What’s the best way to eat Japanese cream stew and rice, “together” or “separate?”【Survey】

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Survey results point to possible regional differences.

Alongside curry, cream stew is another easy-to-make comfort food that people in Japan love pairing with rice, especially during the winter months. There’s something else that cream stew and curry have in common too, which is that there’s a debate among Japanese foodies about the best way to serve and eat it.

As with curry, there are two schools of thought. One is that the stew and rice should be “separate,” with the stew neatly covering only part of the rice on the plate when it’s served, and the diner should mix them together little by little, bite by bite. The other philosophy is that since they’re going to get mixed “together” eventually anyway, you should just go ahead and pour the cream stew all over the rice from the very start before you even start eating.

▼ “Separate” cream stew and rice

▼ “Together” cream stew and rice

It’s something that some people have very strong feelings about, and so House Foods, Japan’s leading cream stew mix maker, held a survey addressing the separate-versus-together debate. After collecting responses from 5,617 people, House Foods found that 68 percent of respondents serve/eat stew and rice “separately,” while 32 percent serve/eat them “together.”

When broken down by prefecture, the survey revealed that 80.2 percent of people in Tottori Prefecture eat stew and rice separately, followed by 79.5 percent in Shimane Prefecture (Tottori’s neighbor in western Japan) and 78.9 percent in Toyama Prefecture.

In terms of stew and rice together, Okinawa Prefecture took the top spot with 61.7 percent of respondents, Aomori Prefecture was in second place with 49.6 percent, and Tokyo came in a close third with 48.5 percent. Aomori and Tokyo are both located in eastern Japan, and other eastern prefectures such as Yamanashi, Gunma, and Tochigi had a high percentage of stew-and-rice-together fans too.

House Foods also surveyed what ingredients Japanese people commonly add to their stew. Onions, potatoes, and carrots seemed to be the standard, and the main protein tended to be chicken (65.2 percent). Other common proteins were scallops (32.7 percent), shrimp (27 percent), salmon (19 percent), clams (18.9 percent), and oysters (18.9 percent).

So if you’re looking to try cooking or eating Japanese cream stew, you’ve got some decisions to make, including whether to add in our secret flavor-boosting ingredient of soy sauce.

Sources: Kyodo News via Hachima Kikou, PR Times
Top image: Pakutaso
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McDonald’s Japan is bringing back its Beef Stew Pies (and their lovely puns)!

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When winter comes, McDonald’s Japan’s pies aren’t just for dessert.

Here at SoraNews24, we’re of the opinion that pie is never really a bad thing, and so we’re happy to be tempted by McDonald’s Japan’s chocolate and strawberry pies every time we set foot inside one of their branches. Soon, though, McDonald’s Japan’s pies won’t just be for dessert, as they’re bringing back their Beef Stew Pies!

The Beef Stew Pie is a seasonal winter offering, with a crisp crust filled with beef, potatoes, and carrots. McDonald’s Japan even adds fond de veau veal stock to the piping hot stew, because just because this is fast food take-out that you eat with your hands doesn’t mean it can’t also be classy.

But McDonald’s Beef Stew Pie isn’t just for people who love stew and foodstuffs with fancy French names. It’s for people who love puns too! Since “pie” sounds very similar to “ai,” the Japanese words for “love” (well, one of them, anyway), McDonald’s marketing team has decided to have some fun with the packaging, which randomly features one of a number of pie/ai wordplay patterns.

▼ From left to right: Pai wa, ai da. (Pie is love.)
Pai sareru yori, pai shitai. (More than I want to be pie-ed, I want to pie.)
Pai wo sakendemo ii desu ka? (Is it OK if I shout pie?)

▼ Pai suru kimochi wo taisetsu ni. (Hold on to your feelings of pie.)
Pai shiteru.) (I pie you.)

There’s even more romance in the air, or maybe we should say air passing through the romance, with random packages that have heart-shaped steam vents.

And since the marketing team is obviously not taking itself too seriously, neither is J-pop recording star Takanori Nishikawa, a..k.a. T.M.Revolution, who appears in a commercial for the Beef Stew Pie while swapping “pie” for “ai” in its lyrics.

