Popular Nippon Animation character Coji-Coji is getting a new pop-up store at Tokyo Solamachi, and this one is focused on the 3rd Year Parakeet Class from the series! The shop will be open from September 17 until October 10, 2021, and is located just underneath Tokyo Skytree–you can’t miss it!

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Stamp Card

Original Business Card

Photo Spot

Full Layout

Magnified View (Partial)

Coji-Coji attends school in a fairy tale land, and the 3rd Year Parakeet Class is filled with all kinds of fun characters. The pop-up shop will sell 300 different Coji-Coji items, and will also feature a classroom-inspired photo spot! 

Those who spend more than ¥3,000 (including tax) on either Coji-Coji or Chibi Maruko-chan goods will get a special business card as a gift, with five unique cards available. A different character’s card will be handed out depending on the day of the week!

A special stamp card will be given to guests visiting the shop. Just showing up to the store is enough to earn a stamp, and those with three stamps will receive an original business card as a present. 

‘Saunatte Iiyone!’ is a new street x sauna apparel brand from the mysterious Sauna-ryman (sauna + salaryman) Sauna Manager (@sauna_bucho37), a Tokyo-based Instagrammer who really loves saunas!

Sunglasses Bag Logo Long-sleeved T-shirt

Logo Towel

The manager checks out locations nationwide in search of the perfect sauna, conveying the charms of saunas each day through their Instagram. Their sensational and fun new brand fuses street with the sauna, conveying the owners knowledge and love for the experience. The first items include a long-sleeved t-shirt and towels featuring the brand logo.

They will continue to produce new sauna goods while paying careful attention to fabric and details, so be sure to keep an eye on them!

Publisher Kawade Shobo Shinsha will release two coming-of-age novels on October 14! To promote both The Last Dance of the Time Keepers and Home on the Night of the Star Festival, an anime PV created by the staff of the 2016 anime series Pop in Q and directed by Naoki Miyahara (Digimon Adventure, Dragon Ball Z) has also been released! There are also some pretty famous voice actors featured, so see if you recognize any!

Senya Mihagi, the author of both full-length novels, is an up-and-coming talent, winning the Kadokawa’s Da Vinci Story of Books Award in 2014. The original character designs and cover illustrations for each novel were created by Kouhaku Kuroboshi, who has worked on a number of popular anime works, including Kino’s Journey, Fate/Grand Order, and Sword Art Online Alternative. The PV includes voice actors Asami Seto, Shiori Izawa, Atsumi Tanezaki, Ari Ozawa, and Tomoyo Kurosawa. The music was produced by Yuki Tsujimura, who has collaborated with a number of popular Japanese artists in the past. 

To commemorate the release of the novels, five original postcards featuring art of each main character will be available from Amazon, Kumazawa Books, TSUTAYA, and Miraiya Books. You’ll get a different character depending on where you buy, so double-check beforehand!

Synopsis

The Last Dance of the Time Keepers

Isumi Kominato, a high-school freshman, moves to Tokyo from Kochi Prefecture and forms a new dance unit with her classmates. Behind the scenes, however, strange things are happening–power outages, disappearances, amnesia? Isumi, Aoi, Konatsu, Asahi, and Saki must use the power of dance to help return the world to normal. 

Home on the Night of the Star Festival

Satoshi, known as a child prodigy from the time he was an infant and like a sibling to Iori, died suddenly at the age of twenty-one. Iori, unable to accept his death, runs away to attend college in Tokyo, but three years later, she begins to receive strange e-mails after Satoshi’s belongings, including a smartphone, are given to her. What was he researching before he died, and why was a global IT company involved? What is the truth behind his mysterious death? 

THE STRINGS Omotesando will be offering a new and limited ‘Violet Halloween Afternoon Tea’ at the ‘Cafe & Dining ZelkovA’ 1F between October 5 and October 31 2021.

The Halloween themed afternoon tea offers a selection of cute sweets, including black monster themed Maritozzo and purple taro Mont Blanc cream puffs topped with witch hats.

The cool Autumnal menu is made up of sweet and savory violet snacks, with purple potatoes, cassis, blueberries and more. You’ll find yourself able to taste the season, with the rich fig cheesecake and sweet chestnut scones.

Enjoy bottomless drinks with a selection of 16 herbal and flavored teas, coffees and lattes. You can even enjoy a cup of tea from TWG, a luxury brand from Singapore.

This adult-aimed afternoon tea is full of luxurious ingredients, such as parfait-like organic vegetables and salmon micuy, roasted Angus beef, and violet desserts. Spend your afternoon relaxing on the French and Italian crafted sofas while you take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Why not spend an elegant Autumn afternoon enjoying a luxurious afternoon tea, watching out over the iconic zelkova-lined streets of Omotesando?

Between October 1 and 31 2021, Sumida Aquarium will be hosting the ‘HALLOWEEN in Sumida Aquarium’ event, where you can enjoy an exciting Halloween alongside the Jellyfish. 

