Japanese company Banc, which specialises in setting up hotels and other sites, held the grand opening of the new Architecture Cafe Sumika, a new museum/cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, on April 28.

A peek inside

A recreation of Fallingwater, a house designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright 

Painting by chalk artist Misuzu Wakai

Architectural designs recreated at the new museum cafe

Villa Savoye (Le Corbusier)
Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd Wright)
Casa Ligornetto (Mario Botta)
Sky House (Kiyonori Kikutake)
Maison a Bordeaux (Rem Koolhaas)
Malin Residence “chemosphere” (John Lautner)
Eames House (Charles and Ray Eames)
Silver Hat (Toyo Ito)
Fisher House (Louis Kahn)
Mailam House (Paul Rudolph)
The Glass House (Lina Bo Bardi)
Steel House (Kengo Kuma)

A little look at the menu

<Miho Chef Chocolatier> Premium Gateau Chocolate: ¥1,200 / Raw Marble Chocolate: ¥1,000 / Raw Dami Chocolate ¥450

<Ten no Ya> Egg Sandwich: ¥750

Architecture Cafe Sumika aim sto be a cosy space for architecture lovers who can enjoy thinking about their ideal home, talking about their favourite architect, and thinking about how architecture changes with the times. The cafe has recreated 12 architectural marvels from 12 different renowned architects, each at which sits at a different table.

The cafe, which is located in Shinjuku Sanchome, employs a spacious cafe area with high ceilings that can be enjoyed by both lovers of architects and cafe enthusiasts where they can relax with a cup of tea, coffee, a soft drink, or even alcohol, the latter of which is served at bar hours from 18:00, completely changing the atmosphere into a night museum. There’s also a tasty food menu to tuck into.

If you’re looking to speak to someone about architecture and real estate, Architecture Cafe Sumika also houses its own resident experts. Customers can also enjoy a range of other works by architects and interior designers.

In celebration of the cafe’s opening, a competition is being held to create a jungle gym for children where entrees can win cash prizes, the top being ¥300,000. More details below.

The Sento no Susume 2021 event being held by BEAMS JAPAN and Cow Brand Soap has now headed to BEAMS JAPAN Shinjuku. As part of the event, Mizuno has held designed a ‘running course’ is collaboration with sento bath house owners who have listed their recommended spots for running.

From Left: Hiroshi Fukui (Managing Director at Cow Brand Soap), Aya Terakawa (Sports Caster), Mari Yamazaki (Manga Author), Ryozo Naganuma (Kotobukiyu’s 3rd Generation Owner), Hikaru Ikeuchi (Chairman of Board of Directors)

BEAMS JAPAN Shinjuku Floor 1F – Sento no Susume 2021 Pop-Up

BEAMS JAPAN Shinjuku Floor 1F – Sento no Susume 2021 Pop-Up

BEAMS JAPAN Sento no Susume 2021 Virtual Venue

For many years, sento public bath houses have been big part of Japanese culture and are located up and down the country. They are places people go to unwind, relax, and destress. However, with times changing, they are because less part of people’s lives, and the facilities themselves are seeing significant wear and tear as well as not having successors to take over the businesses. Sento no Susume aims to revitalise sento and raise their cultural value once again by showing how they can be enjoyed. The first event was held in January and February in 2019.

The event arrived at BEAMS JAPAN Shinjuku on April 26 and  invites manga artist Mari Yamazaki on board who has given the store a makeover with her iconic artwork themed on exercise and bathing. This event combines sento bath houses with sports, and so as well as discovering bath houses to visit, you can learn find out about great running courses at the Sento Run no Susume corner. There’s also a virtual venue accessible on the official website that creates the store in 4K 3D so everyone around the world can get involved regardless of their location.

Hailing originally from Brooklyn, the 130-year-old Peter Luger Steak House has announced the opening of its first-ever Japanese branch which will welcome customers at Ebisu Garden Place in Tokyo this September with its 3-storeys of red brick.

Peter Luger is credited with spreading the mouth-watering wonder of dry-aged beef steak to the world which has made the restaurant’s name globally famous. The restaurant of course wields a Michelin Star and has been featured high on the Zagat Survey for over 30 years.

The secret behind Peter Luger’s signature ingredient

The restaurant’s beef fillet and New York strip are signature items on the menu, both of which are made from porterhouse steak. Their steak is also made from USDA Prime beef which is dry-aged by hand to intensify the flavour and aroma.

