Taiwanese cheese tea shop machi machi is releasing a new drink in Japan this holiday season on December 1: the ‘Flurry Strawberry Milk With Crème Brûlée.’

machi machi is an extremely popular cheese tea chain in Taiwan that has been called the ‘king of cheese tea’ by Taiwanese news outlets. Each and every cup poured is made fresh with tea from Taiwan to which rich cream cheese is added for a salty kick, creating a new kind of dessert drink.

Flurry Strawberry Milk With Crème Brûlée | ¥750 (Before Tax)

The new Christmas beverage being served in Japan uses fresh strawberries which adds a delightful sweetness to the milk. It’s topped with crushed Oreos and combined with crème brûlée for a variety of layered flavours. The Oreos add crunch to the dessert drink so that it’s a delicious experience down to the last sip.

If you’ve never had Taiwanese cheese tea, and are in Japan this Christmas, don’t miss out on this seasonal drink, available for the whole month of December.

Koala’s March is one of the many tasty treats made by Japanese confectionery company Lotte. They are bite-sized cookies with sweet fillings. Lotte is teaming up with Pokémon to release 48 Koala’s March products with Pokémon prints on them.

Koala’s March With Pokémon – Cheesecake Moomoo Milk Flavour

The crunchy biscuits feature a variety of Pokémon prints on them along with the Pokémon’s names’ in Japanese. They are filled with sweet cheesecake-flavoured chocolate. The collaboration is inspired by Moomoo Milk, an HP-restoring medicine seen in Pokémon. Together with the original Koala’s March prints, there are a total of 96 individual designs to find.

A proper tasty snack for any Pokémon Trainer out there!

©LOTTE/Koala’s March Project

©Nintendo･Creatures･GAME FREAK･TV Tokyo･ShoPro･JR Kikaku ©Pokémon

gelato pique cafe in Japan is celebrating the holiday season with a series of ‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’ themed crepes and soft serve ice creams until December 27.

The cafe is a branch of the loungewear brand gelato pique. It aims to create desserts for adults. This Christmas, it is serving up some holiday special crepes and ice creams.

Strawberry Shortcake Crepe | ¥880 (Before Tax)

A fat crepe stuffed with strawberries and adorned in a way that’s just like a shortcake. It contains not only strawberries, but raspberries, and cream. The whole wheat biscuit adds texture to the crepe so it’s delicious to the last bite.

Pique Bear Crepe | ¥1,180 (Before Tax) *Limited quantity served each day

A snowy, all-white crepe made with sweet strawberries, milk gelato, and whole wheat biscuit. It’s topped with a cute white chocolate bear.

Holiday Special Soft Creams – From Left: Strawberry Custard, Rich Milk, Mix | ¥450 Each (Before Tax)

The strawberry custard ice cream is made with smooth, sweet, and rich custard cream and strawberry for a melt-in-the-mouth combination. The rich milk ice cream is a mix of refreshing milk and rich vanilla. The mix option combines both of these flavours which results in a real mouth-watering treat.

If you’re in Japan this holiday season, don’t miss out on these delightful desserts.

Japanese confectionery company Lotte is launching a new version of its popular Choco Pie dessert in collaboration with Pokémon.

Pokémon Trainers out there with sweet tooths are given an ordinary blank Choco Pie which they can decorate with the accompanying assorted chocolates, nuts, and sweets to create their favourite Pokémon. They can create their own from their mind or follow the recipe provided.

Choco Pie Art with Pokémon will be released by Lotte in Japan on November 24, 2020.

©Nintendo･Creatures･GAME FREAK･TV Tokyo･ShoPro･JR Kikaku ©Pokémon

SHISEIDO PARLOUR SALON DE CAFE in Ginza, Tokyo, is serving up Christmas cheer this year in the form of a delightful selection of desserts from December 1 to 29.

Christmas Angel Parfait | ¥2,300 (Tax Included)

Made with super sweet Le Lectier pears and combined with assorted berries, this parfait is like a gift from the heavens.

Present From The Heavens w/ Drink | ¥2,500 (Tax Included)

A super cute Christmas assortment with a Christmas present made from white chocolate and berry yam, a snowman made from yuzu citrus-laced milk ice cream, and more.

