Hoshino Resorts KAI Hakone has announced a special hydrangea-themed hotel plan for Japan’s rainy season which will run from June 12 to July 4.

Hydrangeas bloom before guest room benches

At KAI Hakone, there is a special guest room with an outdoor bench seating area which looks out into the green forest. Hydrangeas will bloom, providing a gorgeous backdrop as guests enjoy the sounds of the Sukumogawa River.

Hydrangea accessory kit

Guests will be given an accessory kit in their rooms to make their own flower accessories from hydrangea leaves and wooden mosaics. These accessories can be fitted to yukata, used as piercings, and more to serve a Japanese summer vibe.

Enjoy hydrangea sweets and shaved iced

Guests can turn their rooms into a little tearoom with the wooden mosaic plaques provided on which they can tuck into a range of hydrangea-flavoured sweets and desserts along with a cup of matcha. The shaved ice is a KAI Hakone-original made with jelly and syrup coloured purple with hydrangea.

The hydrangea is perhaps the most celebrated flower in all of Hakone, arriving in early summer. It’s hailed in a variety of ways, one of the most popular being the Hydrangea Train, a nickname given to the train that runs from Odawara Station to Gora Station. Passangers are treated to an incredible view out the train window as their vision is filled with vivid hydrangea flowers.

This year marks the second that KAI Hakone is offering its seasonal hydrangea plan. If you’re able to visit during this time, don’t miss out.

InterContinental Tokyo Bay is set to serve up a special afternoon tea by French pastry chef Pierre Hermé at five of its restaurants including New York Lounge from June 1 to August 31.

A colourful, fruit-filled line-up

From the left: Mosaic Cheesecake, Macarons, Ispahan, Emotion Satine

From the left: Jardin de Misole, Jardin de L’atlas, Infiniment Cassis

Chocolate gateaux line-up

Two jam scones, one with raspberry and one with lemon

The savoury items are made by the French restaurant next door

The full afternoon tea at New York Lounge

The full afternoon tea at Hudson Lounge

The full afternoon tea at Manhattan

The full afternoon tea at La Provence

The full afternoon tea at Italian Dining Zillion

The afternoon tea line-ups are a collaboration between French pastry chef Pierre Hermé, who has been called the pastry industry’s Picasso, and award-winning executive chef Junji Tokunaga. Their first time working together, the duo have created an afternoon tea service packed with fruits like passion fruit, raspberry, orange, lychee, lemon, and more. Tokunaga also baked up chocolate gateaux as an homage to Hermé.

Items on the menu include Pierre Hermé’s signature Ispahan which is a rose-flavoured macaron stuffed with rose cream, fresh lychee, and raspberry; Mosaic Cheesecake which harmoniously combines griotte cherries and pistachio; the refreshing Emotion Satine in all its passion fruit, orange, cream cheese, and mascarpone richness; four original gateaux chocolate oranges by Tokunaga; scones, and more.

The afternoon tea served at French Dining Manhattan, a restaurant which has a terrace overlooking Tokyo Bay, also comes with its own original savoury line-up, while Fine Dining La Provence and Italian Dining Zillion serve up lunch plates with theirs.

Mirume Shinryoku Sabo is a new cafe and tea-lover paradise that opened in Nagoya on May 10, 2021, serving high quality bottled Japanese tea, desserts, and other delicious delights.

Daifuku : Eat-In ¥250 (Tax Included)

Ise Tea Sweet Bean Jelly: Eat-In ¥250 / Store ¥500 (Tax Included)

Ise Tea Cheesecake: Eat-In ¥350 / Store ¥3,300 (Tax Included)

Mirume Shinryoku Sabo is the newest cafe to be opened by Shinryoku Sabo, an award-winning tea company in Mie Prefecture. The cafe’s tea experience includes using a kyuusu, which is a type of small teapot, to brew Isecha green tea. Customers can learn the best way to prepare tea from an in-house instructor of Japanese tea, who will also provide backstory on the tea leaves used. Their deliciously brewed cup can be paired with a variety of desserts like daifuku, maju, cheesecake, and more.

The cafe also sells the “Morning Bottle,” its signature bottled cold-brew tea which is prepared on the day in the early morning. Bottles can be returned to the cafe to be reused, allowing for no waste. Since the tea is cold-brewed, it also contains little caffeine.

Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo, is welcoming Häagen-Dazs through its doors who have prepared a very special dessert buffet for the hotel’s “Summer Trip with Häagen-Dazs” service. The sweet treat line-up will be served from June 1 to September 30 along with a range of savoury foods from around the world – an inviting prospect to those unable to travel during the pandemic.

Sweets Collection with Häagen-Dazs ~Ice Cream Holic~ | General ¥4,800, Children (Aged 4-12)

The first entry to the Summer Trip with Häagen-Dazs is the “Sweets Collection with Häagen-Dazs ~Ice Cream Holic~” dessert buffet. To protect customers, all desserts are ordered and served like a course rather than going to pick up the food yourself. This marks the third year of the dessert buffet, and this time it’s inspired by ice cream shops in New York, the home of Häagen-Dazs. Ice cream will be served in a cool and refreshing variety of ways.

Experience that feeling of picking out a flavour from the ice cream store with a line-up of eight flavours including classics such as vanilla and strawberry as well as the new rich royal milk tea. Each serving is customisable with numerous toppings.

