Every year on 3rd March, Japan celebrates Hinamatsuri ーa day dedicated to girls. When a girl is born, her family and friends wish her a healthy life full of happiness and successful development.   To contribute to the celebration, Daimaru department store’s Tokyo branch is releasing a series of cute spring-themed Hinamatsuri desserts. These are perfect to bring along to a Hinamatsuri party or to give away as a souvenir or gift. There is a variety of seven sweet treats to choose from.  

〈Sugar Butter no Ki〉Sandwich biscuit coated with strawberry chocolate（contains 8 biscuits）¥1,080/ (Department store 1st floor)

Crunchy, creamy sandwich biscuits covered in sweet yet sour strawberry chocolate.

〈Kamakura Goro main store〉Kamakura Sakura cha hangetsu（contains 10）¥1,080/(Department store 1st floor)

Sakura cherry blossom- flavoured tea fused with fresh aromatic cream, sandwiched between sweet crunchy, fragrant crackers.

〈Gin no Budou〉Ichigo no Truffle（contains 6）¥1,080/ (Department store 1st floor)

Fragrant, milky white chocolate filled with a sweet yet sour, juicy strawberry purée, wrapped in ganache.

〈ANTENOR〉Ruby Chocolate ¥864/ (Department store 1st floor)

This is made using "Ruby chocolate" ー what is now known as the "fourth kind of chocolate". This is the perfect accompaniment for the lime and white chocolate mousse and balances out the sweet and sour strawberry and framboise flavours. What a wonderful variety of flavours!

〈La Terre Saison〉Ohinamatsuri Ru-ro （Approximate length: 12cm）¥1,728/ (Department store basement floor)

※ On all days besides 1st-3rd March, there will be a different version of this dessert where the strawberries take on the appearance of "ohinasama" and "odairisama" dolls that are commonly used to celebrate Hinamatsuri. 

This roll cake will melt in your mouth like rice. The rice flour used to make this cake is 100% sourced from Niigata prefecture. The round-shaped Hinamatsuri doll figures are very cute!

〈Wittamer〉Fraise Rouge（Approx. diameter: 10.5cm）¥2,808 ※Available until 4th March

Strawberry mousse, jam, crispy feuillantine and chocolate mousse are layered to perfection. The mild flavour of strawberry will fill your mouth.

〈Patisserie KIHACHI〉Gateau Pistacchio ¥562 ※Available from 27th February

Fresh cake layered with mousse and pistachios, complimented with more pistachios and white chocolate cream.   Celebrate Hinamatsuri in Japan with these cute desserts! ♡

CANOBLE is Japanese a butter brand by BEURRE AROMATISÉ that offers a new way to enjoy butter.   Dubbed 'butter you can eat,' the brand is releasing its new Setonai Lemon Butter which is made using ingredients from the area around the Seto Inland Sea such as Setoda lemons, refind Japanese sugar and more. The butter will be available to order online from March 23 before hitting stores on March 24. The lemon and the butter combine to make a perfect harmony of flavours. The limonene of the lemon has a solubility that makes it melt easily into the butter. It also brings a smoother texture to the butter. The sugar used maintains the sourness of the lemon while giving it a gentle sweetness. Seaweed salt from the Seto Inland Sea has a delicate seaweed flavour which permeates through all the flavours in the butter. The butter can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. It can be eaten on its own as a dessert, spread onto bread or toast, lathered onto meat―whatever you can think of.   The butter will also be sold at select department stores and elsewhere for a limited time. Details below and on CANOBLE's website.

Hi, everyone! I’m Banako from MOSHI MOSHI FRIENDS.   I’m currently working in Ginza. Until I worked there I saw Ginza as a posh, sophisticated part of the city, but it’s actually home to a lot of different long-standing and old fashioned cafés.   Today, I introduce you to one of them: Café Bridge, known for its melon pancakes.   It’s located on floor 1F of NISHIGINZA which connects directly to exists C7 and C5 of Ginza Station’s Tokyo Metro Line section. It’s about a three-minute walk from the Ginza Exit via the JR Yurakucho Line area. You’ll catch sight of the café’s sign immediately as you walk through floor B1F. The bright and colourful food samples lining the café window give it a Showa vibe. Each and every one of them is crafted down to the finest of details. They look cute as they glisten with the lighting against the glass♡ Already at the entrance window is a great spot for photos! The excitement begins here. The café sells a variety of pancakes besides melon, as well as other food and drinks too. I pondered on the long list for a short while but caught myself―today is melon pancakes! They cost ¥1,000. I got them with my favourite melon soda too which is priced at ¥800.     Behold! So big! It’s even bigger than I had imagined, and its round and fluffy shape has it looking just like a melon.   Here’s what it looks like inside. Pieces of melon and vanilla ice cream are packed snug in the pancake. The outside batter and sauce are sweet. The too sauce has a faint melon flavour to it. The melon flavour isn’t overpowering even when eaten with the pieces in the middle. It’s balanced enough that it’s delicious all the way to the end. They also have maple syrup you can use so if you’re a sweet tooth then don’t hold back! Lining up the melon soda along with the melon pancake is like being sent to melon paradise. My friend who went with me ordered the Lunch Pancake (which is served outside of lunchtime too) and shared it with me. You can order a large portion free of charge. It was a belly-filling portion indeed, even for me who’s sure to order large!   There are some other pancakes and seasonal items I’m interested in so I’d like to visit again.   The café is spacious and relaxed too so I recommend it for people who fancy taking a break someplace different!