffee varieties.

The cafe has a selection of original coffee blends which they make fresh with the utmost care and consideration. You can buy their coffee beans, take cake away from you, and even order whole cakes, so you can enjoy their delights at home.

Chatei Hatou has stood together with Shibuya these past 30 years. According to the owner, the most important thing about running a cafe is making sure its doors are always open. It’s been tough as a result of the pandemic this year, but the cafe is still there as a part of people’s lives.

The next time you’re in Shibuya, why not enjoy a drink and a sit down at Chatei Hatou?

Isetan Shinjuku is now hosting its “Living with ART” event on the 5th floor of the main building until September 29, 2020.

Living with ART brings together collections of artistic products by designers from both inside and outside Japan, from unique items to add accent to your daily life to more daily-use bits and bobs.

STUDIO THE BLUE BOY comes to Isetan Shinjuku for the first time

<STUDIO THE BLUE BOY> Wavy Gradient rug – Orange × Yellow | ¥289,000 (Before Tax)

Keisuke Shoda is a Tokyo-based designer and art director whose name is known both in Japan and overseas. He creates products for his art studio, STUDIO THE BLUE BOY, all of which are sold exclusively online from rugs to interior products and more. Exhibiting at Isetan Shinjuku for the first time, STUDIO THE BLUE BOY’s lineup will include their popular rugs, fragrances, bags, and more.

<STUDIO THE BLUE BOY> Zen Garden Collection (Left: Charcoal Grey, Right: Matcha Deep Green) | ¥329,000 Each (Before Tax)

Visitors will also be able to order the Charcoal Grey and Matcha Deep green rugs early from the studio’s new Zen Garden Collection line.

Valeria Vasi showcases their new range in Japan for the first time

<Valeria Vasi> Vases | ¥12,000-¥75,000 Each (Before Tax)

Barcelona-based designer Valeria Vasi is showcasing her iconic and eye-catching handcrafted vases. Her designs are simple, but have their own beauty and quality, giving room for a single flower to express its own beauty. She will be selling around 40 items.

<Valeria Vasi> Vases | ¥34,000-¥45,000 (Before Tax)

As well as her ceramic vases, which have a beautiful glossy finish, Valeria Vasi is also selling her newest glass-type vases in Japan for the first time.

Young artists’ pictures turned into blankets

<Slowdown Studio> Blanket | ¥32,000 (Before Tax)

Slowdown Studio’s products are available in 16 countries worldwide. It is a home product brand that makes items using pictures and illustrations created by young artists around the world. At the event, they will be selling 10 different kinds of blankets, including three from their new TOKYO COLLECTION together with Japanese artists.

<Slowdown Studio> Blanket | ¥32,000 (Before Tax)

The blankets can even be used as wall art.

This is just a snippet of what will be on show at Living with ART. If you’re in Tokyo this month, don’t miss out on the event.

In this edition of The Café That You Want to Visit to See Someone, I visited Kayaba Coffee, a coffee shop in Yanaka, Tokyo, which is a perfect example of the old and traditional shitamachi neighbourhoods.

Kayaba Coffee is just a 10-minute walk from both Nezu Station and Nippori Station.

This is a place I’ve visited in my private time out of work and I’m always excited to go. Kayaba Coffee was established in 1938, and actually closed in 2006. But due to public demand, the cafe reopened just two years later in 2008. It’s a popular coffee shop loved by people of all generations.

Time to head on in.

The first floor houses the counter and table seats, while the seating on the second floor is traditional zashiki style on tatami flooring. Although it’s a cafe, you I feel so relaxed in there that it’s like I’m visiting my grandma’s house. The sun shines through the big windows, making you all warm and want to take a nap.

I ordered their super popular egg sandwich! The menu was changed in May this year, and a new and improved version of their egg sandwich was put on there. It’s made using sourdough bread from VANER, a local bakery in Uenosakuragi not far from the cafe.

Breakfast Menu – Egg Sandwich | ¥1,000

The chewy, sour bread is the perfect combination with the fluffy eggs.

Lemon Squash | ¥600

The lemon squash has a cinnamon aftertaste. Everything on the menu is made with love and perfection; before I realised it, I was hooked on going there.

