A BATHING APE® launched another collection with Sesame Street on Saturday (February 27) via their online store and ZOZOTOWN featuring a line-up of men’s, women’s, and kids items for the whole family to coordinate.

The Line-Up

This collaboration features familiar faces from the Sesame Street series including Elmo, the Cookie Monster, and Big Bird together with BAPE’s own BABY MILO®. The T-shirts are also styled in the same colour as their respective Sesame Street characters.

This stylish collection is a must-grab for fans of the show.

Hitobito, the company behind Japan’s popular bakery cafe chain Bread, Espresso &, is set to open a new branch inside Makita General Hospital in Kamata on March 1. The cafe opened its doors for pre-openings earlier this month with shortened business hours.

Bread, Espresso & has 20 branches across Japan including the popular one located in Omotesando, Tokyo. Its frequented by people of all ages for its deliciously soft bread made from 100% Japanese wheat.

The cafe’s picture book-like interior design caters to children featuring bread-shaped tables and cute illustrations.

Customers are welcome to try out the free samples on display. Each sample has a little card detailing various information which customers can take to the register if they want to buy that item. Often in Japanese bakeries there are tongs and trays which customers are free to use, but this new style of service lessens contact with others for a safer trip during the pandemic.

The bakery serves Bread, Espresso & classics like French toast and their mu pastries, as well as alternatives like gluten-free breads, no-sugar treats, and more.

Crypton Future Media unveiled an illustration on Friday (February 19) announcing Hatsune Miku’s collaboration with Pusheen as part of MikuWorldCollab, a project that launched to have the internationally-beloved virtual singer collaborated with famous overseas IP’s.

Pusheen is the instantly-recognisable cat character created in the U.S. by Claire Belton and Andrew Duff back in 2010. Originally featured as a comic strip, Pusheen went on to become a series of stamps on Facebook in 2013, and has seen countless collaborations, original merchandise, and more ever since.

The cute illustration of Miku and Pusheen was created by Japanese illustrator Choke. More illustrations by the Pusheen team are set to roll out this year along with a merchandise collection and other digital content, so stay tuned!

Walt Disney Japan is releasing a new collection of merchandise of its famous feline characters in line with Japan’s Cat Day and Disney’s O’Malley Day, both of which fall on February 22. The items will be released at Disney Stores in Japan on February 16 but pre-sales will hit select shops and Disney Japan’s online store shopDisney on February 12.

©Disney

Loungewear ¥5,060 / Mat ¥4,400 / Vanity Pouch ¥2,860 / Sweatshirt ¥4,290 / Snowdome ¥10,780 / Figurines <Dinah> <Marie> <Figaro> ¥2,420 Each / Figurine <Cheshire Cat> ¥2,640 / Cushion ¥4,180 / Mug ¥1,650

Hand Mirror ¥1,760 / Plushie Key Chain ¥2,750 / Smartphone Case ¥3,520 / Mini Towels ¥660 (Prices Include Tax)

Familiar kitty faces from some of Disney’s most celebrated animated films can be seen all around in the collection, including cats from The Aristocats, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, and more. Pink is the base colour for the collection, perfect for the forthcoming spring season.

The line-up is a must-grab for any fan of Disney’s cats, from figurines and a mug to a cushion, sweatshirt, vanity pouch, and more.

©Disney

This year marks the second year since Kewpie Corporation has been collaborating with the internationally-beloved comic series Peanuts. This month, Kewpie is rolling out an all-new spring and summer design for its mayonnaise jars. This will be followed by new autumn and winter designs later this year.

Kewpie Mayonnaise x Snoopy | ¥290 (Before Tax)

Spring/Summer Design (Rolling out February 2021)

Autumn/Winter Design (Rolling out Autumn 2021)

The designs feature the iconic characters from Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts which was first serialised in US newspapers back in 1950. Schulz’s stories have been celebrate by kids and adults through the generations as Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang come together. Last year, Peanuts celebrated its 70th anniversary, something which was promoted much in Japan, a country where the iconic characters are extremely popular.

Kewpie has been selling its mayonnaise since 1925. Since 1995, it has introduced designs in collaboration with different characters every 2-3 years alongside its regular packaging.

Neko Neko Cheesecake, a bakery chain in Japan which cooks up cute desserts and pastries shaped like cats, is promoting the release of the two-part anime film Sailor Moon Eternal with two cheesecakes reminiscent of Luna and Artemis. The cakes will be sold from February 11 to March 25.

Sailor Moon Nyan Cheesecake (Mango) | ¥1,380 (Before Tax)

Sailor Moon Nyan Cheesecake (Strawberry) | ¥1,380 (Before Tax)

The cakes arrive in fruity mango and strawberry flavours, available both in-store at Neko Neko Cheesecake branches and via the online store All Hearts Mall in Japan. Both are also safely wrapped up and packaged in a cute box featuring a sailor uniform before being placed in a bag that has Luna and Artemis huddled together and sat atop a crescent moon.

The first film in the Sailor Moon Eternal series was released on January 8, 2021, and the second on February 11, 2021.

