Japanese confectionery chain Ginza Cozy Corner propose starting the new year with sweets to ensure a happy beginning, and they’ve put together the perfect cake sets to partake in over the holiday period (after gobbling up the traditional New Year’s food, 'osechi ryori', of course).

Each gorgeous cake has been designed with traditional Japanese New Year motifs in mind, celebrating the most important Japanese holiday in the calendar year. Many feature ingredients that are found in osechi ryori, or mimic the look of New Year offerings.

The set of nine cakes (2592 yen) includes desserts inspired by New Year decorations such as ‘kagami mochi’, a stack of two rice cakes with a mandarin on top. Other New Year celebration motifs such as a dancing lion can also be seen as an elaborate addition.

There's a cake inspired by the first sunset of the year over Mount Fuji, and a reference to the Chinese Zodiac with an adorable cow tart, to celebrate the Year of the Ox.

If you go for the larger box of twelve creations (3240 yen), the extra three cakes include a ‘red and white tart’ as this is an auspicious colour combination for the celebrations, decorated with a beautiful fan.

But if your party is far too lowkey for a whole set of cakes, Cozy Corner are also offering standalone cakes with the cow motif (626 yen). The matcha sponge cake makes a grassy bed for the cow to sit on, and when you cut the cake even the cream is cow-patterned!

If you want to catch one of these seasonal boxes of treats you’ll have to be swift, they’re only on sale until 5th January (4th for the cow cake) in branches of Ginza Cozy Corner.


By - Jess.