McDonald’s Japan’s Beef Stew pie goes on sale December 6, priced at 220 yen. It’s scheduled to be available until early January, so if you want to pair it with one of McDonald’s Gurakoro burgers, that’s an option too.

Source, images: Press release
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Starbucks Japan’s new Christmas Frappuccino: festive fantasy or festive fail?

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A nutty way to celebrate the holidays.

It’s now less than a month until Christmas, which means it’s time for Starbucks to release its second festive Frappuccino of the year, and the flavour of choice is…pistachio.

This might seem an odd choice for the holidays, but the green-white colour of the drink is said to mimic the look of a snow-tinged Christmas tree. Released on 29 November, our reporter K. Masami was one of the first in line to try it, ordering both the Melty White Pistachio Frappuccino (690 yen [US$4.67]) and the Melty White Pistachio Mocha (priced from 550 yen for a Short).

▼ She began her taste test with the Frappuccino.

Though the drink looked simple at first, its taste turned out to be quite complex. The milky base contained a sauce at the very bottom made with white chocolate ganache and shaved white chocolate, creating a remarkably rich body that helped to make the pistachio flavours seem extra creamy.

The well-rounded, gentle nuttiness took Masami’s breath away with its deliciousness, and the Merry Cream topping, made with mascarpone and white chocolate, added an extra depth of flavour to every mouthful.

The mocha, available hot or iced, contains pistachio, white mocha-flavoured syrup, a shot of espresso and steamed milk. According to the barista, this beverage tastes just as delicious when the regular milk is swapped out for soy or almond milk, so Masami tried hers with almond milk for an additional 55 yen.

Masami thinks almond milk is a great partner for espresso, and it turned out to be a great choice for this particular drink, as it brought out the coffee notes while highlighting the aromatic pistachios at the same time. This was a fantastic winter warmer that was just as well-rounded as the Frappuccino, and the Merry Cream topping was equally delicious with the hot beverage.

As an added bonus, a couple of cute Starbucks cards with animal designs were released on the same day, so Masami took the opportunity to snap them up as well.

While the new drinks might not look as festive as some of the releases from Christmases past, like this Santa’s boot, they’ll definitely be a festive fantasy for pistachio lovers, especially if you’ve got time to enjoy them both in one sitting. Both drinks are only available for a limited time, though, so you’ll want to get in quick to try them while stocks last until 25 December.

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Our top 3 cafes in Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s newest and possibly swankiest shopping complex

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Complex also happens to be located in Tokyo’s new tallest skyscraper.

Last week, a brand new, high-class shopping-and-living complex named Azabudai Hills opened in downtown Tokyo. Along with becoming Tokyo’s tallest skyscraper, it has also been gathering intrigue with its vast array of shops and restaurants.

Our Japanese-language reporter and self-proclaimed caffeine connoisseur Yuka Sawano headed down there to check out the cafes, and here’s her top three list.

●  % Arabica Tokyo Azabudai Hills

This first cafe actually has two branches–that’s right, two–located in the massive Azabudai Hills complex. One of its Azabudai Hills branches is located near Kamiyacho Station on the Hibiya Line, and the other is located in the Mori JP Tower.

% Arabica is headquartered in Kyoto, where it regularly has a line of coffee-loving customers. The Azabudai Hills branches have a lineup of delicious items that aren’t available in Kyoto, and there are 10 different coffee beans to choose from. If you want to take some home, they’ll even roast the beans for you there!

They offer lattes, espresso, matcha lattes, and even ice cream. Yuka ordered a latte and could immediately understand the buzz about it in Kyoto.

Cafe information
% Arabica Tokyo Azabudai Hills B1 Branch
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Azabidai 1-3-1 Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza B B1F
東京都港区麻布台1-3-1 麻布台ヒルズガーデンプラザB B1F
Open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

% Arabica Tokyo Azabudai Hills 4F Branch
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Azabidai 1-3-1 Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza 4F
東京都港区麻布台1-3-1 麻布台ヒルズガーデンプラザ 4F
Open 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

● Nakamura Tokichi Azabudai

This cafe specializes in Japanese teas, green tea and hojicha (roasted green tea), and is takeout-only. They offer tea lattes, tea with jelly, and plain old tea as well.

Yuka liked this one because you have the chance to taste test the different types of tea before you commit to one on the menu.

