The Osaka-based fruit parlour and bakery Season&Co., which is located on the first floor of LINKS UMEDA, is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Sanrio’s popular character Pompompurin with a themed menu of desserts and drinks until April 12, 2021.

Menu item names have been translated from Japanese by MMN.

Pompompurin Peeking From the Nabe Hot Pot | ¥1,000 (Before Tax)

Pompompurin’s Specially-Made Parfait | ¥1,600 (Before Tax)

Pompompurin’s Strawberry Omelette | ¥1,600 (Before Tax)

Pompompurin’s Pudding Juice | ¥730 (Before Tax)

Pompompurin’s Mixed Juice | ¥730 (Before Tax)

NMB48 x Pompompurin’s Chocolate Cake | ¥700 (Before Tax)

NMB48 x Pompompurin’s Osaka Cupid | ¥500 (Before Tax)

The menu includes a range of Pompompurin themed drinks and desserts as well as merchandise. There’s also two items made in collaboration with NMB48.

For every order, customers will receive a free lunch mat, and if they spend over ¥1,000 (before tax) on anything on the menu, including the merch, they’ll get a free sticker.

Hotel Metropolitan Edmont, a hotel situated in Chiyoda, Tokyo, will celebrate Valentine’s Day with an angelic line-up of sweet treats that will be sold from February 1 to 14.

The Chocolates

Truffle au Chocolat – Box of 4: ¥1,200 (Before Tax) / Box of 6: ¥1,800 (Before Tax) / Box of 10: ¥3,000 (Before Tax)​

Indulge in a luscious assortment of four chocolates: the citrus-filled ‘Grand Marnier,’ the slightly bitter ‘Rum,’ the full-bodied and tangy ‘Raspberry,’ and the Uji-matcha packed ‘Matcha.’

Orangette (Contains 15) | ¥2,000 (Before Tax)

If you love chocolate combined with fruit, then the Orangette will be your poison, filled with fresh and bitter orange peel and coated in chocolate. It has a distinct refreshing fragrance to it which expands across the taste buds with every bite.

Raisin Chocolat | ¥1,200 (Before Tax)

Love rich, full-bodied flavour? These raisins are soaked in French Sauternes wine and covered in dark chocolate. Their fruity flavour makes them a perfect accompaniment to a glass of whisky or bourbon.

The Cakes & Pastries

Eme | ¥600​

A perfect pick for Valentine’s Day: a heart-shaped mousse containing rich, velvety chocolate that’s jam-packed with fresh raspberry jelly.

Brioche Chocolat | ¥260

Enjoy taking a bite out of this brioche made from butter and egg that’s laced with custard cream and chocolate.

Tartine, a tart shop in Japan which enjoys long lines of customers from its opening hours, revamped its website for an early Valentine’s Day celebration on Friday (January 22). For the next two weeks, it will serve up a special selection of items for the loving holiday.

VALENTINE’S DAY 2021

Nikoru Chocolate Biscuit Tin

Nikoru Pouch

The brand’s name Tartine, is a portmanteau of the Japanese kanakana words for ‘tart’ and ‘twin.’ The Valentine’s Day line-up is inspired by the Tartine twin sisters and their everyday lives. There’s also a special biscuit tin with a design of the brand’s handsome bear Nikoru.

Check out Tartine’s official website for the full line-up. A new batch will be added over the next few days.

Japanese confectionery company snaq.me released a new assorted box of cookies on Thursday (January 21).

Cooked up for the winter season, the box contains 11 of snaq.me’s most popular baked cookie treats in the 5 years they have been running. These subtly sweet delights are made in Japan by Japanese patissiers and will go well with a hot cup of coffee or tea on those cold winter days.

snaq.me Winter Happiness Cookie Tin | ¥2,980 (Tax Included)

Cookies include the Boule de Neige Rich Vanilla, which is made with a fragrant vanilla extract drawn from organic vanilla beans, and tasty butter. This exquisite treat was voted No. 1 favourite by snaq.me users. There’s also the Royal Milk Tea Cookie, which has been one of the most popular items on the company’s confectionery menu since it first established. This cookie is perfect for those who aren’t sweet-tooths, packed with earl grey tea leaves which lend a fresh taste. They are crunchy and thick so you’ll be able to savour them – not eat them all at once! Best of of all, they are made with rice-bran oil so they’re not fatty or too rich.

Another must-mention is the Cocoa Marble Cookie, a marbled morsel made with organic cocoa and plain flour. Each is handmade which results in unique marbling effects for each one. Unrefined sugar and cane sugar is used when baking this cookie which is a healthier option for the body, and the cocoa beans are 100% organic, meaning less fat.

snaq.me’s mission is to make snack time that much more enjoyable which I think we can agree they have done with this ensemble of baked goods.

Ginza Cozy Corner will open orders for its new Disney Princess Cakes on January 29.

The Little Mermaid Cake (Serves 5-6) | ¥3,500 (Before Tax)

Cake Box

Decorate the cake yourself with the accompanying parts

Beauty and the Beast Collection (9 Cupcakes) | ¥2,500 (Before Tax)

Cupcake Box

Rapunzel Princess Cake | ¥450 (Before Tax)

Ariel Princess Cake | ¥450 (Before Tax)

Tangled Dress Cake (Serves 5-6) | ¥3,500 (Before Tax)

Pick from a variety of cakes inspired by popular Disney Princess like Rapunzel and Ariel. The cake based on The Little Mermaid is limited to just 3,000 cakes. There’s also a special selection of Beauty and the Beast cupcakes.

Peninsula Merchandising Limited is set to capture hearts this Valentine’s Day with the announcement of a desiring new collection of chocolates which will be served at two branches of The Peninsula Boutique & Café in Shin-Marunouchi Building and Isetan Shinjuku from February 1.

Sweetheart | ¥3,400 (Before Tax)

Macarons (6 Included) | ¥2,860 (Before Tax)

Truffle Truffle | ¥1,500 (Before Tax)

Strawberry Bear Ruby Chocolate Bar | ¥1,750 (Before Tax)

Eponge | ¥560 (Before Tax)

Croquembouche | ¥720 (Before Tax)

Rose Rouge | ¥1,500 (Before Tax)

Love Lock Key Ring | ¥5,000 (Before Tax)

The romantic line-up features an assortment of lovingly-crafted confections, from ruby chocolate to colourful macarons, a rose-topped chocolate, and more—all available for the season of love. The boutique cafes will also sell a special heart-shaped key ring for lovers to express to their special someone that they complete them.

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

Five new Pokémon manhole covers were laid in Japan’s Nara Prefecture on Wednesday (January 20) as part of the Poké Lid  project to place Pokémon-design manhole covers across the country. There are now a total of 148 lids in 13 locations in Japan.

Nara’s 5 new Poké Lids

All of the Poké Lids placed across Japan feature completely original Pokémon designs making each individual one the only one in the world. The Pokémon Company is also working to make each one of them PokéStops for Pokémon GO.

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, be sure to check if there are any Poké Lids at your destination.

©2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Pokémon, ポケットモンスター, and ポケモン are registered trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and GAME FREAK inc.

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)

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