Matsuya Ginza opened its POKÉMON COLORS exhibition on July 22 which is set to run until August 11. The event is a kaleidoscope of bright colours and shapes of Pokémon and Pokémon motifs, with four activities and one installation to enjoy, as well as 160 original pieces of merchandise for fans to buy.

Logo mark

Art Deli Key Visual | ¥4,400

Pikachu Design Pouches – Assorted Pokémon Design Pouches | Small: ¥1,650 Each, Large ¥3,300 Each

Get your hands on a range of vivid and stylish Pokémon items, take photos at the many different photo spots dotted around the event, and learn the latest news about the Pokémon franchise.

Indigo dye art piece

Dangling from the first floor atrium is a 20-meter Pokémon art piece made by the dye group BUAISOU who used the traditional Japanese art of indigo dyeing to create it.

©2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
ポケットモンスター・ポケモン・Pokémonは任天堂・クリーチャーズ・ゲームフリークの登録商標です。

From Hello Kitty to Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, and more – Sanrio’s internationally adored cast of characters can be universally agreed to be representatives of Japan culture of ‘kawaii.’ In celebration of Sanrio’s 60th anniversary, the company have announced an exhibition centred on the beginning of kawaii culture. The event will take place at TOKYO CITY VIEW from September 17, 2021 to January 10, 2022.

60th Anniversary Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii recently finished up at the Matsuzakaya Art Gallery in Nagoya on June 12 and is set to move to Ōita Prefectural Art Museum where it will run from July 10 to September 5 before heading to TOKYO CITY VIEW. This exhibition will not only look back over Sanrio’s 60-year history, but will also dive into how Japan’s culture of ‘kawaii’ came about. Fans of Sanrio and Japan’s kawaii can expect product and design showcases, in-depth explanations, and more.

Sebastian Masuda’s iconic artwork is the centrepiece of the exhibition

Entrance exhibit in the daytime

At the entrance of the venue is the Unforgettable Tower, a symbolic art piece by Sebastian Masuda created exclusively for this exhibition which towers 6 meters tall. It’s made up of countless plushies of Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty.

Entrance exhibit in the evening

The kawaii installation stands gorgeously against the cityscape of Tokyo which makes for an Instagrammable photo in the evenings when the city is lit up. The piece, as its name suggests, hopes to create unforgettable memories. The exhibition is set to run through Halloween, Christmas, and New Year, so visitors are sure to make some memorable ones.

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. SP610376

Shouta Aoi’s voice as the tour guide

Having lent his voice to other Sanrio events, including at Sanrio Puroland and in collaboration with the Little Twin Stars, the Japanese singer, actor, and voice actor Shouta Aoi has recorded announcements for the exhibition which will be played to guide people around the event.

A themed menu created for the Tokyo exhibition

From Left: Anniversary Afternoon Tea / Hello Kitty Daisuki Fried Apple Mille-Feuille / Cinnamoroll’s Balloon Trip

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. SP610376

THE SUN & THE MOON, a cafe and restaurant fusion on the same floor of the exhibition, will serve up food, desserts, and non-alcoholic cocktails inspired by the Sanrio characters. Special seasonal afternoon tea sets will also be sold on Halloween, Christmas, and more too.

Dates
Restaurant: September 17, 2021 – January 10, 2022

Cafe: December 15, 2021 – January 10, 2021

*Closed December 21-26

The main exhibition

The exhibition will be split into six zones with 10 different themes. Over 800 products, documents, and materials related to Sanrio will be presented, many of which will shine a spotlight on some of their most famous characters out of their roster of 400, such as Hello Kitty and My Melody, and other characters that might not be known to those outside Japan such as best friends Patty & Jimmy. It’s a chance to walk through the history of Sanrio and Japan’s culture of kawaii.

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. SP610376

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. SP610376

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. SP610376

One of the six zones will look into secrets of Sanrio through the globally-beloved kawaii icon Hello Kitty. Another will display outfits such as the Hello Kitty dress worn by Lady Gaga.

Original merchandise

A small peek at just some of the items available

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. SP610376

Sanrio fans can also get their hands on a collection of merchandise with designs ranging from the exhibition’s main visual to classic designs. There will be over 100 items to sift through.

Tickets for the exhibition will be available from August 1. A limited number of special tickets that include free merch will also be released.