Nakamura Tokichi also sells green tea-flavored sweets like cookies and chocolates. They’re a great pairing for your drinks. Keep an eye out for this eye-catching curtain if you want to check it out.

Cafe information
Nakamura Tokichi Azabudai Branch / 中村藤𠮷麻布台店
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Azabidai 1-3-1 Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza B B1F
東京都港区麻布台1-3-1 麻布台ヒルズガーデンプラザB B1F
Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

● Echiré L’Atelier du Beurre (open to the public starting December 1)

Yuka’s final recommendation is technically more of a bakery than a cafe, but their Grand Croissants measuring at 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) deserve a shoutout. They’re crispy and flaky on the outside and ultra-soft on the inside.

Echiré L’Atelier du Beurre has a variety of other baked goods and pastries like kouglof and broiche. They don’t have any tables for eating in, but there are plenty of benches in Azabudai Hills to sit and enjoy your treats. Their merch is pretty cute, too!

Cafe information
Echiré L’Atelier du Beurre / エシレ・ラトリエ デュ ブール
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Azabidai 1-3-1 Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza B B1F
東京都港区麻布台1-3-1 麻布台ヒルズガーデンプラザB B1F
Open 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

So there you have it: three recommendations for a coffee break or tea time in super-classy Azabudai Hills. Oh, and if you’re after something stronger, like, say, Japanese whisky, while you’re there, we’ve got you covered on that front too.

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Legend of Zelda’s traveling Koroks set to travel to our homes as adorable plushies from Japan

https://ift.tt/7Is0yWU Casey Baseel

There’s no question that these puzzling creatures from Tears of the Kingdom will look great on any fan’s shelf.

Nintendo did an outstanding job making the setting of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom feel fresh. Despite sharing pretty much its entire overworld with Breath of the Wild, there are all sorts of new secrets and gameplay elements to discover and play with, and one of the most memorable are the traveling Koroks.

As players explore the realm, they’ll come across these little plant-based creatures who’ve gotten stuck mid-journey. With their oversized packs weighing them down, they’ll tell you “I’m so tired…I can’t move,” and it’s up to you to use your smarts and skills to help get them where they want to go.

And soon where the traveling Koroks are going to go is right into the homes of Zelda fans.

【新商品情報】
『ゼルダの伝説 ティアーズ オブ ザ キングダム』から、「旅コログ」のぬいぐるみが2月中旬に発売予定です大きなリュックは細かな装飾にもこだわりました#ゼルダの伝説 #もう疲れちゃって全然動けなくてェ #三英貿易 pic.twitter.com/gw50ad06Dn

— ぬいぐるみの三英＠ゲームキャラクター (@sanei_NLG) November 29, 2023

San-Ei, a Japanese stuffed animal maker that’s been in business since 1938, has revealed that it’s putting the finishing touches on its Traveling Korok plushies. Measuring about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in height, at least when they’re able to maintain verticality, the stuffed animals are stuffed with the quirky charm seen in the game. There’re even two different designs, with different leaf shapes, backpacks, and coloring, which feels appropriate since traveling Koroks are typically on their way to meet up with a friend.

They really seem to be the perfect size, since they’re big enough to have a sense of presence if you put one on your desk or shelf, but also small enough to easily chuck clear to the other side of the room like a real-world Ultrahand toss, perhaps to work out lingering frustrations from Tears of the Kingdom’s more complex and convoluted traveling Korok puzzles.

San-Ei says the Traveling Korok plushies will be on sale in mid-February, with a reported price of 3,300 yen (US$22) each.

Source: Twitter/@sanei_NLG, Game Watch
Images: Twitter/@sanei_NLG
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Japan’s Great Gratin Croquette Burger War begins: McDonald’s vs. Lotteria【Taste test】

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The battle for the heart and stomach of fast food fans gets started, and our taste buds are the battleground.

It feels like just the other day we were chowing down on tsukimi burgers left and right, as the egg-topped hamburgers have become a thing at multiple fast food chains in Japan and we needed to try as many as we could to see who had the best. Now with the winter chill in the air, tsukimi burgers, like leaves on the trees, are getting harder to find, but that also means it’s time for a new battle in the Japanese fast food sphere: the gratin croquette burger!