Shiseido Parlour Story w/ Drink | ¥2,600 (Tax Included) *Served weekdays only

Ensemble Chocolate w/ Drink | ¥2,200 (tax Included)

A brownie made from a combination of Belgian, French, and Swiss chocolate surrounded by ganache, ice cream, and more, served with a spread of berry sauce.

Strawberry Parfait | ¥2,000 (Tax Included)

A simple but deliciously sweet parfait made with koiminori strawberries from Nagasaki. It’s served with ice cream and sauce but only contains 10g sugar content.

Pikachu Sweets by Pokémon Cafe in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, is adding the new “Caramel Pika Pika Frappe” to its menu this holiday season from December 5, 2020 to January 15, 2021.

Caramel Pika Pika Frappe | ¥700 (Before Tax)

The adorable beverage is based on the Japanese custard pudding known as purin. It’s laced with caramel sauce, closed off with a squirt of whipped cream, and finished with a sprinkling of chocolate chips for accent.

Pikachu Sleeves

The drink also comes with one of four possible Pikachu sleeves which feature designs in promotion of the upcoming animated film Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle (also known as Pokémon the Movie: Coco) which will be released in Japan on December 25, 2020 and in the US in 2021.

© 2020 Pokémon.©1995-2020 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.
© Nintendo･Creatures･GAME FREAK･TV Tokyo･ShoPro･JR Kikaku
© Pokémon © 2020 Pikachu Project

Tokyo Tower is set to host a special morning tea gathering on its 150-meter-high main deck, which overlooks central Tokyo, from November 21, 2020.

A peaceful morning cup of tea above Tokyo

Tokyo is a communications tower in the middle of Tokyo which has its own observation deck open to the public which offers an incredible view of the capital. During the day, the tower is very busy with visitors, and so this morning tea gathering aims to offer people a chance to enjoy the tower and its view in peace and quiet, before opening hours, with a cup of Japanese tea.

An open display showcasing Japanese crafts

The event is cooperating with the Japan-France Tea Ceremony Association who is providing specially-selected traditional Japanese tea-making and serving equipment, all of which were made by traditional Japanese artisans and have been passed down since the Edo Period for an authentic.

Open to foreigners even if you don’t know Japanese or the etiquette of the Japanese tea ceremony

Don’t worry if you can’t speak Japanese or don’t know the manners or proper etiquette when it comes to the Japanese tea ceremony – the event is open to all, and you can participate without sitting in the traditional seiza positioning. The staff can speak English, French, and Spanish, so foreign tourists won’t miss out on anything.

McDonald’s Japan has revealed two new beverages which will be sold at McCafé by Barista branches of McDonald’s from November 25: the “GODIVA Chocolate Espresso Frappe & Macaron” and the “GODIVA Chocolate Espresso Frappe.”

This is McCafé by Barista’s first collaboration with the Turkish chocolate company GODIVA. The drinks were made under the supervision of Yannick Chevolleau, an executive chef and chocolatier pâtissier at GODIVA, bringing together a match made in heaven of rich chocolate and espresso.

GODIVA Chocolate Espresso Frappe – Regular Size (¥540)

The beverage contains a dark chocolate sauce which combines cacao powder and roasted cacao beans which is mixed together with fragrant espresso and milk before being topped with whipped cream drizzled in a couverture chocolate sauce made from 54% Belgian chocolate.

GODIVA Chocolate Espresso Frappe & Macaron – Regular Size (¥540)

You can also get it topped with a vanilla-flavoured macaron which adds sweetness to the rich beverage and looks even more Instagram-worthy.

Japanese confectionery company Ginza Cozy Corner is teaming up with Disney once again to release a new Christmas collection of cupcakes on December 1.

Colourful Disney treats for the holiday season

This sweet seasonal collection is inspired by Mickey & Friends and contains nine unique cupcakes which depict the characters getting ready for their Christmas party.

Disney Christmas Collection (Contains 9) | ¥2,500 (Before Tax)

Cupcakes include a Santa-hat wearing, chocolate ganache-filled Mickey cream cheese cake, a strawberry jam-filled Minnie mousse cake, a lemon and mint cream-packed, Christmas decoration-adorned Donald tart, a banana and mint cream Pluto tart, an orange cream Goofy chocolate cake, and more.