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. SP610376

Tower Records has announced Rilakkuma x Tower Records Campaign 2021, an event set to run from August 4 to August 29. The retail music chain is joining paws with Rilakkuma and company for a campaign with the theme “Wow, what a surprise!” at Tower Records stores, their online shop, and Tower Records Cafe.

Merch collab line-up

Tower Records has collaborated with Rilakkuma every year since 2009. This year sees the arrival of brand new original merchandise, a CD, and themed cafe.

The merchandise will be available at 27 Tower Records stores, Tower Records Cafe Omotesando, and online. Enjoy adorable original artwork of Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Chairokoguma, and Kiiroitori. There’s lots of freebies to get your hands on too – check out the line-up below.

Available at 27 Tower Records stores, Tower Records Cafe Omotesando, and the online shop

Available at Tower Records Shibuya, Tower Records Cafe Omotesando, and the online shop

Free character cards with every purchase

Red Rilakkuma zabuton floor cushion

For this year’s campaign, Rilakkuma fans can win themselves a zabuton floor cushion too. For a chance to win, you need to sign up online.

Tower Records x Rilakkuma CD cover

Postcard included with CD

The eighth Tower Records x Rilakkuma CD includes background music for doing yoga. There are 15 popular J-pop tracks in total which can be enjoyed for just chilling out to as w2ell.

Themed cafe menu

The cafe collaboration at Tower Records Cafe Omotesando takes on an American diner theme. Takeout drinks will also be available at the Nagoya Sakae SKYLE and Umeda NU Chayamachi branches too.

At Tower Records Omotesando

Table mats at Tower Records Omotesando

Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Chairokoguma, and Kiiroitori themed dishes, drinks, and desserts

Receive a free fan when you book a table in advance

Receive a free postcard when you order from the collab menu

Set of 3 original stickers

Free postcard when ordering from the Special Menu

Free postcard when you order a takeout bottle

Collect all six stamps in the stamp rally to win a poster

During the campaign, for every piece of merchandise ordered, you’ll receive one of four possible character cards. 20 people who also scan the QR codes included on the cards by September 12 will be randomly chosen to win either a white Rilakkuma zabuton cushion or a ¥3,000 Tower Records gift card.

©2021 San-X Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

AWESOME STORE & CAFE IKEBUKURO is now serving up two new summer-exclusive dessert drinks inspired by the Japanese Showa era. The ‘Imitation Gold’ and ‘Blue Light Awesome’ are both available now until September 26.

Imitation Gold: ¥467 (Tax Included) / Blue Light Awesome: ¥467 (Tax Included)　*both served in plastic cups (see below)

The Imitation Gold’s flavour is reminiscent of an energy drink. It’s topped with vanilla ice cream and colourful gummies. The Blue Light Awesome is a Blue Hawaiian syrup-infused pineapple juice topped with vanilla ice cream and a cherry. Both of these cute dessert drinks are the perfect refreshments for the summer.

Those who buy both drinks will also receive an original black straw to make the drinks even more Instagrammable. These are available while supplies last.

Some other popular must-tries

Other classics on the menu to try include soft and chewy bagels, coffees, and more.

Chocolate High | ¥396 (Tax Included)

Ebi Avocado | ¥396 (Tax Included)

Fuwa Toro Bacon Omelette | ¥396 (Tax Included)

AWESOME Organic Coffee (Hot/Iced) | From ¥217 (Tax Included)

Juice has opened a pop-up shop centred on the popular character Chiikawa at EKIHAKO inside EKI MARCHÉ SHIN-OSAKA where it is set to stay until August 26.

Get your paws on some exclusive items

New merch for July 2021

Cushion | ¥4,180 (Tax Included)

Hand Puppets | ¥1,980 (Tax Included)

Free acrylic key ring for buyers

Chiikawa fans can get their hands on a variety of items from pouches to plush toys, apparel, kitchenware, and more. The items are exclusive to the pop-up store and Chiikawa online shop. And if you spend over ¥3,300 at the pop-up sto9re, you’ll get a free glittery acrylic key ring.

©️nagano

Jambuka Abeno Q’s Mall is the only place in Osaka where locals can enjoy the incredible pancakes created by the fresh cream desserts specialist shop MILK. This summer, they are now serving a new seasonal treat: the ‘Sweet Summer Mikan & Lemon Pancakes.’