McDonald’s Japan was the first to introduce a burger where instead of a beef patty you get a croquette filled with pasta and white sauce, a mixture known as “gratin” in Japan. They brought out their first Gratin Croquette Burger, or “Gurakoro,” all the way back in 1993, and they’ve become a wintertime tradition in the years since (sometimes with their own anime ads) thanks to their rich, creamy flavor and ability to warm you up from the inside.

▼ A Gurakoro, in one of the few brief seconds before it’s devoured with gusto

McDonald’s had the gratin croquette burger market all to itself for a while, but now there are challengers coming out with their own take on the sandwich. The first to show up this year were rival fast food chain Lotteria’s Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger and Zeppin Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger, which went on sale November 16.

▼ Poster for the Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger

▼ Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger (left) and Zeppin Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger (right)

What Lotteria leaves out of the sandwiches’ names is that they’re both actually cheeseburgers, with a slice of red cheddar cheese on top of the croquette, which is also topped with shredded cabbage and, in the case of the 490-yen (US$3.25) Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger, demi-glace sauce.

▼ Lotteria’s Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger

As our taste-testing reporter P.K. Sanjun bit into a Lotteria gratin croquette burger for the first time ever, he was immediately impressed by how good it is! The croquette’s outer layer of breadcrumbs is delightfully crisp, and the inner section of warm, gooey gratin is just as satisfying. Flavor-wise, he couldn’t find even a single thing to complain about, and this is a proper, extremely tasty gratin croquette burger.

▼ Lotteria’s Zeppin Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger

Stepping up to the 570-yen Zeppin (“Exquisite”) Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger, this uses mostly the same ingredients as Lotteria’s standard Shrimp Gratin Croquette Burger, but with the demi-glace upgraded to a bisque sauce. This makes the shrimp/seafood aspects of the flavor even more pronounced, and was delicious in an especially decadent way.

As we mentioned above, though McDonald’s is the chain best known for gratin croquette burgers, and their newest iterations went on sale November 29, so naturally P.K. had to eat them too.

▼ McDonald’s Gratin Croquette Burger (left) and Rich Beef Hayashi Gratin Croquette Burger (right)

Both of McDonald’s gratin croquette burgers also have shrimp, even though they don’t mention so in their names. Unlike their Lotteria competitors, though, neither has a slice of cheese.

▼ McDonald’s Gratin Croquette Burger

The 420-yen Gratin Croquette Burger’s sauce is a mixture of croquette sauce (which is similar to Worchester) with a hint of extra spice and an egg-based sauce, and as soon as it hit P.K.’s taste buds, he knew he’d found the winner of this gratin croquette burger battle royal. P.K. stops by McDonald’s for a Gurakoro every winter, and while he’d been very pleased with Lotteria’s version, he’d forgotten just how perfect McDonald’s is for him.

The way the McDonald’s Gurakoro sauce soaks into the crispy croquette and the thick, fluffy bun perfectly ties all of their flavors together, making this everything P.K. could want in a gratin croquette burger.

▼ McDonald’s Rich Beef Hayashi Gratin Croquette Burger

On the other hand, the 480-yen Rich Beef Hayashi Gratin Croquette Burger didn’t make much of an impression on him. This one also has a mixture of two sauces, but this time they’re Hayashi beef (beef and onions in demi-glace, like in Japan’s Hayashi rice dish) and a three-cheese sauce. Honestly, it’s all a bit much, and the flavors don’t tie together nearly as well as in McDonald’s standard Gratin Croquette Burger, making the Rich Beef Hayashi feel a little like a prototype that hasn’t had its flavor profile fully sorted out yet.

But even if the Rich Beef Hayashi is a swing and a miss, the other three gratin croquette burgers are all solid hits in P.K. book. Lotteria will be selling its until mid-January, while McDonald’s Japan is only saying that its Gurakoro are “limited-time” items, but P.K. should be able to have at least one more of each before this winter is done, even if he’s also saving room for any other challengers to the gratin croquette burger throne that might pop up.

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Ghibli New Year’s Totoro decoration sells out online, but there’s still a way you can get one

https://ift.tt/SQHEYZb Oona McGee

Studio Ghibli’s ode to New Year becomes a sell-out hit online.

