Hi, everyone, it's Midori from the MOSHI MOSHI BOX Harajuku Tourist Information Center.   It's gotten cold lately. It feels like autumn is here. It's the season where numerous shops in Japan start selling houjicha sweets. With that in mind, I visited CHAVATY, an uva tea shop in Omotesando!   CHAVATY is located at the back of Tonkatsu Maisen, a famous restaurant in Omotesando. Maisen is along a road with a lot of signboards so follow it along towards 7-Eleven and you'll find it. It's in a part of Omotesando with a calm atmosphere. I ordered the houjicha soft serve ice cream and the bottled uva tea latte.   First up, the ice cream! You can pick from three flavours: uvacha, matcha or houjicha. I went with houjicha.   It's pretty big. It has a lot of volume too as the ice cream seeps all the way down to the bottom of the cone!   It has a really rich flavour, it's like eating houjicha. It's ice cream but isn't sweet at all so I recommend this for the non-sweet tooths out there. This is the bottle tea latte! Again you can pick from the same three flavours as before. I chose uvacha.   Isn't the bottle so cute?   Drinks like this are usually served in cups with or without lids which can be a nuisance when shopping. But with this you get a cap so you can seal it completely and carry on shopping. It might even be an idea to take it home, wash it and fill it again with whatever drink you like.   The taste of course is light and it smells good too. It kind of makes you feel like a grown-up. You can ask for a vinyl bag which looks cute too. The colour scheme is sophisticated Instagram-worthy.   Enjoy some authentic houjicha treats for yourself too at CHAVATY.

Hey, MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON readers. It's Midori again from the MMN editorial team.   LINE is a messaging app used around the world, but especially in Japan where it is as ubiquitous as WhatsApp is in the West. It's popular for its wide range of character stickers, many of which have earned such a reputation as to spawn merchandise lines.   In Harajuku there is a shop dedicated to these very characters: the LINE FRIENDS Flagship Store. It's packed with customers every single day. I went to visit for the very first time and see what all the fuss is about.   The store is located along Meiji-Dori Street, just a five-minute walk from Harajuku Station's Omotesando Exit. You'll spot it right away from the LINE FRIENDS characters waiting for you at the window! It's opposite H&M. It's fairly large-looking, isn't it? Upon entering I was met by a huge Brown, a popular bear character on LINE. This huge and fluffy Mega Brown is so popular it's not uncommon to see people lining up to take a photo with him. He's so cute I understood why people line up for a picture!   At the store you can buy merchandise for familiar LINE characters like Brown & Friends, super popular faces created by users in the Creators Market like Usamaru, items from the BT21 character brand―a collaboration between K-Pop group BTS and LINE FRIENDS―and more. The BT21 range is on the third floor. The BT21 characters were created by the BTS members themselves. At this Harajuku branch of the LINE FRIENDS Store there is an exhibition of original sketches by the members as well as details on their characters and more. It's also a big screen showing the characters being made. This is an irresistible area for both BTS and BT21 fans! There's even statues of the characters on display. They're all cute so you just want to take photos of them all! The characters are even up the stairs - there were people taking photos of them while walking up. Back down on the second floor are lots of items of characters designed by Creators. Usamaru (above) was there to meet me. So cute! There's even merchandise exclusive to the Harajuku branch which would make for perfect gifts. But all the items are so cute I want to keep and use them myself. And the list just goes on. There's so much to choose from I just want everything! There's also items made in collaboration with the Helvetica font. It's really stylish and would be great for guys or for using in the office! There was BT21 merch on the second floor too. Fans of the original Brown & Friends posse can rejoice in knowing that there are plenty of items from them too, all of which can't be bought at any other souvenir shops. Not only are there decorative pieces but practical things you can incorporate into your daily life too like plates, cups, containers and more. Brown & Friends, BT21 and other characters can be found on the first floor as well. Japan-inspired goods too like the above daruma doll plushies. These are Hasami ware mamezara dishes. This fusion of traditional and modern Japan is really stylistic. Gashapon capsule toy machines can be found next to the till area, so if you're standing there in the store thinking to yourself, "Well, I've accumulated a bunch of coins during my Harajuku trip, so..." then try your luck.   The highlights of the LINE FRIENDS Flagship Store in Harajuku are its great line-up of items and cute interior design and decor. Their stock of daily necessities are adorable too, some of which can't be found with other regular character products. Pick and surround yourself with your favourites to use each day!   Whether as a gift from Harajuku or Japan everything can easily be made use of. You'll find lots of cute character statues too in addition to the Mega Brown so shopping there is incredibly fun.   Whether you're visiting Harajuku for the first time for spring break or making a long-awaited return, be sure to visit the LINE FRIENDS Flagship Store where time flies by in an instant.

Hi, everyone. It's Midori from the MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON editing team.   If you want to style your face like they do in Korea then you need Korean cosmetics! There are plenty of items that do the job and all for a low price too. But they can be hard to get your hands on in Japan and you can be left in the drug store wondering where they are.   But you're in luck if you head to Takeshita Street in Harajuku! Today I will show you three cosmetic shops that stock Korean cosmetics.   1. Etude House If you're looking for cute, cheap and effective then Etude House is the place to go, a South Korean makeup brand. It's a popular chain with more and more branches opening up throughout Japan.   Takeshita Street has two Etude House stores. The first is located just a little after the ALTA shopping mall. It's really close to Harajuku Station so I recommend going at a time when Takeshita Street isn't packed. The other shop is the main branch and sits in the centre of Takeshita Street right next to the Croquant Chou Zakuzaku.   This is a pretty spacious store and just underwent renovation in October.     2. STYLENANDA Another shop growing rapidly in popularity is STYLENANDA, a South Korean clothes brand. This place is frequented by many idols. It's characteristically cute and simple. STYLENANDA is directly opposite Etude House so you can have fun going between both! There are plenty of photo opportunities inside the store too.     3. innisfree Last up is innisfree, another South Korean cosmetics brand which is located opposite PINK-latte at the entrance of Takeshita Street. It's popular for its skincare products which are made with natural ingredients and are friendly to sensitive skin.   The shop is bustling with greenery so it has a fresh vibe to it.     These South Korean cosmetic stores are decked out with decor that matches the brand's concepts. The staff are really friendly too so I recommend them more than going to a boutique. Be sure to check them out for yourself!