Transforming iconic characters into delicious works of art.

Pokémon is a beloved franchise, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in Japan who has not heard of it, even if they have never personally interacted with any of its media. Through collaborations with famous brands from all areas of the market, the cute and charming character designs can be seen in many places throughout the country.

Despite both being of Japanese origin, the combination of a 161-year-old traditional Japanese confectionery maker and an electric mouse and its friends may not be the natural pairing for most people. However, over the last few years, the shop Shichijo Kanshundo has been releasing delightful treats that blend history with pop culture, and from May 11, they have expanded that lineup with another set of four Pokémon kyo-gashi (traditional Kyoto-style sweets).

The shop is renowned for its jonamagashi, which are handmade by craftsmen one by one. While these sweets, traditionally served during tea ceremonies, typically reflect the changing seasons or classical poetry, Shichijo Kanshundo is using their delicate artistry to bring Eevee and Poltchageist into the physical world.

The Eevee sweet is crafted using nerikiri, a traditional mixture of sweet white bean paste, starch syrup, and gyuhi (glutinous rice flour) that artisans sculpt by hand into intricate, soft shapes. Poltchageist is made as a jonyo manju, a light, fluffy steamed bun made with yam, sugar, and joyo-ko (fine rice flour).

These two Pokémon join two others that were previously released to form this new set of four: Shaymin (Land Forme) and Oricorio (Sensu Style). Shaymin is a kinton, made by crumbling white bean paste or nerikiri into a soboro (ground/crumb-like) state and applying it around a core of bean paste. Oricorio, on the other hand, is expressed using uiro, a Japanese sweet made by adding sugar and water to rice flour, among other ingredients, and steaming it until firm, which results in a chewy texture. The set costs 2,916 yen (US$18) and, since they’re made without unnecessary preservatives, are best enjoyed immediately.

Catching these sweets requires a little bit of extra planning, because the physical store in Kyoto only sells these sets on their special sales event on the seventh of every month, so starting June 7, visitors will be able to pick some up on the afternoon stroll through one of Kyoto’s most historic neighborhoods near Sanjusangendo Temple.

There is another method to get your hands on them earlier: you can order them online and receive them directly at your home, although they will be delivered frozen. However, that also means you don’t need to enjoy them all at once, and can take your time to savor the flavors over a period of 14 days from the date of shipment.

If you do happen to find yourself in the Higashiyama area in Kyoto on the seventh of a month, though, be sure to stop by the shop early. These limited-edition treats are a wonderful way to experience Kyoto’s traditional craftsmanship, even if you’re not a dedicated Pokémon fan.

Store information
Shichijo Kanshundo / 七條甘春堂
Address: Kyoto-fu, Higashiyama-ku, Shichijo-doori, Nishinomon-cho 551-banchi
京都市東山区七条通西の門町551番地
Open 9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Closed January 1
Website

Related: Shichijo Kanshundo online store
Source: PR Times via Japaaan
Images: PR Times
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Special sweets designed to satisfy your sweet tooth and cool you off in the summer heat.

This year is Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, and the franchise is celebrating in style at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, with the hotel offering amazing Pokémon-themed rooms including one with 30 Pikachu plushies to keep guests company during their stay. But what if you’ve already got a place to sleep in Tokyo? Does that mean you have to miss out on the collaboration’s fun?

Not at all, because the Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s restaurants are also part of the party, and they’re offering both sweet and savory Pokémon-themed eats all summer long!

Starting things off is the Sora Tobu Pikachu (“Pikachu in the Sky”) Gourmet Burger Set, with a Pikachu-yellow bun, the Hyatt’s original barbecue sauce, and jalapeno pickles. It’s accompanied by curry powder French fries and chilled corn soup, and to drink you get a “Pikachu soda,” which looks to be an ice cream float with boba-style tapioca balls too.

The Pikachu burger is available in the hotel’s Oak Door steakhouse restaurant, but just like wild Pokémon appear in different parts of their regions, there are other Pikachus at the Hyatt’s Fiorentina cafe, which is adding a Sora Tobu Pikachu Summer Parfait to its menu.

Since this is a parfait to be enjoyed during one of Japan’s notoriously hot and humid summers, this dessert bypasses heavy chocolate or caramel sauces. Instead, the key ingredients are mascarpone mousse, peach gelatin infused with butterfly pea, and coconut gelatin, for visuals evocative of a bright blue sky and puffy clouds. The “balloons” that are carrying Pikachu on this flight are actually orbs of frozen mousse in mango, orange, pistachio, blueberry, and raspberry flavors.

And there’s still one more place to score some Pokémon treats. Head to the Hyatt’s Fiorentina Pastry Boutique and you can pick up a Pokémon 30th Anniversary Mango Cake.

This fancy cake has layers of mango and coconut jelly inside almond sponge cake, topped with mango mouse and a bouquet’s worth of mango slices arranged in the shape of roses. But even with all those floral flourishes, fans’ eyes will be drawn to the pair of Pikachu chocolates.