Whenever retail chain Donguri Kyowakoku adds a new Studio Ghibli product to its already bursting-at-the-seams collection, it runs the risk of selling out on release day, because fans don’t waste time snapping up cute merchandise, especially when it’s an item that features their favourite character.

That’s what ended up happening on 25 November, when the chain released a kagami mochi (a traditional Japanese New Year’s decoration) in the shape of a small Totoro from the Ghibli movie My Neighbour Totoro. The product proved to be so popular it sold out online within hours, which was a disappointing turn of events for our reporter Yuka Koizumi, who only found out about it after it had sold out.

Being a diehard Ghibli fan, Yuka was not about to let this hurdle stand in her way of owning the decoration, so she headed out to her nearest Dobguri Kyowakoku branch, in Kamakura, to see if they had one in store.

The store was busy with customers on a Sunday, so Yuka wasn’t entirely sure if she would have any luck finding the item. However, she saw a New Year’s display in a corner of the shop…

…and in amongst the special New Year’s tenugui and decorations was the product she had been looking for, packaged in a beautiful red-and-white box with plum branches on the front.

Yuka almost squealed in delight as she picked up one of the boxes and took it over to the counter, paying 6,930 yen (US$46.64) for it and triumphantly taking it home.

▼ Now it’s time for the grand unboxing.

Lifting the lid on the box revealed the two main products in the set — the Totoro and the pedestal it sits on — were snugly packed, keeping them safe from any knocks during transit.

From this angle, the Totoro looked as if it were gazing up at Yuka, accepting her as its new companion and begging her to show it some love.

Yuka smiled as she released the Totoro from the confines of its box and laid it out with the pedestal and paper it came with. Traditional kagami mochi displays consist of two mounds of mochi placed on top of each other, with a Japanese citrus fruit called “daidai” on top, which sits on a traditional sheet of paper called shihobeni and a small pedestal known as a sanpo.

▼ The set includes all these items, only with the Totoro cleverly taking the place of the mochi rice cakes.

Ripping the plastic from the adorable creature, Yuka was delighted to find that not only did it look cute, it was hefty as well, feeling a lot heavier than she expected.

▼ Weighty like a mochi rice cake, but a lot cuter.

The small Totoro was beautifully crafted to look exactly like the one from the film, at all angles.

Though it was small enough to sit in the palm of her hand, it was so heavy she decided to place it on the scales for a minute to find out exactly how much it weighed.

▼ According to the product description, the Totoro weighs 761 grams (26.8 ounces), but Yuka’s scales revealed…

▼…its actual weight was 807 grams!

Its near-kilo mass gave it a high-quality feel, while also helping to keep it safely in place on the stand.

Compared to Yuka’s other Ghibli companions, many of which had been purchased in blind boxes like the ones below, the Totoro was like a massive overlord watching over them all.

▼ A massive overlord but a friendly one, helping to usher in a good New Year for all.

Yuka couldn’t help but laugh when she put the actual Totoro next to the so-called small white one on the pedestal. This threw the scale off completely but Yuka didn’t mind — mochi rice cakes are white, not grey after all, and given the importance of New Year in Japanese culture, it seemed only right that this decoration was larger than everything else in her collection.

It was a wonderful addition to her brood, and it just goes to show that if a new Ghibli item is sold out online all is not lost, as you might still be able to find it in an actual bricks-and-mortar Donguri Kyowakoku location.

It was a move that certainly paid off for Yuka, who is absolutely thrilled with her purchase and now looks forward to spending New Year’s with it, after sending out her Ghibli-stamped nengajo cards.

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Japanese dad turns smash-and-grab thief son in to police, shopkeeper’s polearm technique criticized

https://ift.tt/xM9HkvN Casey Baseel

Two of three robbers now in police custody.

On Sunday evening, a group of three men attempted a smash-and-grab robbery at a precious metals shop near Okachimachi Station in Tokyo’s Ueno neighborhood. The heist was foiled when an employee of the store saw the robbers’ combined arsenal of three crowbars and responded by counterattacking with a man catcher polearm, causing the trio to turn tail and flee on foot, leaving the motor scooters they’d arrived on behind.

The on-foot escape route the three men took was down a street lined with jewelry shops equipped with security cameras, so their apprehension would seem to be largely a matter of time. But it turns out there’s an even speedier way to deliver justice than surveillance analysis or forensic investigation: a disappointed dad.