Strawberry Shaved Ice | ¥800

This was my first shaved ice of the year! I went with the classic strawberry flavour. The syrup is super juicy and nearly collapsed the fluffy shaved ice the moment I put it on. It has a syrupy texture and the strawberry juice has a sweet and sour kick that’s just simply delightful♡

And you can make it even sweeter by pouring over your desired amount of condensed milk. It was really tasty.

Kayaba Coffee is the same as it was back in the day, and continues to be loved dearly. I think even people who visit it for the first time will feel a sense of nostalgia. If you have a place you can go to relax on bad days or when you’re feeling down, it’s sure to give you the strength to work hard again. This cafe is a wonderful place that’s close to people’s hearts.

I want to visit there again already.

Writer/Model: Ema Tanioku
Photographer: Haruka Yamamoto
Design: Yuko Takayama (ASOBISYSTEM)

Translator: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga

A new spaghetti carbonara restaurant by the name of Nama Carbonara opened in Harajuku, Tokyo on September 17, 2020.

The restaurant opened in the same building as Harajuku’s popular fresh cream shop MILK and bubble tea shop Mot Tram. The restaurant makes its own fresh flat pasta everyday and uses fresh, rich cream sourced from Hokkaido.

The current menu lineup consists of six dishes, from classic carbonara to Japanese twists. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Classic Carbonara | ¥790

Walleye Pollack Roe Japanese Carbonara | ¥1,090

Freshly Grated Cheese & Bacon Carbonara | ¥1,090

Seafood, Avocado & Basil Carbonara | ¥1,190

Discover a brand new world of carbonara like never before at Nama Carbonara in Harajuku.

Tower Records Shibuya will host an exhibition dedicated to the ongoing manga series Tokyo Revengers from September 26 to October 18. The exhibition is being held to promote the release of the 19th volume which hits shelves in Japan on September 17.

Tokyo Revengers is a manga series written and illustrated by Ken Wakui. An anime adaptation is scheduled to broadcast in 2021.

The exhibition will feature a variety of works drawn by Ken Wakui for the series, both black and white as well as coloured illustrations, as well as panels of each character, and more. There will also be an exhibit for the upcoming live-action film.

Tokyo Revengers x TOWER RECORDS OSMO Stamps (22 Designs) | ¥909 Each (Before Tax)

Tokyo Revengers Monochrome Panels | ¥30,000 Each (Before Tax, Includes Shipping)

Fans can also get their hands on a range of exhibition-exclusive merchandise, and from October, the exhibition will sell some Tokyo Revengers x Tower Records collaborative merch. There’ll be some signed artwork for sale too.

Character Business Cards (11 Designs)

And for every ¥1,000 spent at the exhibit, fans will receive one of 11 possible character business cards.

Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama is a new hotel which opened on July 1 this year. Easily spotted by its pink exterior, the hotel offers Grand Nikko’s brand concept of guests releasing all of their sense to enjoy a relaxing and sophisticated time while providing a refreshing resort-like experience.

This Halloween, the hotel’s all-dining restaurant Le Jardin will serve up its “Happy Halloween Sweets Buffet” from October 10 to 16.

There will be 20 different desserts to pick from all in pastel colours, offering a different kind of Halloween vibe. Desserts are decorated with cute Halloween motifs like Jack-o’-lanterns, ghosts, and pumpkins. The chefs will also be certain desserts in front of guests like pumpkin mont blanc, praline mille-fuille, and pavlova.

There will also be a savoury menu too like roast beef in onion sauce, seafood acqua pazza, bread, salad, soups, and more, as well as soft drinks and non-alcoholic cocktails.

The restaurant will be restricting the number of people allowed in the dining area at once to protect diners during the pandemic.

Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, a museum and hotel combination, is home to New American Grill “KANADE TERRACE,” the hotel’s restaurant popular for its food grilled in the open kitchen, its afternoon teas made with seasonal ingredients, and cocktail lineup.

This autumn, Hotel Gajoen Tokyo is serving up its new “Shine Muscat Parfait,” an richly-sweet and elegance-scented dessert made using Shine Muscat grapes.

Shine Muscat Parfait ¥2,800 | With Champagne ¥3,600 (Before Tax & Service Charge)

The parfait is layered with Kyoho grape and shampagne jelly, crémet d’Anjou which is made from fresh cheese, and maqui berry granola. It’s topped with blackcurrant sherbet and tuile.

teamLab Borderless is a world of artwork without boundaries, a museum without a map created by art collective teamLab. Over at their museum in Tokyo, MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: EPSON teamLab Borderless, they are exhibiting a range of autumn themed digital art in time for the changing seasons. Let’s take a closer look at what’s on show.