A workshop will be held at the event, teaching guests all about the floaty, mysterious and ghost-like jellyfish.

The aquarium’s famous 50m ‘Kaleidoscope Tunnel,’ which is formed of 5,000 mirrors, will be transformed into a Halloween wonderland for the ‘Jellyfish and Halloween’ event. Eight aquariums are embedded into the walls, with colorful background panels which feature Halloween motifs such as witches and pumpkins. The jellyfish look just like festive ghosts!

Moon Jellyfish Aquarium in the Kaleidoscope Tunnel 

Each aquarium introduces seven mysterious facts about jellyfish – For example, did you know that jellyfish have no heart, and have tons of eyes?

The mysterious tunnel wall is covered in images of cute jellyfish that transform into ghosts and jack-o-lanterns, while Halloween themed music plays in the background.

A jellyfish comparison workshop

A jellyfish comparison workshop will also be held at the aquarium’s Aqua Academy. Young children can participate in the workshop which explains the visual differences between different types of jellyfish, while crafting a cute jellyfish mobile under staff supervision.

Spend this Halloween at the incredible Sumida Aquarium!

The Heike Story, now airing on Fuji TV on Demand in Japan and Funimation in the United States, has released some new visuals. The series is set to premiere on Fuji TV’s +Ultra block in January 2022. The new visual shows a profile shot of Biwa (voiced by Aoi Yuuki), a blind priestess with the ability to see the future. A new 15-second PV has also been released, and translator Hideo Furukawa, artist Fumiko Takano, and character designer Takashi Kojima have also posted comments on the project’s official website. 

The Heike Story PV (15-second version)

The 90-second version of the show’s ending theme unified perspective by Kensuke Ushio is now available to stream. 

The Heike Story is based on Hideo Furukawa’s 2016 modern translation of The Tale of the Heike, an epic tale from the 13th century. It is produced by Science Saru and produced by Kyoto Animation’s Naoko Yamada, known for her directorial work on A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird, and K-On!

Comment from Translator Hideo Furukawa

The Tale of the Heike is a story all Japanese people should know, but in my opinion, many people misunderstand it. This is likely because people are typically only exposed to a very small piece of a much larger story. If you read through the entirety of the book, you’ll find plenty of examples of the horror of war. It’s sad. There’s a need to repose the souls of the dead, a need to mourn the dead. But in addition to the men who play the main roles on the battlefield, there’s even more drama depicted by women. Who knew that the main characters in The Tale of the Heike also include women? I wanted this anime series to show that. It’s vivid. Poignantly so. This series touches on points once hidden in the original work. Biwa, the main character, is sure to pull on your heartstrings. 

Comment from Artist Fumiko Takano  

When I began sketching the characters, I started with Shigemori, then moved on to the Heike brothers, starting with the youngest. 

All of them are incredibly handsome. They’re unlike the kinds of guys I usually draw in my own manga. 

In the middle of the design stage, I was shown the director’s storyboard. 

I was so happy when I saw Biwa all over the place, with her round face and her curious eyes. 

This series is fresh and new, and I just want to thank everyone who gave me the opportunity to be a part of it. 

Comment from Character Designer, Takashi Kojima

(It’s fantastic, so be sure to watch!)

©「平家物語」製作委員会

Maison Kitsuné, a popular Parisian lifestyle brand that produces unique music and fashion items, has collaborated with Japanese mask brand PITTA MASK, a brand which has become famous for its extraordinary outlook. The trendy mask was unveiled at NYFW: The Shows on September 10 2021. 

The collaboration combines the creative direction of both Maison Kitsuné and PITTA MASK, working together to transform the typical mask, which has become a daily necessity, into something fun and stylish, all while maintaining the spirit of each individual brand.

PITTA MASK and Maison Kitsuné, a lifestyle brand known for combining fashion and music,  have collaborated to create a stylish and colorful mask that goes beyond just protecting the face, both practical and fashionable.

The two collaboration masks, which were unveiled during New York Fashion Week, will be presented as a free gift to customers who spend over ¥8,000 (Excl. Tax) in Maison Kitsuné stores in New York, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka from the end of September. The set is made up of two masks, in navy and white.

Quantities are limited, so be sure to check out the latest information on social media!

DOBERMAN INFINITY is a four-MC, one-vocalist group that formed in 2014. The group is always moving towards their best goal, holding their first solo performance at Japan Budokan in 2018 and celebrating their fifth anniversary with the ‘DOBERMAN INFINITY LIVE TOUR 2019 5IVE ~We Will Meet in the Promised Place~’ arena tour in 2019. 

The group ventured on a national tour recently, marking their first tour in over a year and a half. WOWOW have announced that the Tokyo Garden Theatre performance, which was held on September 13, will be broadcast through their service on November 23 2021. DOBERMAN INFINITY member P-CHO spoke, saying “I want to tell everybody who listens to DOBERMAN’s music that, as the tour name states, you are ‘HERE.'”