On Tuesday morning, the father of one of the robbers brought his son to a police station in Saitama Prefecture, which neighbors Tokyo to the north, where he was promptly placed under arrest for the crime. On the same day another member of the group turned himself in at a separate police station in Saitama and was arrested as well

As of this writing, the third criminal remains at large. While exact details haven’t been released, it’s possible that the two men who turned themselves in are the owners of the two scooters that were used in the attempted robbery, which they rode up to and then left right at the entrance of the store they targeted. Assuming the scooters could be traced to them and their home addresses determined via the vehicles’ registration, it’s likely that neither saw any remaining hope of escaping punishment for the crime. Both of the arrested men are 18 years old, which until recently would have made them minors, but following a recent revision to Japanese law both are now legal adults and can be tried as such.

Meanwhile, the dramatic video footage of the shopkeeper fighting the robbers off with a man catcher has grabbed people’s attention and sparked a rise in interest in the criminal submission apparatuses, according to the management of Sano Kiko a company that makes man catchers named after mythical beasts such as Cerberus and Orochi. However, not everyone is impressed with the shopkeeper’s technique. J-Cast News spoke with an employee of an unnamed Tokyo man catcher manufacturer, who gave the reminder that:

“Man catchers are not themselves designed as weapons. Fundamentally, they’re meant to be used by a team of multiple people [each with a man catcher] who [thrust them to] immobilize the person’s arms and legs. We cannot recommend swinging them around or using them for striking.”

The goal being to subdue the target is right there in the “man catcher” name, after all, and the manufacturer employee goes on to explain that in a one-on-one scenario, there’s a chance of the criminal turning the tables on the man catcher user by snatching the device away from them, especially if the criminal has a larger/heavier body frame than the man catcher wielder.

That said, when confronted by three armed attackers, a long pole is better than nothing, and it seems to have done the trick in this case. Still, it’s always best to weight the potential risks before deciding to try to be a hero in a dangerous situation.

Source: TV Asahi (1, 2) via Hachima Kiko, J-Cast News via Livedoor News via Jin
Top image: Wikipedia/PRiMENON
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Pokémon merch Mister Donut Lucky Bag, Japan’s sweetest can’t-miss fukubukuro deal, is coming back

https://ift.tt/zmh2dw5 Casey Baseel

Once again, Mister Donut offers an incredible deal that basically pays you to eat donuts.

One of the best end-of-the-year traditions in Japan are fukubukuro/lucky bags, and one of the best lucky bag deals is the one offered by donut chain Mister Donut. There are a whole bunch of reasons why, but one of the biggest is because Mister Donut’s lucky bags are a team-up with the Pokémon franchise, giving you a mix of free sweets and exclusive Poké merch.

This year, Mister Donut is offering three tiers of Pokémon Lucky Bags, priced at 2,400, 3,600, and 5,900 yen (US$16, US$24, and US$39). Each comes with a collection of Pokémon items, like the zippered pouch pictured above, and a stack of coupons which can be exchanged for free donuts. That brings us to the second awesome thing about the Mister Donut Pokémon Lucky Bags: they’re an amazing bargain. The 2,400-yen bundle comes with 20 donut coupons, the 3,600-yen one 30 coupons, and the 5,900-yen one 50 coupon. With each coupon exchangeable for a donut up to 187 yen in price, that makes the value of the included coupons:

● 2,400-yen lucky bag: 3,740 yen in free donuts
● 3,600-yen lucky bag: 5,610 yen in free donuts
● 5,900-yen lucky bag: 9,350 yen in free donuts

So you’re already coming out way ahead just on the free deserts, even before you factor in the cool Pokémon items featuring Pikachu, Snorlax, Wobbuffet, Quagsire, Fuecoco, and Goomy.

▼ The lucky bag bath towel, with all six species of Pocket Monsters, can double as a light terrycloth banket, or “towelket” as they’re called in Japanese.

Another great thing about the Mister Donut Pokémon Lucky Bags is that they almost entirely bypass the random risk usually associated with fukubukuro. With some stores’ lucky bags it’s an absolute mystery as to what items will be inside, but Mister Donut is very upfront. In addition to its donut coupons, the 2,400-yen bundle will always include an eco shopping bag with shoulder strap…

…an illustrated calendar…

…a memo pad…

…and the cloth zippered pouch we saw earlier.