September Flowers

October Flowers

Proliferating Immense Life – A Whole Year per Year | teamLab, 2020, Interactive Digital Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

Proliferating Immense Life – A Whole Year per Year looks at the life cycle of flowers. Throughout the year, with the passing of time, flowers bloom and change. They bud, grow, and blossom before their petals begin to wither and eventually fade away. The cycle of growth and decay repeats itself in perpetuity as the flowers propagate. When too many flowers grow, they scatter and fade all at once. When people touch them, the flower petals scatter and fall away

A variety of autumn flowers will be recreated in digital art, such as Blackberry Lily (September) and Red Spider Lily (October). Visitors who touch these digital flowers will see them wither and decay, and subsequently bloom new flowers in their place.

Rice Fields

Autumn Colours
Memory of Topography | teamLab, 2018, Interactive Digital Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

This artwork installation depicts a rural mountain landscape of varying elevations. The scenery instills in the viewer a feeling of eternal permanence, however with the flow of real time the scenery is continuously changing. In the spring, the rice fields are still small and lush. In summer, they begin to mature, and in fall, they turn a golden color.

The colours of autumn will be depicted in its glorious combination of golds and reds for the exhibit.

Forest of Resonating Lamps – One Stroke, Autumn Mountain | teamLab, 2016, Interactive Installation, Murano Glass, LED, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

When a person stands still close to a lamp at Forest of Resonating Lamps – One Stroke, Autumn Mountain, it shines brightly and emits a colour that resonates out. The light becomes the starting point, and it spreads to the two nearest lamps. The light from the two nearest lamps transmits the same colour to other lamps, spreading out continuously. The light transmitted always resonates out as a bright light once, passing to close lamps, until all lamps have shone brightly once, and then returns to the first lamp.

For October, this exhibit will turn into Forest of Resonating Lamps – One Stroke, Autumn Mountain.

Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup | teamLab, 2016, Interactive Digital Installation, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

Make tea, and flowers bloom inside the teacup. If you pick up the teacup, the flowers scatter and spread outside of the cup. Flowers bloom infinitely as long as there is tea. The tea in the teacup becomes an infinite world in which the flowers continue to bloom. Drink in the infinitely expanding world.

The exhibition hall’s tea house “EN TEA HOUSE” will see a variety of autumnal flowers used including safflower, dianthus, and Chinese aster for September and cosmos, osmanthus, and chrysanthemum for October.

Crayon Shin-chan: Crash! Rakuga Kingdom and Almost Four Heroes was released on September 11, 2020 as the 28th animated feature film in the Crayon Shin-chan series. To promote the film, a themed cafe is set to open at BOX cafe&space in the city of Koshigaya in Saitama Prefecture from October 1 to November 1.

The cafe originally opened at TOKYO PARADE inside Shibuya PARCO back in March for a limited time, and now it’s headed north of Tokyo to Saitama.

Shin-chan fans can look forward to a menu lineup of dishes, drinks, and desserts inspired by the film’s theme of “drawing.”

Rakuga Kingdom Cafe Crayon Shin-chan Curry | ¥1,390 (Before Tax)

The Shin-chan curry is a spicy yellow curry combined with coconut milk. The white sauce is inspired by the light blue colour of the smocks worn at Futaba Kindergarten in the series.

Rakuga Kingdom Cafe Buriburizaemon Curry | ¥1,390 (Before Tax)

This one’s a spicy black masala curry centred on Buriburizaemon.

Uki Uki Da Zo Crayon Shin-chan Pancakes | ¥1,390 (Before Tax)

Pancakes toped with cream and a cute Shin-chab illustration. It’s served with a wafer featuring pictures of other characters from the film.

Minna Suki ni Kakeba? Rakugaki Pudding Plate | ¥1,390 (Before Tax)

Two pudding tarts and a crepe which you can draw on with a chocolate pen to create your own cute illustrations like Shin-chan.