Sweet Summer Mikan & Lemon Pancakes | ¥1,089 (Tax Included)

Fresh Cream Milk Pancakes | ¥858 (Tax Included)

Fresh Cream Strawberry Milk Pancakes | ¥1,089 (Tax Included)

Fresh Cream Chocolate Banana Milk Pancakes | ¥979 (Tax Included)

All pancakes are made-to-order and are covered in a rich, creamy sauce made from fresh cream from Hokkaido. Enjoy them plain or topped with fresh fruit.

In promotion of SCRAP’s new Detective Conan themed escape game Escape From the Scarlet Investigation (Blood Task Force), five of the company’s past escape games made in collaboration with the anime series are being revived for a temporary period.

Escape From the Orient Express

Escape From the Magical Castle

Escape From the Black Assassin

Escape From the Final Public Examination

Escape From the Navy Blue Art Museum

Here’s what it’s like to play..

SCRAP’s escape games are made in collaboration with many different series and see players become a character in the story where they must solve puzzles and riddles to find a way out. They have collaborated with Detective Conan since 2013 during which over 1.3 million people have played. The newest entry to the series is Escape From the Scarlet Investigation (Blood Task Force).

Five previous escape games make a return this year including Escape From the Orient Express (2014), Escape From the Magical Castle (2015), Escape From the Black Assassin (2016), Escape From the Final Public Examination (2018), and Escape From the Navy Blue Art Museum (2019). Each features a completely original story set in the world of Detective Conan.

©青山剛昌／小学館・読売テレビ・TMS 1996
©青山剛昌／小学館

renacnatta has teamed up with Shiki Theatre Company to release a collection of banshu-ori skirts and neckties, all of which will arrive on August 3.

renacnatta is a brand which weaves clothes using deadstock fabric from Japan and Italy and by using traditional Japanese weaving techniques.

Skirts

Banshu Mermaid Wrap Skirt – Matinee｜Collaboration with Shiki Theatre Company | ¥35,200 (Tax Included)

Banshu Mermaid Wrap Skirt – Soiree｜Collaboration with Shiki Theatre Company | ¥35,200 (Tax Included)

Neckties

Banshu Tie – Matinee｜Collaboration with Shiki Theatre Company | ¥9,350 (Tax Included)

Banshu Tie – Soiree｜Collaboration with Shiki Theatre Company | ¥9,350 (Tax Included)

Shows at the Shiki Theatre Company have been cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19. The collaboration comes to reignite the fire and excitement towards the theatre in these restrictive times. This August, the theatre is release a new and original musical which will see actors wearing clothing made using banshu-ori weave. This collection uses the same weaving technique.

Banshuori is a yarn-dyed textile made using a special production method which sees yarn dyed in advance and patterns woven by the dyed yarn. The items in the collection come in two colours: Matinee and Soiree, named after afternoon and evening theatre performances respectively. The Matinee line-up is beige and yellow while the Soiree picks are a mix of navy and black.

The one-size-fits-all skirts feature a comfy mermaid style with a fashionable silhouette perfect for going to the theatre with. They are made in such a way that they do not wrinkle when sitting down for long periods of time. The neckties too are made using banshu-ori weave for a smooth, sleek look.

Virtual YouTuber talent agency Hololive Production is set to release a new exclusive collection at Atre Akihabara in Tokyo on August 1.

The Line-Up

Acrylic Panel / B2 Tapestries / Acrylic Chibi Figures

Big Silhouette T-Shirts / Holostars T-Shirt / Key Visual Graphic T-Shirt

Key Visual Acrylic Panel

Chibi Character Illustration Acrylic Figures

B2 Tapestries

hololy Photo Contest

Hololive fans can get their hands on merchandise of all their favourite VTubers with this collection that will be sold exclusively at Atre Akihabara. To promote the collection, giant poster will be plastered up outside and around Atre Akihabara, with a giant one at the north entrance 3D illustrations at the south entrance. And for every ¥500 spent in a single transaction on the items, fans will receive a free character card.

Key Coffee has recreated its coffee from 1920’s when the cafe chain first opened. Named the Yokohama 1920 Founding Blend, the coffee was released on July 20 and will be available at their 54 branches up and down Japan until August 24, the same date when the coffee shop first opened.

Yokohama 1920 Founding Blend

A picture of Key Coffee’s Yokohama branch in 1936 when it was known as Kimura Coffee

Retro Showa-style espresso con panna

Milk Brûlée

Yokohama 1920 Founding Blend recreates the same flavour of coffee that the cafe served in 1920 when it first opened in Yokohama, an area bustling with restaurants serving both Asian and Western cuisine. It uses Brazilian coffee beans at its base, a type which was circulated a lot at the time. It has a distinct sweet fragrance and goes well with milk and sugar.

