Japan’s one and only official, permanent Pokemon Cafe is celebrating the release of Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! with a special, limited time only menu to honour the two beloved titular characters of the new games. The Pikachu Plate meal is a firm favourite on the Pokemon Cafe’s menu, but now you can catch an Eevee Plate too, which is basically the same, but you know, Eevee themed. It costs 1706 yen, and if you’d like to take a cool Eevee plate home with you, you can pay a bit extra (2894 yen both for the meal and plate). If you just can’t decide between these two…

Matcha fans are absolutely spoilt in Japan. The country can’t get enough of the bitter green tea flavour and there’s a constant influx of matcha desserts, drinks and even main meals like green tea curry. One point of jealousy, felt by overseas Japan fans, is the crossovers between the brands we know and traditional Japanese flavours, such as Starbucks Japan’s enviable matcha creations. Lindt, the swiss chocolate brand, is known for their creamy, luxurious chocolate. This Christmas, their branches in Japan have combined this sweet chocolate with a matcha topping for a very festive looking hot cocoa. The rich hot chocolate is available in either dark or milk chocolate. The…

You may remember super talented Japanese university student and papercraft art enthusiast @02ESyRaez4VhR2l (Haruki), who just last month impressed Twitter and even garnered national television coverage in Japan for his awesome reconstruction of an empty Pringles can into a dapper figure of Julius Pringles, the Pringles mascot. If you need a refresher, here’s the original. プリングルズの空箱で工作しました！#papercraft#packingart pic.twitter.com/l8Wx38MXt0 — 晴季 (@02ESyRaez4VhR2l) 2018年10月16日 Now Haruki has outdone himself a group of five Pringles gentleman (from orginal, sour cream and onion, salt and vinegar, bbq, and honey mustard if you’re counting) that are so colorful and lively posed, they could double as a potato chip themed boy band or Japanese sentai superhero group!…

McDonald’s Japan is no stranger to getting inventive with sauces when it comes to spicing up their menu, perhaps most notably with chocolate sauce covered fries. The fast food chain’s popular chicken nuggets have also found themselves dipped in adventurous flavors, as seen recently with the Adult Wasabi Mayonnaise and Naughty Teriyaki Mayonnaise and legitimately spicy K.O. chicken nugget sauces. Now it appears McDonald’s Japan is fancying up their chicken nuggets for the holiday season, announcing larger 15-piece chicken nuggets sets coupled with Merry Christmas Steak Sauce and Happy New Year Lobster Mayo Sauce for a discounted price of 390 yen! 来週のきょうは #勤労感謝の日 😉働き者のみなさんに…クリスマスとお正月をプレゼントしちゃいます👍せーの… #アゲましておめでメリクリ ✨😁✨🎉 #チキンマックナゲット は11/21(水)から #15ピース390円 💥…

Wagashi is a term that refers to various traditional sweets and desserts. Distinctly Japanese ingredients and flavours are used such as matcha, adzuki beans and kinako (roasted soy bean flour), making them completely different from their counterparts found in other countries. They are often eaten as an accompaniment to green tea and seen in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. View this post on Instagram Ami_Tateishiさん(@ami_tateishi1118)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 8月月8日午後10時22分PDT But these traditional treats aren’t immune to modern updates, and from time to time character themed wagashi come along. Previously there were Rilakkuma sweets and even wagashi versions of the aliens from Toy Story. These latest ones are being sold at Japanese convenience…

Introducing our new content sharing partner: Japan Shopping Now Operated by the Japan Shopping Tourism Organization, Japan Shopping Now is a site offering the best, most relevant information and stories about “Shopping Island, Japan,” from high-quality technology to traditional crafts passed down from ancient times, or regional specialty goods to anime and gaming subcultures with fans around the world. The establishment of our content sharing partnership with Japan Shopping Now comes four months after that of our partnership with the online news platform JAPAN Forward, which began in July of this year. Partnership Starts on November 14, 2018 As of November 14, 2018, our new partner Japan Shopping Now will…

It’s hard to express the joy of living with a pet unless you actually have one, but Japanese illustrator and bunny lover Schinako (@schinako) may be doing as great a job as possible with her charming artwork. In her illustrations, Schinako shows some of the simple pleasures that these adorable and fascinating animals can bring to daily activities such as cooking, reading, or simply relaxing around the house. In her profile, she writes that she loves drawing “the happiness of bunny and bunny lovers”, and her delightful art style captures that perfectly. Source: Schinako The Fukushima based artist clearly understands the curious and affectionate nature of rabbits (inspired by her…