For those looking for permanent reminders of their Pokémon sweets sessions, Fiorentina can also supply Grand Adventure Sweets Trunk Cases, with Pikachu mango cookies, Eevee coffee chocolate cookies, and Gen-1 starter trio chocolates in a bundle with a special tote bag and lunchbox-style case.

…or Grand Adventure Baton Chocolate sets, with an assortment of gourmet chocolates and the tote.

▼ The cookies and starter trio chocolates can also be purchased by themselves, if you’ve already got your carrying equipment needs sorted.

As for pricing, the intricate decadence of the Pokémon 30th Anniversary Mango Cake puts it at 12,600 yen (US$81). The Pikachu burger set, meanwhile, is 6,600 yen, and the parfait 3,520. The Sweets Trunk Case and Baton Chocolate sets are 7,500 and 6,800 yen, respectively. The by-themselves chocolates are 2,200 yen, and Pikachu and Eevee cookie boxes are 1,200 each.

The Pokémon/Grand Hyatt Tokyo collaboration runs from June 20 to August 31, but reservations can already be made for the burger, parfait, and cake through the hotel’s website. Reservations are highly recommended for the burger and parfait, as they’re limited to quantities of 20 each daily, and reservations of at least three days in advance are required to purchase the Pikachu cake.

And if Tokyo doesn’t figure into your Japan travel plans this summer, or if you’ve already got all your meals in the capital planned out, there’s some cool new Pokémon stuff happening in another part of the country too.

Related: Grand Hyatt Tokyo website
Source, images: PR Times
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Renovations wrapping up in Tokyo, new menu items on their way to Osaka too.

If you’re a Pokémon fan, heading to Japan’s Pokémon Cafe as soon as possible probably seems like a no-brainer. However, if you can hold out for a few more weeks, you’ll be rewarded for your patience, as there’s a slew of brand-new, incredibly adorable new items being added to the menu.

The arrival of the new entree, dessert, and drink options coincides with this month’s grand reopening of the Pokémon Cafe Tokyo. At the time of its opening in 2018, Japan’s first permanent Pokémon restaurant was already an awesome place to visit, and the newly redone interior will feature even more species of Pokémon in its art and decorations.

Among the menu items making their debut is the Chocolate and Berry Pikachu Parfait, a mixture of sweet, fruity, and creamy flavors topped with strawberries and a Pikachu made of mousse with chocolate facial features.

Continuing with the sweet treats, there’s also the Eevee Colorful Fruit Pancake, which gives a nod to Eeevee’s many possible evolutions with a rainbow of dried fruit pieces and recreates the Pokémon’s tuft of fluffy fur with Mascarpone cream.

We’d be the last ones to criticize fans for ordering double dessert, (our independent research has found that it’s the most important meal of the day), but we’d highly recommend saving room for some savory stuff too, like the Pikachu and Pichu Friends Curry Plate, with a Pikachu-shaped serving of saffron rice and a Poké Ball-style hamburger steak.

The sleepiest Pokémon couldn’t be bothered to wake up for the Napping Snorlax Teriyaki Burger, but he does at least let you use his tummy for the top bun of this teriyaki chicken and scrambled egg sandwich, and he contributes some carrot Zs to the accompanying veggie mix.

Rounding out the new entree choices is the Mimikyu Disguise Omelet, recreating the mysterious Ghost/Fairy-type’s covering in egg form, with a salad and cup of corn chowder, with Pokémon-shaped pasta, on the side.

And last, to wash everything down there’s the new Go! Greninja! White Peach Smokescreen Drink. Floating in the glass is a gelatin Water Shuriken, and the Pokémon Cafe promises that the drink also shows off Greninja’s Smokescreen ability, which could mean that it has some sort of foamy or cotton candy-cloud creating effect.

The visual appeal of dining at the Pokémon Cafe isn’t limited to the food on your plate or the art of the walls, either. Seatings are done in set time blocks, and each of them includes a visit by some species of Pokémon. To celebrate the debut of the new Pikachu parfait, there’s also a new show, Let’s Make a Pika Pika Parfait, a 10-minute performance featuring a trio of culinary Pikachus.

▼ From left to right these are Waitress Pikachu, Chef Pikachu, and Patissier Pikachu, but they also look like they could be the panel of a Pokémon-themed Iron Chef reboot (which someone should make immediately).

▼ The same three also appear on special Pokémon 30th anniversary stickers given out randomly with drink orders.

Prices for the above items range from 1,375 yen (US$9) for the Greninja drink to 2,090 yen for the desserts and 2,530 yen for everything else. The new menu items will be available at both the Tokyo and Osaka Pokémon Cafes starting June 17, which is also the grand reopening date for the renovated Tokyo branch, which has been closed since late March.

Related: Pokémon Cafe
Source: Pokémon Cafe (1, 2, 3)
Top image: Pokémon Cafe
Insert images: Pokémon Cafe (1, 2)
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