Other menu items include mini ice cream croissants, ice cream sodas, ice cream cake, and more. There’s also a line-up of savoury food too if you want to line your belly before dessert: fried chicken, burgers, hot dogs, fries, and so on.

While the buffet is on, the hotel restaurant itself will be transformed into an ice cream theme park with summery tropical fruit colouring as well as designs and decor inspired by ice creams and cones.

This summer, Southern Tower Dining and Lounge South Court—both of which are located inside Odakyu Hotel Century Southern Tower—are serving up a fluffy matcha shaved ice dessert called Wa -Nagomi- from June 1 to September 30.

Southern Tower’s Famous Fluffy Light Snowfall Wa -Nagomi- Shaved Ice | Eat In ¥1,470, Takeout ¥700

The matcha-flavoured shaved ice has a texture as light and fluffy as snow. As you spoon through the dessert your taste buds are met with a range of delicious tastes and textures like the Japanese rice flour confection known as gyuhi, winter melon syrup, black soybean flour ice cream, and cream.

The dessert can also be ordered for takeout. The black soy bean flour ice cream adds a crunchy cereal-like texture to the soft shaved ice, and with the takeout option, there’s also chocolate-coated wheat bran and brown sugar syrup.

Tram No. 204, a tram that used to run in the city of Omuta, Fukuoka, has been placed in front of the west entrance of Omuta Station as a symbol and turned into ‘hara harmony coffee,’ a new cafe.

The cafe opened on March 28, 2021.

A little look at the menu

Coffee (Hot/Iced)

Fruit Sandwiches (Kiwi/Pineapple/Strawberry/Strawberry & Anko)

hara harmony coffee serves coffee, fruit sandwiches, and other items from Coffee Salon Hara, a now-closed cafe that was loved by the people of Omuta for many years. They will also introduce alcohol to the menu as well as a night-time service in the near future. The cafe even sells souvenirs.

Roll up to the retro tram for a nostalgia trip and cup of coffee.

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.

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

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

This cafe will keep your dry while you enjoy your coffee as it brings together the Japanese rainwear brand Wpc. and community space Tsubakimori Komuna with the limited-time cafe Wrapping komuna ~blooming~ which is now running until the end of May.

Tsubakimori Komuna first opened five years ago and recently received huge renovation work, reopening in January of this year. Wrapping komuna ~blooming~ sees the return of the colourful umbrella installation which was featured as part of its reopning.

The theme of the installation is “blooming” and features six different colours of umbrella representing different drinks such as strawberry milk, ramune, and soda. The umbrellas twinkle as the light filters through the trees at different angles, creating a gorgeous atmosphere at the cafe which itself is built like a treehouse.

In promotion of the latest entry to the Detective Conan anime film series, Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet, which was released on March 18, Bandai released two traditional Japanese wagashi sweets from its Tabemas confection series at 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan on April 23.

Tabemas Detective Conan 2021

Conan Edogawa

Shuichi Akai

‘Tabemas’ is an abbreviation of the Japanese words taberareru masukotto, meaning ‘mascots that you can eat.’ It is a Japanese confectionery series that combines well-known characters and Japanese sweets made from ingredients like red bean paste, sugar and rice flour. The sweets are also made with a dough called “nerikiri” which is used in making traditional Japanese wagashi sweets.

The sweets feature titular character Conan Edogawa and FBI agent Shuichi Akai from the new film, recreating their looks in adorable detail and making the custard and chocolate flavoured respectively. The colours of the confections are naturally-derived from the ingredients used, meaning no artificial colourings are used.

(C)青山剛昌／小学館・読売テレビ・TMS 1996

GENDA SEGA Entertainment is set to open a themed cafe in collaboration with Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club on April 29, 2021.

A completely original menu themed on the characters

Fans can tuck into a very special menu inspired by the members of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club with drinks, desserts, and food. The cafe will run over the course of three periods each of which will also include their own unique menu items.

Drinks | ¥660 Each (Tax Included)

Period ①: Hamburger Plate / Yaki Udon | ¥1,320 Each (Tax Included)

Nikujaga Plate / Clam Chowder | ¥1,320 Each (Tax Included)

Period ②: 1st Year Banana Parfait / 2nd Year Strawberry Parfait / 3rd Year Grape Parfait | ¥1,100 Each (Tax Included)

Period ③ menu exclusives to be revealed

Get some freebies simply by ordering

Period ①: Drinks Coaster / Food Coaster / Parfait Costers

Period ②: Drinks Coaster / Food Coaster / Parfait Costers

Period ③ exclusive freebies to be revealed

Character birthday cards

Kanon Shibuya – May 1, 2021 / Sarah Kazuno – May 4, 2021

Ai Miyashita – May 30, 2021 / Nozomi Tojo – June 9, 2021

Mari Ohara – June 13, 2021

Merchandise to add to your collection

Releasing: April 29, 2021

Acrylic Stands | ¥1,320 Each (Tax Included)

Art Panels | ¥660 Each (Tax Included)

Releasing: May 15, 2021

Chibi Key Rings | ¥770 Each (Tax Included)

Bonus merch for every ¥2,000 spent

Bromides | Available April 29, 2021 – May 14, 2021

Bromides | Available May 15, 2021 – May 28, 2021

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