Anime fans looking for an iconic series themed restaurant and bar who missed a chance to say “See you, space cowboy” at the awesome Cowboy Bebop-themed cafe will have another shot this year. Starting this week, a Neon Genesis Evangelion bar will be opening up in the Ikebukuro neighborhood of Tokyo, complete with a menu of Japanese pub food and beverages inspired by characters and scenes from the mega popular anime series! Similar to how the Cowboy Bebop cafe teamed up with Animate, the Evangelion bar and restaurant is a collaboration with 46 Shokudo, which regularly hosts anime-themed restaurant events. The Evangelion Sakaba (Evangelion drinking spot) is actually an izakaya,…

At any given time, Japan has a whole host of limited time only collaborations between characters and food outlets to create adorable and in-demand snacks. But every so often, one comes along that is so cute, you wish it would stay around forever. These Pikachu face doughnuts, coming out this week at Mister Donut, are one example of this phenomenon. Timed for the same release date as Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee in Japan, these sweet treats will be available in Mister Donut from 16th November. Two doughnuts are on offer, a Pikachu and a Pokeball. Pikachu’s round yellow face is a soft and airy doughnut covered…

The results are finally in for Kit Kat Japan’s worldwide vote to decide a brand new flavour to celebrate 45 years of Kit Kat in the country. Half a million chocolate fans from 81 countries tried to vote into existence the Kit Kat of their dreams. There were some suggested flavours to choose from, but you could also submit your own ideas, leading to some questionable candidates. Japan has become known overseas for their many delicious and eccentric Kit Kat flavours. Some are seasonal and others are inspired by traditional and regional Japanese specialties. Source: PR Times Some of the popular entries were as varied as stroopwafel, mocha, Thai iced…

Kirin’s brand ‘Gogo no Kocha’, literally translated means afternoon tea. This popular range of bottled teas can be seen in everywhere in Japan, in the convenience stores and vending machines, available cold and warm. The fact they can be bought anywhere makes them seem somewhat mundane despite being tasty, but at the Afternoon Tea Beauty Garden event taking place in Shibuya this month, the teas have been made to look more like fancy cocktails or health drinks instead of vending machine stock. Afternoon Tea Beauty Garden will be taking place in the event space in front of Shibuya Stream, the fancy new complex by Shibuya station. It has the theme…

The first official cafe based on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is coming, and what better place to host it than Japan, the Earth’s capital for themed eateries. Official Harry Potter Cafe Coming to Tokyo and Fukuoka To celebrate the release of the new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie, the cafe will open for a limited time only in two locations, Tokyo and Fukuoka. ハリー・ポッター＆ファンタスティック・ビースト「魔法ワールドカフェ」新宿・福岡に期間限定オープン – https://t.co/OaCONliujv pic.twitter.com/sxsUT5FKst — Fashion Press (@fashionpressnet) 23 October 2018 It will be appearing from 9th November to 31st January 2019, in Shinjuku’s Mylord, and also down south in Fukuoka Canal City, Hakata. Not much information has been released on the…

If you clicked on this article because you thought there was going to be a green tea flavour beverage inspired by mecha (giant fighting robots in anime), I’m sorry to disappoint you. Meccha is Japanese slang meaning very or really. The word started off as Kansai dialect and spread to the rest of Japan, it’s origins making it the perfect word to use for the Osaka-only Starbucks’ special new matcha range, hinting at the potent flavour of the beverages. The new drinks will be exclusive to 105 branches in the Osaka area to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Starbucks in Osaka. We usually think of Kyoto as Japan’s epicentre of…

With its countless temples, traditional neighborhoods, and beautiful integration of nature and architecture, Kyoto is one of the most charming cities of Japan, providing a bounty of experiences for tourists to enjoy. As we have reported before, one of the most charming and memorable neighborhoods to visit in Kyoto is Pontocho. On the main alley of Pontocho, long-established restaurant Fujita specializes in the kaiseki style of traditional Japanese cuisine. However, they are not happy to rest on their laurels. While continuing their traditions, they are also experimenting with innovative menu ideas. This is reflected in their latest offering from their prepared food gift selections which can be purchased in the…

We’ve waxed lyrical many times on this site about the charms of Kyoto during fall, but if you can’t make it there this year, there’s a small consolation in Tokyo. There’s plenty of beautiful examples of latte art in Tokyo, and Canvas Tokyo have become famous for their rainbow lattes and trendy interior design, becoming a favourite of hipster coffee lovers. View this post on Instagram CANVAS_TOKYOさん(@canvas_tokyo)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年10月月30日午前7時13分PDT This November the coffee shop is bringing a bit of Kyoto’s beauty to their lattes with autumn leaf latte art in a fiery red and orange gradient. The area’s famous green tea is also utilised, as the houjicha latte and houjicha…