The porterhouse is placed directly onto the broiler and seasoned solely with salt. The steak is flipped only once during the broiling process. A knob of melted butter is added to a serving platter and the steak is sliced atop it. It’s then placed back into the broiler for a few minutes depending on the doneness requested by the customer. It’s this process that gives Peter Luger’s steaks their deliciousness. 

Brooklyn red brick building and theatre decor

The Japanese branch takes inspiration from the Brooklyn restaurant with its red brick exterior.

The first floor is home to the bar where customers can enjoy food and cocktails. There’s also a takeout shop with gifts and other items.

The second floor is the spacious dining space which is home to Peter Ruger’s first-ever open kitchen. The third floor is another seating area with balcony-like seats so you can look out over the city.

There are seven private dining rooms of varying sizes for those looking a little more intimacy and privacy. The restaurant’s lighting was also designed by a New York designer.

For this year’s Golden Week, Royal Park Hotel in Tokyo is serving up a limited-time selection of two desserts on its first floor cafe and bakery IKI: the Koinobori Roll Cake and Animal Sweets & Pastries, both of which are available now until May 5. It’s also selling two different mont blancs for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Carp streamer-inspired roll cake and animal pastries

Koinobori Roll Cake – ¥2,160 (Tax Included)

Animal Sweets & Pastries: Sheep Cheesecake, Bear Tiramisu, Rabbit Mousse – ¥540 Each / Piglet Pastry, Dog Pastry, Chick Pastry – ¥324 (Tax Included)

This line-up of takeout desserts and pastries are made at the hotel’s own cafe and bakery IKI, all of which have been made to celebrate Children’s Day which falls on May 5 every year. This includes a moist chocolate and strawberry carp streamer roll cake which is popular at IKI every year. There’s also a cute selection of animal delights including the light and fluffy Sheep Cheesecake, mascarpone cream and coffee Bear Tiramisu, and a sweet and tangy Rabbit Mousse made from assorted berry mousse and jelly, as well as three pastries made to look like a chick, dog, and piglet.

Serving: April 29, 2021 – May 5, 2021

Happy Father’s Day & Happy Mother’s Day Specials

Mother’s Day Mont Blanc / Father’s Day Mont Blanc – ¥1,944 Each (Tax Included)

The Mother’s Day Mont Blanc is a wonderfully light combination of strawberry jelly, fresh strawberries, white chocolate mousse, and strawberry cream. The Father’s Day version is made with a fresh mascarpone cream, a mont blanc base that’s made from chestnut and blackcurrant jam, chocolate cream, and caramelised nuts.

Mother’s Day Mont Blanc: May 7, 2021 – May 9, 2021

Father’s Day Mont Blanc: June 18, 2021 – June 20, 2021

Monthly Breads: May & June

Each mother, IKI releases limited-time breads or pastries. For May, customers can enjoy the rich Edamame & Bacon Parmesan France and the bitter Chocolate Cream Cornet. In June, there’s an Orange Cream Cornet made with sliced orange peel, and the Tomato Rustic which is crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, combining tomato and cheese. There’s also Shokupan made with matcha and large-grained adzuki beans.

Edamame & Bacon Parmesan France / Chocolate Cream Cornet (Dark Chocolate) – ¥302 Each (Tax Included)

Orange Cream Cornet – ¥302 / Tomato Rustic – ¥302 / Shokupan (Matcha & Adzuki Bean) – ¥648 (Tax Included)

May Monthly Bread: May 6, 2021 – May 31, 2021

June Monthly Bread: June 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021

Royal Park Hotel is collaborating with the Japanese condiment brand Mizkan, which is known for its vinegars, mustards, salad dressings and more, to serve non-alcoholic cocktails made with vinegar. The Non Alco-Vinegar Cocktail Fair will be held from May 1 to June 30.

Royal Park Hotel x Mizkan

Tropical Princess/FLORAL BEAUTY Vinegar Cashew/Frozen Fruity Su/Blueberry Black Vinegar Soy Milk Shake/Vinegar Fruit Yogurt/Ponzu & Tomato Ginger

The non-alcoholic vinegar cocktails were created for both drinkers and non-drinkers of alcohol as a way to enjoy the food scene more. The alcoholic drinks used in cocktails gives them a kick, and so does vinegar when used in food. These beverages combine vinegar with a range of fruits, teas, carbonated water, and other ingredients.