The 3,600-yen lucky bag includes everything from the 2,400-yen one, plus an additional zippered bag…

…and a schedule book/day planner.

▼ You randomly get one of five patterns for the schedule book, but that’s the one and only part of the package that’s left up to chance.

Finally, the 5,900-yen lucky bag has everything from the 3,600-yen one, plus the bath towel.

Considering that each tier already gives you more than its cost in donuts, Mister Donut is essentially paying you to eat dessert and/or take some Pokémon merch off their hands, and the deal gets better still, because they give you a very long window in which to use your donut coupons. They’re good until May 31, and even if you’re not sure if you can single-handedly/mouthedly eat all those donuts by then, the coupons are transferable, either by giving the to friends or letting them register individual coupons through the Mister Donut smartphone app. So as long as you and your circle of friends and family are collectively in the mood for donuts, getting your money’s worth out of the Mister Donut Pokémon lucky bags should be no problem, even if you want to save a few freebies for a springtime trip to Japan’s real-world Sandshrew Park.

The lucky bags go on sale December 26, though Mister Donut hasn’t specified exactly what time, perhaps as part of a strategy to thwart scalpers.

Source, images: PR Times
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There’s a Tokyo bar with Japanese whisky inside bookstore inside Japan’s tallest building

https://ift.tt/39yxVoz SoraNews24

Slow Page pours classy coffee too at Azabudai Hills.

Last week, Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills complex opened, with its main tower becoming the tallest skyscraper in Japan. 64 floors and 325 meters (1,066 feet) tall, the Azabu Hills Mori JP Tower, to use its full name, is almost as tall as Tokyo Tower’s spire tip.

Unlike the largely empty frame of Tokyo Tower, though, the Azabu Hills Mori JP Tower is filled with shops, restaurants, and offices, and on our visit we were drawn to the Ogaki Bookstore, on the fourth floor.

Ogaki is headquartered in Kyoto, but they’re making this Tokyo branch one of their flagship locations. With wide walkways, neatly organized shelves, and soft yet ample lighting, the whole place is designed to make the actual process of shopping for books as pleasant and enjoyable as possible, providing an elegant atmosphere you can’t get just from clicking on samples and order buttons on an online bookseller’s website.

There are even reading lounges set up in the store, with views that look down into the central garden of the Azabudai Hills complex.

But the coolest place of all to sit and peruse some reading material? That’d be Slow Page, a bar/cafe that’s located inside the Azabudai Hills Ogaki Bookstore.

The menu has a nice selection of whiskies, including Suntory’s famed trio of Hakushu, Yamazaki, and Hibiki, all of which are looking to see price spikes next year.

If it’s too early in the day for you to start drinking, there’s also a lineup of coffees and teas, and they even have curry rice for those who’re feeling hungry.

Being the classy types we are, we opted for the siphon coffee.

The 800-yen price wouldn’t be out of line for a swanky cafe in this part of Tokyo, and turned out to be an even better bargain than we’d initially expected when we noticed you get two cups of coffee for that price.

▼ Plus the cup and saucer felt like works of art.

With over two dozen restaurants and cafes either already operating or set to open soon within the building, Slow Page is far from the only place to sit and sip a drink at Azabudai Hills, but it’s definitely one of the best, and it’s semi-hidden status will probably make it a great choice for those in the know when all the other eateries are crowded.

Location information
Slow Page
Address: Tokyo-to, Minatko-ku, Azabudai Icchome 3-1, Azabudai Hills Tower Plaza 4th floor
東京都港区麻布台一丁目3番1号 麻布台ヒルズ タワープラザ4階
Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Celebrate Japanese New Year traditions with Studio Ghibli decorations

https://ift.tt/8QpVPLt Oona McGee

Totoro, Jiji and No Face bring anime charm to some traditional customs.

It’s often been said that the most traditional time of year in Japan is New Year’s, when people take part in a wide variety of customs that include visiting shrines and temples, eating special foods, and decorating their homes with traditional displays to usher in good luck.