©武内直子・PNP／劇場版「美少女戦士セーラームーンEternal」製作委員会

Japananese ice cream chain ROLL ICE CREAM FACTORY is collaborating with the TV anime series Mr. Osomatsu at seven of its branches from February 10 to March 14. It will include a selection of ice creams, hot drinks, and merchandise based on the characters from the popular comedy series.

ROLL ICE CREAM FACTORY x Mr. Osomatsu Collab Visual

Ice Cream Menu

Drinks Menu

Novelty Coasters (7 Designs)

Merchandise line-up

Campaign for 5 people to win prize

Coupon to receive novelties earlier

So what exactly is ‘roll ice cream’? Just as the name suggests, liquid ice cream is poured onto a freezing cold plate which is then rolled with a spatula to create cylindrical shapes. As expected, roll ice cream continues to make its way onto Instagram for its cute visual impact and unique design. Roll ice cream began in Thailand before becoming a boom over in New York. It’s now popular worldwide having spread across Europe and the rest of Asia too. The first branch opened in Harajuku, Tokyo, back in 2017.

Fans of Mr. Osomatsu can look forward to a special selection of berry, vanilla, chocolate mint, and other tasty ice cream scoops based on the Matsuno siblings. Each cup also comes with a toothpick featuring an illustration of the character. There are also three hot takeout beverages perfect for the cold inwter season.

Customers can get their hands on a novelty coaster at participating branches for every item they order from the Mr. Osomatsu menu. There are seven designs which includes a secret, unknown design.

ROLL ICE CREAM FACTORY is also hosting a campaign on their official Twitter and Instagram accounts for 5 lucky fans to win a free poster. Details below.

NewType Shinjuku, a subculture cafe and bar in Tokyo, is collaborating with Modomu Akagawara’s manga series Love Me Pom Poko! from February 6 to 28. The cute and charming world of the series arrives not only on the food and drinks menu but in the form of merchandise and decorations too. As is the case with collaboration cafes in Japan, there’s some free novelties for customers to enjoy when they purchase something from the menu too.

The Menu

©Modomu Akagawara/Hakusensha

©Modomu Akagawara/Hakusensha

Merchandise Line-Up

©Modomu Akagawara/Hakusensha

Novelty Coasters

©Modomu Akagawara/Hakusensha

Love Me Pom Poko! is not that known in the West yet, but if you happen to be in Tokyo this month, be sure to stop on by to experience the art of the series yourself.

Neko Neko Shokupan is celebrating Japan’s annual Hinamatsuri festival, also known as Doll’s Day, by releasing a set of three limited-edition flavours of its popular cat-shaped bread. It is now available via their online store until March 3, 2021.

Strawberry / Plain / Matcha – ¥4,600 (Tax & Shipping Included)

Neko Neko Shokupan Hinamatsuri Strawberry

Neko Neko Shokupan Hinamatsuri Plain

Neko Neko Shokupan Hinamatsuri Matcha

Neko Neko House

The cute set includes pink-coloured strawberry, white-coloured plain, and green-coloured matcha breads which are available for delivery at addresses in Japan. They arrive in a cute house-shaped box.

The hugely popular Taiwan Melon Pan bread, which sells 10,000 units a month in Osaka, Kichijoji, and Nishiogikita, is now being served at Harajuku Food Factory until February 20.

Taiwan Melon Pan | ¥380 (Before Tax)

Taiwan Cheese Melon Pan | ¥450 (Before Tax)

The Taiwan Melon Pan bread is a combination of sweetness, rich butter, and salt for an irresistible flavour experience.

BS TV Tokyo is celebrating Japan’s Cat Day, which falls on February 22, by opening pop-up shops at ten Book1st stores and two Marui stores which will run from February 1 to 28.

The pop-up shops will feature a feline-filled wealth of reading material and merchandise based on popular cat characters in Japan, like Tom & Jerry, Kuroro, Nanana, and more. And if you head to the Nakano branch of Book1st and visit their 2nd floor cafe “Cafe nota nova,” there’ll be some decorative cat-themed displays on show. During the pop-up shops’ openings, all who buy goods and books related to the event will receive a free folder too.

If you love cats, and are in Japan this month, then don’t miss out on this special event in the run up to Cat Day!

Global makeup brand KATE released its second animated video in collaboration with the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion on Tuesday (February 2) to promote its “KATE Red Nude Rouge (EV)” lipstick.

“Rei Ayanami, Her First Lipstick, And the Results”

Rei dons the vibrant red lipstick in the commercial.

“No more rules, this is a red for me and red only,” is what KATE expresses in the promotional video.

The person Rei was waiting for finally arrives, and she smiles, showing off the beautiful rouge tint on her lips.

KATE Red Nude Rouge (EV) is a limited-edition online-exclusive in 4 designs

How to

KATE released the first Rei Ayanami commercial in November last year. In it, the original voice actress for Rei, Megumi Hayashibara, reprised her role in the animated trailer which was created by illustrator and animator Yoneyama Mai. It exploded on Japanese social media, resulting in this sequel.

KATE’s slogan is “NO MORE RULES” which encourages consumers to pick the colours they want to wear themselves without being tied down by society. This concept has led them to innovate in their makeup products, and is a concept that they believe connects with Rei Ayanami from the Evangelion franchise, which is what led to this collaboration.

©カラー