The line-up was conceived by the Vinegar Club who have also posted recipes for various cocktails on their website – links below.

Nippon Animation began holding the Amabie Jiro Fair at KIDDYLAND Harajuku’s Maruko & Coji-Coji Store on April 29, selling merchandise of the character Jiro from Momoko Sakura’s manga series Coji-Coji.

Pre-sale merchandise

Free hand towel

Jiro has turned into Amabie once again this year, a legendary Japanese mermaid who is said to emerges from the sea and prophesise either an abundant harvest or an epidemic. People are instructed people to make copies of its likeness to defend against illness.

Fans who spend over ¥8,000 at the Maruko & Coji-Coji store will receive a free original hand towel as pictured above.

Samrio Puroland is teaming up with mysta to recruit Puro Boys and Puro Girls for the Sanrio-themed theme park. Auditions are currently taking place on the audition app mysta, with the cut-off dates for Puro Girls as June 6 and Puro Boys as June 13.

Winners that are selected will perform alongside Sanrio characters at Puroland’s events, appear in videos on the park’s official YouTube channel, and more. The song and choreography that participants must follow was created by people who compose and create choreography for Puroland’s shows. These same people will be judging applicants.

Do you have what it takes to be a Puro Boy or Puro Girl?

©2009, 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. TOKYO, JAPAN S/D・G 著作 株式会社サンリオ

BEAMS Japan and Cow Brand Soap have teamed up to an event titled Sento no Susume 2021 which began on April 23. As part of the event, the two brands have come together at the popular Tokyo-based bath house Kotobukiyu where illustrations for the collaboration drawn by manga artist Mari Yamazaki (Thermae Romae, Olympia Kyklos) has been put up on the outside, inside, and along the walls.

See the illustrations being plastered in the video below.

At the bath house entrance, along the walls, and everywhere else

Fashion shoots are being held at the bath house

Limited-edition merchandise for Sento no Susume 2021

For many years, sento public bath houses have been big part of Japanese culture and are located up and down the country. They are places people go to unwind, relax, and destress. However, with times changing, they are because less part of people’s lives, and the facilities themselves are seeing significant wear and tear as well as not having successors to take over the businesses. Sento no Susume aims to revitalise sento and raise their cultural value once again by showing how they can be enjoyed. The first event was held in January and February in 2019.

This year will be the second hosting of the event and invites manga artist Mari Yamazaki on board who has given Kotobukiyu a makeover with her iconic artwork themed on exercise and bathing. Six sports are featured in her drawings for the bath house including basketball, climbing, javelin, surfing, judo, and volleyball.

Have you experienced a Japanese sento before?

The Ginza branch of Shiseido Parlour in Tokyo released its new BOUQUET DE FRAISES biscuit cake on Friday. The dessert is inspired by Shieido Parlour’s strawberry parfait and is made to be held in one hand. It comes with three kinds of creams, and each is a crunchy and customisable delight decorated like a bouquet.

BOUQUET DE FRAISES | ¥540 (Tax Included)

The buttery cone is a cat tongue biscuit and is filled with cream shanty, cream patissiere, and strawberry jam. The bouquets are also topped with fresh strawberries.

BOUQUET DE FRAISES (Box of 10) | ¥5,724 (Tax Included) | Reservation-only

Japanese virtual dance and vocal unit Beatcats released their fourth digital single, Colourful Days, on April 22 across music streaming and download services. The five-member feline pop band were created by SEGA Toys and Sanrio, the latter of which is known for such characters as Hello Kitty and My Melody, in 2020.

The single’s full music video is yet to be released—all we have for now is a teaser—but happySEEONE, who is known for creating dances for numerous K-pop groups, released a choreography video to the track on the official Beatcats YouTube page. Additionally, Colourful Days and the cat band’s three previous singles are now available at JOYSOUND, a Japanese online karaoke service. To promote the new song, a new collection of merch has also dropped.

©2021 SANRIO/SEGATOYS

Colourful Days: The 4th Single

Colourful Days is a feel-good song aimed at cheering up emotionally-explosive teenagers. It takes all the feelings towards love and friendship such as fun, happiness, sadness, and worry, and mixes them all together to create a colourful dye that represents the self. It’s a a cute pop number with a dance-inducing beat and of course showcases all five of the Beatcats members’ unique voices. The music video is yet to be released as of posting this article, but you can listen to the song now on Spotify, Apple Music, and elsewhere.