Back them, coffee was a commodity yearned for by the people of Japan. After releasing their hit coffee syrup in 1921, Key Coffee began serving coffee in a way that was simple, tasty, and accessible to everyone such as drip coffee and their Noi coffee-making series. In the 1930’s their products began to line the shelves of department stores as they began to develop as a spearhead for the emergence of coffee culture in Japan. They also began selling TOARCO TORAJA in 1978, a highly-regarded premium coffee. Today, the chain continues to be a hub for coffee lovers, and is creating new coffees and techniques.

Japan has been a boom in junkissa in recent years, a classic cafe which blends the atmosphere of the Meiji and Showa periods. Key Coffee is showcasing two coffees on their recipe page which capture this flair including an espresso con panna and milk brûlée.

Rokuyon, which manages unique accommodations mainly in Shibuya, has opened the fourth room of “MOSHI MOSHI ROOMS”, the home-sharing facility, named “HARAJUKU” produced by ASOBISYSTEM, which introduces HARAJUKU culture to the world.

“MOSHI MOSHI ROOMS offers accommodation services in concept rooms full of originality not found in existing hotels or home-sharing facilities. The concept of the fourth room is “HARAJUKU”. The room is filled with “KAWAII”, one of the representative cultures of Japan. Once you step into the room through the archway, you will feel as if you have wandered into the world of a picture book. The room is inspired by Harajuku, a place where you can enjoy the extraordinary feeling of being lost in a different dimension.

With the opening of the room HARAJUKU, an entire building has been transformed into MOSHI MOSHI ROOMS, with four rooms available for booking via Airbnb. The rooms can be used for a variety of purposes, such as accommodation for domestic and foreign tourists, staycations (casual holiday at home or nearby), girls’ parties, and birthday parties with your friends. In order to ensure the safety of the guests, they carry out temperature checks, use alcohol sanitisers and disinfect the rooms with alcohol when cleaning.

The archway at the entrance is a gateway to a world of wonder. From the moment you step into the house, the excitement is bound to build.

The living room is decorated with colourful objects and animals reminiscent of a museum. Why not find your favourite objects and animals, and enjoy taking photos with them?

The bedroom has a queen-size bed, together with a sofa bed and an air bed in the living room, which can accommodate up to four people.

The shower room is equipped with amenities such as shampoo, conditioner, and body soap. The separated washbasins and Toto Washlet toilets have been installed.

The kitchen is fully equipped with a microwave, fridge, and other daily necessities. Colourful KAWAII tablewares are lined up so that you can enjoy the world of the room more.

MOSHI MOSHI ROOMS

The first room  ‘SAKURA’

The room has received high praise from both domestic and international travelers.

A monument of cherry blossoms, the symbol of Japan, fills the ceiling of the bedroom, creating a gorgeous and unique space.

The second room ‘ORIGAMI’

This room is themed on origami, one of the symbols of Japanese culture.

The living room is furnished with benches and stools inspired by a teahouse. Looking up at the ceiling, a number of Japanese umbrellas decorate the space.

The third room ‘DOSUKOI’

The room combined the traditional Japanese culture of sento, a Japanese public bathhouse and sumo, Japanese wrestling.

The sumo wrestler’s hands and the large bath inspired by a sento attract the viewer’s attention. The painted pictures on the walls are the work of Kiyoto Maruyama, one of only three sento painters in Japan.

The rooftop

The rooftop offers an expansive space with a panoramic view of Harajuku. It can also be used for events such as tent saunas and BBQs. Only the rooftop can be rented out as a rental space.

Why don’t you create your own story at MOSHI MOSHI ROOMS, a place full of unique concepts that you can only experience here?

As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga series Fullmetal Alchemist, the Fullmetal Alchemist Exhibition RETURNS art exhibition will run at Sunshine City Exhibition Hall C in Ikebukuro, Tokyo from December 18, 2021 to January 16, 2022. It will subsequently take place at Hirakata Park in Osaka in Spring 2022.

The exhibition is a powered up version of the original exhibition that took place from 2017 to 2019. It will feature lots more artwork for fans of the series to enjoy. The key visual for the exhibition is based on the original monochrome illustration that Arakawa drew 20 years ago to announce the manga’s serialization. She has redrawn it with colours for the exhibition.

C Hiromu Arakawa/SQUARE ENIX