Even though the audience was unable to shout and cheer, the venue was packed with more exciting productions than ever before. Don’t miss out on this passionate live concert, where you can see the bonds between the members, the band, and the music!

KRISPY KREME DONUTS Japan has unveiled its screamingly delicious new Halloween themed donut selection, the “KRISPY KREME SKREMES!,” which will be available nationwide between October 1 and October 31 2021.

Halloween Jack Caramel & Custard

Blood Strawberry Skull

Halloween Dozen (12 pieces)

Halloween Half-Dozen (6 pieces)

Halloween Box (3 pieces)

Mini Box (20 pieces)

Mini Half-Box (10 pieces)

Mini Mini-Box (3 pieces) 

This year’s KKDJ Halloween selection will include a new skull donut alongside the ever-popular Jack. In addition, in the lead up to Halloween, Jack and the Skull’s expressions will become increasingly scarier between the 25 and 31st! Don’t miss out on these ever-changing designs.

First in the lineup is the ‘Halloween Jack Caramel & Custard,’ a pumpkin and caramel flavored Jack-o-Lantern which returns every Halloween. The ‘Blood Strawberry Skull,’ released this year, featured a monster with a milky white chocolate face, with sweet white and bitter dark chocolate eyes. In addition, you can order ‘Halloween Sprinkles’ for a colorful Halloween aesthetic, and ‘Spider Chocolate Custard” which will turn your custard into a spider web shape!

The ‘Halloween Dozen’ and ‘Halloween Half-Dozen,’ which feature four types of Halloween donut, and the famous ‘Original Glazed®’ will be served in limited edition Halloween themed boxes for the season. The ‘Mini-box’ donuts have even transformed into tiny monsters! Be sure to check out these colorful and exciting new sweets.

Chuang 2021, the Chinese version of the vocal audition show Produce 101, put vocalist Kaz (Kazuma Mitchell) on the map. A member of the boy band INTERSECTION, he’s been garnering massive attention for his sweet voice, good looks, and Harvard-grade intelligence. 

The singer’s first EP, CODE LOVE, was released on September 13, 2021, and the music video for the track Drown feat. Hikari Mitsushima has also been uploaded to YouTube!

Kazuma himself produced the track, and as the title would suggest, the song will have listeners drowning in emotion. Hikari Mitsushima makes an appearance, and the video itself was directed by Takeshi Maruyama, who also directed MONDO GROSSO’s Labyrinth. The video itself expertly captures the moment when two people fall in love. 

Kaz – Drown feat. Hikari Mitsushima MV

On the day of the video’s release, it received over 500,000 views on the Chinese version of Twitter, Weibo. CODE LOVE also ranked at #1 on the daily album ranking of NetEase, China’s major music streaming service, on release day. Upon the release of White Stallion, another song on the EP, Kaz set a NetEase record for most downloads for a Japanese artist.

Hotel Gracery Taipei, which can be found inside Taiwan’s TOKYU HANDS Tailung, have opened the new ‘HANDS CONCEPT ROOM’ which offers the experience of visiting Japan without having to get on a plane.

‘Take a Vacation to HANDS’ Room

‘Go Camping at HANDS’ Room

Coupon

TOKYU HANDS Tailung have created two new concept rooms, the ‘Take a Vacation to HANDS’ room and the ‘Go Camping at HANDS’ room. While it is difficult to visit Japan at the moment, these rooms provide an authentic Japanese experience which allows guests to experience the culture and feel the charms of Japan.

The ‘Take a Vacation to HANDS’ room is based on Mount Fuji, Japanese railways, and vending machines, which are popular even in Taiwan. Popular tourist spots are also recreated using famous characters. 

The ‘Go Camping at HANDS’ room is inspired by glamping, which has become popular in Taiwan, using outdoor equipment to create a fun, indoor camping experience.

The guest-limited service also offers guests two 10% coupons, one that can be used while shopping at TOKYU HANDS Tailung and one that can be used for accommodation. During the campaign period, guests who spend over 5,000 Yuan at TOKYU HANDS Tailung will be entered into a lottery to win a one-night stay in the new themed rooms.

 Try Japanese-inspired indoor camping with the new ‘HANDS CONCEPT ROOM!’

Fall is in the air, which means seasonal treats are back at Starbucks! The Sweet Potato Frappuccino will be available at participating Starbucks locations beginning September 22, which also happens to be the first day of autumn. 

The 4th annual Artful Autumn @ Starbucks promotion is back for 2021! This year’s concept is ‘Made by Earth,’ and the lineup of new products features fall ingredients that highlight the bounty of the planet. 

Tall Sweet Potato Frappuccino To-Go: ¥638 / In-store: ¥650

The new drink is filled with the flavor of baked sweet potato, honey, and molasses. Each beverage is made with roasted sweet potatoes that have been cut into pieces, keeping some of their unique texture. Sweet potato flakes sprinkled on top add a bit of crunch!

If you’re in Japan, be sure to grab one before they’re gone!