Music Video Teaser & Dance Video

While you wait for the music video, check out the teaser below, as well as a choreography video by happySEEONE which has the dances for all five members. If you’re looking for a new dance to learn, let it be this one!

Beatcats – “Colourful Days” Music Video Teaser

New Beatcats Merchandise

Grab Beatcats’ new merch drop in promotion of the new single which is perfect for the spring season.

Mini Key Rings | ¥308 Each (Tax Included)

Stick Key Rings | ¥660 Each (Tax Included)

Tape Key Rings | ¥880 Each (Tax Included)

Scrunchie | ¥990 Each (Tax Included)

Hairbands | ¥1,320 Each (Tax Included)

Turbans | ¥1,430 Each (Tax Included)

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 is currently taking place at Matsuzakaya Art Gallery in Nagoya until June 12 and will move to Ōita Prefectural Art Museum where it will run from July 10 to September 5 before heading to TOKYO CITY VIEW.

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

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.

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.

What to look out for at Sanrio’s 60th anniversary exhibition

Unforgettable Tower by Sebastian Masuda

Sebastian Masuda, a pioneer of kawaii culture, will showcase his symbolic art pieces at the event at TOKYO CITY VIEW’s observation deck, combining his iconic work against a breathtaking background.

The Beginning of Kawaii

Learn about the history of Sanrio’s culture of kawaii, beginning as a service to ‘move people’s hearts’ through gifts and products. Visitors will get a chance to see the secrets of Sanrio’s iconic style which draw a line under fancy products from other companies.

There will also be a chance to see Japanese illustrators Takashi Yanase, Ado Mizumori, and Rune Naito’s work with Sanrio.

The Birth of the Characters

What makes something kawaii or not kawaii? Why do characters not necessarily need to have a story to become so popular? These questions are more will be answered as the exhibition looks at the birth of Sanrio’s characters.

Sanrio’s Characters

How did their hit characters come to be? During the 1980’s, Japan was a warzone for characters. Sanrio changed how characters became popular, moving from characters that were popular with everyone to creating characters that people wanted for themselves – their own personal characters. Discover how Sanrio’s long list of characters came about, including ones that have stood the test of time and ones that have declined in popularity.

Ichigo Shimbun

Ichigo Shimbun is a magazine published by Sanrio all about Sanrio and their characters – a familiar read to all fans in Japan. The magazine will be featured at the exhibition.

Hello Kitty: The Character Who Turned Into a Global Icon

Hello Kitty is known the world over, with even Lady Gaga having worn a dress of Hello Kitty plush toys in the past. This dress will be exhibited at the event, amongst many other things related to Sanrio’s global idol.

A Battle Between Artists

Artists from various artistic background will participate in the exhibition by creating a range of different Sanrio works. Participating artists and their specialities include Ryūsuke Fukahori (objects), Hajime Nakatomi (bamboo art), Takaya Mori (sculptor), Mio Hashimoto (sculptor), and Risa Fukui (paper cut-outs).

This year’s Hibiya Festival will take place around Tokyo Midtown Hibiya from April 29 to May 16. Visitors can enjoy free musicals, Japanese dance, opera, and more, all in an open space.

Hibiya Festival main visual

Peter Pan Broadway Musical – Mini Concert & Talk | Thursday April 29, 2021

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Japan’s First Rendition | Sunday May 9, 2021

Hibiya Festival x Hibiya Music Festival Collaboration Stage | Saturday May 8, 2021

Hibiya Outdoor Noh Performance | Thursday April 29, 2021

NBA Ballet | Saturday May 1, 2021

CAT-A-TAC SHOW (CAT-A-TAC) | Sunday May 2, 2021

“Hibiya Ongaku Daigaku” – Shibuya Ongaku Daigaku Open Campas

Hibiya Festival Program

This year marks 40 years since the Peter Pan Broadway musical first hit Japan, and so it will be performed at Hibiya Festival 2021. The hit British musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will also be performed in Japan for the first time with a full Japanese cast. On the music side of things, music producer Seiji Kameda is spearheading the Hibiya Musical Festival. There are around 20 different slots to enjoy at the festival, all of which are free to watch and many which don’t need to be booked in advance. The festival is also producing video content this year for those unable to attend so they can still be part of the fun online.