Shin-Chan’s Miracle Colourful Jelly Soda ¥890 | Shiro’s Cotton Candy Strawberry Milk ¥990 (Before Tax)

A soda served with jelly in five different colours and a strawberry milk topped with Shiro who’s made from cotton candy. It becomes a sweet strawberry milk as soon as the cotton candy hits and melts into the drink.

Pin Badges (8 Designs) | ¥400 (Before Tax)

Canvas Art | ¥3,500 (Before Tax) *Limited edition

Bonus Items

The merchandise lineup features items with original artwork. There’s also bonus items for customers who book a table in advance as well as order a drink.

Enter the Rakugaki Kingdom of drawing at the limited-time Crayon Shin-chan cafe.

ⒸYoshito Usui/Futabasha・Shinei・TV Asahi・ＡＤＫ 2020

The National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT) introduces Japan’s distinctive culture to all areas of the world. The project started with MANGA＊ANIME＊GAMES from JAPAN which ran from June 24 – August 31, 2015. This was followed by the same exhibit held in Thailand and Myanmar. In 2018, as part of Japonismes 2018: les âmes en resonance, the NACT held the MANGA⇔TOKYO exhibition (November 29 – December 30, 2018) in Paris, France, which attracted over 30 thousand visitors. This time, the NACT will bring the renovated exhibition back to Japan.

Over 500 items are being displayed, including original drawings of manga and materials related to anime production, from a total of over 90 titles.

The largest ever MANGA exhibition in the country

The exhibition displays over 500 items such as original drawings of manga, production documents and visuals of anime and games, from the total of more than 90 titles of manga, anime, games and tokusatsu (SFX films) works that are closely related to Tokyo, in a 2000 m² exhibition space.

1/1000 Scale Giant Model of Tokyo and Visuals Installation

模型制作：株式会社ニシムラ精密地形模型／株式会社マーブリングファインアーツHD

A 1/1000 scale giant model of Tokyo, 17m wide and 22m long, along with visuals of anime, games and tokusatsu (SFX films) works staged in Tokyo, will allow spectators to experience the intertwined relations between “Tokyo” and “MANGA.”

Exhibits are displayed so that visitors can experience the integrated reality of “Tokyo,” with scenes of various stories and memories of characters merging into the real cityscapes.

Installation to Experience Reality merged with Characters

While manga, anime, games and tokusatsu (SFX films) in Japan have been influenced by the existing city, characters from those works appear in the sphere of reality, such as at stations, on trains and at convenience stores, altering the scenes and images of the city. It has become part of everyday life for those who live in Tokyo to live side by side with characters, which this exhibition will show through various installations.

Section 1: Cycles of Deconstruction and Reconstruction

EVANGELION:2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE. ©khara

“AKIRA”
Based on the graphic novel “Akira” by Katsuhiro Otomo. First published by “Young Magazine”,Kodansha Ltd.
© 1988 MASH・ROOM/ AKIRA COMMITTEE All Rights Reserved.

Depiction of catastrophic damages to Tokyo, inflicted by unprecedented natural disasters or mysterious creatures, is almost routine in Japanese manga, anime, games and tokusatsu works. This section includes works with themes of  “destruction and reconstruction.”

Section 2: Life in Tokyo

The three sections Edo as Pre-Tokyo, From the Beginning of Modernization to the Post-modern City, and From the End of the Century to the Present represent different eras of Japanese history.The exhibit depicts Tokyo as a place where ordinary people live despite the surreal experience of city-wide destruction and reconstruction.

Edo As Pre-Tokyo

“Sakuran”　ANNO Moyoco　©Moyoco Anno / Cork

From the Beginning of Modernization to the Post-modern City

“Rurouni Kenshin” WATSUKI Nobuhiro　©Nobuhiro Watsuki / SHUEISHA

“CITY HUNTER” by HOJO Tsukasa　© 1985 by TSUKASA HOJO/NSP

From the End of the Century to the Present

“Solanin”　ASANO Inio　© Inio Asano / Shogakukan

“5 Centimeters Per Second”　© Makoto Shinkai / CoMix Wave Films

Section 3: Characters vs. the City

The Life-sized Unicorn Gundam statue in Odaiba.
Location: DiverCity Tokyo Plaza　© SOTSU, SUNRISE

The last section focuses on characters existing alongside real life, for example, in cities as mascots for promotions, in advertising and in tourism.

Explore the history between Tokyo and Japanese pop culture media at MANGA⇔TOKYO.