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)

© 2021 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO. L617585

McDonald’s Japan is teaming up with Nestlé next week to bring back last years’ customer-favourite McFluffy® KitKat® for a limited time starting on January 27.

McFlurry KitKat | ¥290

The delicious dessert combines McDonald’s tasty soft service ice cream with crushed KitKat and finishes it with a drizzle of special sauce made with couverture chocolate. Mix everything together for pure chocolatey heaven goodness.

McFlurry Oreo | ¥290

McDonald’s Japan also serves the McFlurry Oreo, a regular item on the menu, and right now is the only time you can enjoy comparing the tastes and textures between both the Oreo and KitKat McFlurries.

Which one has you drooling more?

Japanese sweets and dessert brand KAKERI opened pre-orders for its new luxury chocolate “Nihonshu Gateau Chocolat” on Monday (January 18) which is made in collaboration with Inami Shuzo, a distillery based in Miki, Hyogo, a city known for a type of rice called Yamada Nishiki. Pre-order opened exclusively on Makuake.

Daigin Koshu – Bronze Award winner in the Sake category at IWC2020

Inami Shuzo

The chocolate is infused with Daigin Koshu, a sake made by Inami Shuzo which won a Bronze award at the International Wine Challenge for Japanese Sake in 2020. The chocolate is also best paired with a cup of strong sake too. Online orders are shipped in freezer refrigeration and can be eaten frozen too, giving it an ice cake-like texture. If left to defrost in the fridge, the taste and fragrance of the infused sake increases, so sake-lovers can pick how they best want to enjoy their gateau treat.

What makes this chocolate so special is that it enjoys the combination of ingredients and a workforce all from the city of Miki where the distiller is located. The sake is made with a rice called Yamada Nishiki which is grown in Miki and is famous for being used to make sake. The consumption amount of this rice has decreased as a result of the pandemic and so the chocolate was developed to help spread word of the rice and ensure it doesn’t go to waste.

CHAVATY, a cafe in Harajuku that serves tea lattes made with high quality tea leaves, is getting ready for Valentine’s Day early with the release of some tasty new desserts which they began serving up on Thursday (January 14).

Valentine’s Set | ¥1,100 (Before Tax)

Valentine’s Scone Set (6 Included) | ¥2,480 (Tax Included)

Raspberry Chocolate | ¥970 (Tax Included)

The Valentine’s Set comes with a cute scone as well as fondant chocolate made with rich, high-grade chocolate from the French chocolate brand Cacao Barry. It also comes with a tea latte of your choice. There’s also a scone set which comes with two each of three different scones for a total of six including the Berry & Cocoa Pink Chocolate, Orange & Chocolate Chip Double Chocolate, and Dried Fruits & Nuts White Chocolate. CHAVATY has also made their own seasonal homemade spread: the Raspberry Chocolate.

Tokyo Banana World recently added its special Dengeki Box (Electric Box) of Pikachu Tokyo Banana confections to its official website which is available to order in Japan until January 30, 2021 at 17:00 (JST).

Tokyo Banana is Tokyo’s official souvenir sweets brand and it launched its new Pokémon Tokyo Banana series of confections in November last year with the first catch being Pikachu. It subsequently added Eevee to the collection in December. The Pikachu confections are also available to buy at Tokyo Station.

Pikachu Tokyo Banana – Dengeki Box | Box of 12 Packs (24 Confections) | ¥3,456 (Tax Included)

The limited-time addition of the Dengeki Box to Tokyo Banana’s official website means that anyone in Japan can get a taste of the electrifyingly delicious sweet fluffy custard-filled sponge cakes without having to travel to Tokyo.

Waiting inside the Dengeki Box are 12 packages each with two cakes in and each in one of six different Pikachu designs to greet hungry Trainers, all of which are positively kawaii. The box itself also features these adorable illustrations.

Left: Front of Box | Right: Back of Box

The box even has a handle attached to it so you can reuse it after to store all your bits and bobs.

©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..

Asakusa-based ‘aromatic raw chocolate’ brand MAISON CACAO created a new gin-flavoured white chocolate for Dean & DeLuca which was released in Japan on January 15, 2021.

The “Aroma Raw Chocolate (Gin)” keeps the original flavour of the white chocolate and infuses with a craft gin known as “COMMON” by Toranomon Joryusho.

Aroma Raw Chocolate GIN FOR DEAN & DELUCA | ¥2,592 (Tax Included)

​One bite into a piece of this artisanal chocolate fills the mouth with a tang of subtly fruity chocolate. Then comes the refreshing taste of the gin which complements the sweetness and adds sophistication to the chocolate in an exquisite balance of flavours.

 COMMON gin is fruity and clear

COMMON craft gin has a ‘botanical’ flavour. Its base is a shochu made on the islands of Hachijō-jima and Nii-jima. It also contains soft water taken from Okutama Sawai.

“It has a faint fruity taste that combines with the flavour of the cacao, and he used really delicious white chocolate,” explains Shingo Ishihara of MAISON CACAO who helped in the chocolate’s development. “I hope people indulge in its enjoyable melt-in-the-mouth texture.”

Bandai’s character-inspired Japanese confectionery series Tabemas is releasing two new traditional Japanese wagashi confections inspired by the Peanuts comic series. Snoopy and Charlie Brown will arrive at Lawson convenience stores across Japan on January 19, 2021.

Tabemas Snoopy | ¥264 Each (Before Tax)

The cute confections capture the little details of the iconic characters, from Snoopy’s doggo features and collar to Charlie Brown’s hair and shirt. The Snoopy confection is filled with chocolate bean paste—a nod to his favourite chocolate chip cookies—while Charlie Brown is filled with custard bean paste as a nod to his trademark shirt. The packaging features exclusive art drawn for the Peanuts comic’s 70th anniversary with Snoopy atop his dog house.

© 2021 Peanuts Worldwide LLC

Eggs ‘n Things is set to serve up a special limited-time Valentine’s menu in Japan from January 16 to February 28 including the Torokeru Fondant Chocolate Pancakes and Strawberry & Banana Chocolate French Toast.

Valentine’s Menu

Torokeru Fondant Chocolate Pancakes | Eat In ¥1,480 (Before Tax)

Torokeru Fondant Chocolate Pancakes | Takeout ¥1,080 (Before Tax)

Strawberry & Banana Chocolate French Toast | Eat In ¥1,380 (Before Tax)

Strawberry & Banana Chocolate French Toast | Takeout ¥980 (Before Tax)

Valentine’s Drinks

Strawberry White Mocha | Hot or Iced ¥680 (Before Tax)

Hawaiian Cafe Mocha | Hot or Iced ¥580 (Before Tax)

This lovingly-prepared chocolate and fruit-loaded line-up is sure to get the butterflies stirring hungrily for this year Valentine’s.

McDonald’s Japan is teaming up with iconic Japanese actor and singer Takuya Kimura, also known as Kimutaku, once again following their collaboration with him in 2020. The star is featuring in a new commercial and campaign by McDonald’s that centres on rediscovering the value and taste of the fast food chain.

The first in a series of commercials hit Japanese televisions on Tuesday (January 12) for McDonald’s Japan’s revamped hot and iced Cafe Lattes. The second commercial will be released next Tuesday (January 19) for the Yakkii grilled ginger burger. The ¥200 burger is arriving on the menu at McDonald’s Japan the following day on Wednesday.