One of the most common displays you’ll find in a lot of homes is the kagami mochi (literally “mirror rice cake”), which consists of two mounds of mochi placed on top of each other, with a Japanese citrus fruit called “daidai” on top. The shape of the rice cakes is said to represent the mirror of the sun goddess Amaterasu, one of Japan’s most sacred items, so the display is usually placed on a traditional sheet of paper called shihobeni and displayed on a small pedestal known as a sanpo, in a similar manner to the way offerings are presented to the gods on an altar in a Shinto shrine.

▼ An example of kagami-mochi, albeit without the traditional pedestal.

These days, kagami mochi are displayed in a number of ways, but the main elements of plump white rice cakes and citrus topping, complete with green leaf attached, generally remain the same. That is, unless you’re Studio Ghibli, because this year they’re giving us a kagami mochi like nothing we’ve ever seen before, replacing the mochi cakes with the body of a Totoro!

If you like your decorations to be soft and cuddly, you’ll love the New Year’s Small Totoro plushie, which is 12 centimetres (4.7 inches) wide and 10 centimetres tall, and retails for 2,200 yen (US$14.78).

Those looking for a slightly more traditional decoration will want to opt for the New Year’s Small Totoro made from polyester resin, making it firmer to touch.

This Totoro comes with the traditional paper and stand, although these ones are embellished with some gorgeous Ghibli details.

The red-and-white paper reads “Gasho” (“Happy New Year”) on the front corner, with plum blossoms to represent the coming of spring and new beginnings, and a little Soot Sprite to give it a dash of Ghibli magic.

The pedestal, which traditionally features a hole in the shape of a Hoju (a sacred, wish-fulfilling jewel), bears the shape of Totoro instead.

This Totoro is 9.5 centimetres wide and 11 centimetres tall and weighs in at 761 grams (26.8 ounces).

▼ At 6,930 yen, it’s more expensive than the plush Totoro, but it does come with a stand and paper decoration, making for a more impressive display.

Fans of Kiki’s Delivery Service also have cause to celebrate, with the unveiling of a wreath featuring magical black cat Jiji.

While it’s customary to display a wreath or pine display at your front door over New Year’s in Japan, this Ghibli item is described as a “Western-style decoration” due to its design, which doesn’t include sacred paper details and opts for a more subdued hue that’s markedly different to that of traditional Japanese New Year’s wreaths.

A traditional wreath, known as “shime kazari”, contains bursts of green and red hues, with leaves of urajiro (Japanese fern) and yuzuriha (false daphne) often included.

The Ghibli wreath has a similar straw rope but different details that hark back to the medicinal herbs and blooms seen in Kiki’s family home, where magical potions are concocted.

If you’re more of a Spirited Away fan, you’ll want to check out this New Year’s decoration featuring No Face, which retails for 8,800 yen.

This beautiful item gives us a Ghibli twist on the traditional kadomatsu display, which contains pine and bamboo and usually looks similar to what we see in the image below.

▼ Miniature kadomatsu

While most kadomatsu are large and purchased as a pair, with one placed on either side of the door, that’s not an option for apartment dwellers who usually have to keep shared public spaces clear of clutter, so mini versions like this one bring the tradition indoors.

▼ Ah…ah…ah…

There are a lot of auspicious items to be found in No Face’s tub, starting with the pine, bamboo and plum display, which also includes a fan in a mound of gold.

The auspicious gold and red hues continue on the front, where we see a tai in a plate perched on No Face’s belly. Tai, or red sea bream, is one of the lucky foods eaten at New Year.

Not only will this decoration help to bring luck and fortune into your home, it can also serve as a reminder to avoid greed and overindulging during the holiday period and the year ahead, lest we end up like No Face in the bathhouse.

While the No Face decoration, in true No Face fashion, has been lurking on the Donguri Kyowakoku site for a while now, the Totoro and Jiji decorations are new additions to the range for New Year.

On sale online from 25 November, the newly released Jiji and larger Totoro items proved to be sell-out hits, with only the small plush Totoro now remaining in stock. Donguri Kyowakoku is known to restock its popular goods whenever possible, though, so here’s hoping they’ll have more available before the year is out. Until then, we’ll be browsing these New Year’s Totoro tenugui decorations and the cute new Ghibli hanko stamps in the lead-up to the holidays.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Featured image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3) Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4)

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