The cakes are packed in a special Disney Christmas box which is sure to catch the attention of sweet tooths this holiday season, perfect for stay-at-home Christmas parties.

Starbucks Coffee Japan has revealed that its second instalment of its limited-edition holiday season 2020 beverages will be the “Matcha x Matcha White Chocolate” and “Matcha x Matcha White Chocolate Frappuccino®” which customers can order from November 24. A new batch of festive Starbucks merch will also hit Japanese branches on November 30.

A harmonious fusion of matcha and sweet white chocolate

Matcha x Matcha White Chocolate Frappuccino® Tall ¥590 (Tall-size only)

Matcha x Matcha White Chocolate: Short ¥450 / Tall ¥490 / Grande ¥530 / Venti® ¥570 (Hot option only)

Matcha is one of Starbucks Japan’s signature flavours and just to happens to have been in the spotlight in last year’s holiday season drinks. This year sees marbling mixture of of rich matcha sauce and sweet white chocolate syrup with the Frappuccino®, finished with a squirt of whipped cream, brownie bits, and snowy powdered sugar. The hot version comes as a marriage of matcha and white mocha mixed together with steamed milk to warm the cockles of hearts during the cold months.

New holiday season merchandise

The theme of the second batch of merchandise is “Brilliant Season” which capture the bright and sparkly vibe of winter like with the snowflake-covered stainless steel bottle, a glass mug with beads in it that move around when shaken, a snow globe, and more. The perfect line-up for capturing the holiday season mood during your coffee break.

Starbucks Japan is currently serving the Berry x Berry No-Bake Cheesecake Frappuccino® and Berry x Berry White Mocha holiday season drinks for the holiday season until November 24 when they will be replaced by the Matcha x Matcha White Chocolate and Matcha x Matcha White Chocolate Frappuccino®. It is also serving the Starbucks® Christmas Blend, Gingerbread Latte, and Macadamia Toffee Latte until Christmas Day.

Bandai’s character-inspired Japanese confectionery series Tabemas has revealed that its next batch of sweet treats will be inspired by the Little Green Men and Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear from the popular Pixar movie franchise Toy Story. The confections will hit 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan on November 21, 2020.

Tabemas Toy Story | ¥258 Each (Before Tax)

The lovable Little Green Men and Toy Story 3‘s main antagonist Lots-o have been fully recreated, down to the finest details, into delicious confections. The details are well crafted you can almost hear the aliens chanting “OOOOOH” in unison! The sweets are also made with a dough called “nerikiri” which is used in making traditional Japanese wagashi sweets.

The Little Green Men are matcha flavoured while Lots-o is strawberry flavoured. Both contain Japanese bean paste, and neither use artificial colourings. Their colours comes from the original ingredients. Each sweet is also only 100kcal making is a perfect quick treat.

‘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.

©Disney/Pixar

Hyatt Regency Tokyo’s brasserie Vicky’s is reopening on November 20, 2020. To celebrate Christmas, Vicky’s is serving up an adorable afternoon tea set which contains Christmassy desserts and savoury snacks. The afternoon tea set will be available on weekends and national holidays from November 21 to December 27, 2020.

Christmas Afternoon Tea Set: ¥4,400 (After Tax)

Enjoy a festive afternoon tea set in Vicky’s comforting brasserie. For the occasion, head dessert maker Hirokazu Satō has created a selection of delicious pastries which take the forms of adorable Christmas characters. Enjoy the creamy layers of the strawberry mousse snowman, indulge in the aromatic pistachio cream tart which looks like a Christmas tree, and sink your teeth into a strawberry and pistachio macaron which looks like Santa Claus. Tuck into the strawberry shortcake which looks just like a Christmas present to finish off your dessert plate.

Minoru Ōtaki is in charge of the savory treats of the Christmas afternoon tea. The menu includes pulled pork sandwiches, quiche lorraine, fried shrimp and more. The savoury snacks balance out the sweet desserts and add a moderately savoury touch to your experience. Customers are also invited to indulge in the wide variety of delightful drinks.

To celebrate the reopening of Vicky’s, Ōtaki has created a special dinnertime tapas selection where you can indulge in the natural flavours of fresh ingredients.

This Christmas afternoon tea is a wonderful way to relax after work or even with your friends.