Christmas is over, and Easter is still on the horizon, but if you love chocolate as much as we do, never fearーas our sweet tooth cravings will soon be satisfied with the season of love.
In Japan, shop’s and restaurant’s are already carving their Cupid arrows to fire at customers for Valentine’s Day to tempt them into one of their many tantalising treats. If you’re in Japan this year, we’ve whipped up a list just for you of five must-buy gifts for Valentine’s Day 2020.
Garrett Popcorn
Almond Chocolate Truffle | Garrett Valentine’s Tin | Valentine’s Mix
Garrett Popcorn is an American brand of popcorn that boasts a myriad of gourmet handcrafted popcorn flavours. You may not know that it’s also a household name in Japan, where they also make the popcorn fresh every day for snack-hungry customers. For Valentine’s, they serving up an exclusive series full of love which consists of the “Almond Chocolate Truffle,” “Garrett Valentine’s Tin,” and “Valentine’s Mix.”
Almond Chocolate Truffle in Garrett Valentine’s Tin – From ¥1,130
First up, the Almond Chocolate Truffle. If you’re not already drooling at that name, let the description begin: this popcorn takes Garrett’s crushed almond CaramelCrisp™️, coats it in chocolate, and sprinkles it generously with a dust storm of cocoa powder. The fragrant scent and texture of the almonds adds an incredible touch to the combination of the sweet, velvety milk chocolate and the slightly-bitter bite of the cocoa powder. Get in the Valentine’s mood even more by purchasing one of the Garrett Valentine’s Tin – the perfect accompaniment to your movie night in with your loved one.
Valentine’s Mix (Chocolate Cocoa & Strawberry) – ¥1,200
Valentine’s Mix (Chocolate Cocoa & White Chocolate Bark) – ¥1,200
Last year, Garrett Popcorn release a cute heart-shaped tin big enough to fit in the palm of your hands. 2020 will see the return of the tin, this time with two different designs: one with kissing lips and the other with hearts.
Inside the first tin is a mix of sweet chocolate cocoa flavoured CaramelCrisp™️ and sour freeze-dried strawberries. The other tin, which has a more sophisticated chocolate brown and salmon pink design, contains the same cocoa flavoured CaramelCrisp™️ but combines it with “white chocolate bark” – a white chocolate made with almonds and dried cranberries.
▶︎Garrett Popcorn Valentine’s Day Products
Running: January 10, 2020 – February 14, 2020 (Mix available from January 17, 2020) *While supplies last
Prices:
・Almond Chocolate Truffle: Small ¥620/Medium ¥1,100/Large ¥1,720/Jumbo ¥3,450/Quart Tin ¥1,750/1 Gallon ¥4,400/2 Gallons ¥8,400
・Garrett Valentine’s Tin/Quart Tin: From ¥1,130
・Valentine’s Mix: ¥1,200
Available: Garrett Popcorn Shops®︎ branches in Japan
Official Website: http://jpgarrettpopcorn.com/
KitKat Chocolatory
Ruby 2020 Assortment
KitKat Chocolatory is releasing a new assortment of KitKat treats for the Valentine’s season in Japan made with ruby chocolateーthe fourth type of chocolate alongside milk, white, and darkーwhich was developed by Belgian-Swiss chocolate makers Barry Callebaut.
KitKat Chocolatory Ruby 2020 Assortment – ¥1,200
Ruby chocolate gets its striking pink colour from the original bean and has a distinct fruity sourness to it. This is the perfect Valentine’s Day giftーor even just as a treat to yourself!
▶︎KitKat Chocolatory Ruby 2020 Assortment
Price: ¥1,200
Running: from January 15, 2020
Available: KitKat Chocolatory store/Online
Official Website: https://nestle.jp/brand/kit/chocolatory/
GODIVA
Valentine’s Collection
GODIVA, one of the main players in the Japanese chocolate game, has developed the “Chocolate Chronicle Sweet Collection”ーan assortment of individually unique chocolates. The “chronicle” refers to the many places the chocolates have encountered since being created, both in the past and present.
Chocolate Chronicle Sweetheart (Contains 6) – ¥3,240
Chocolate Chronicle Chic Assortment (Contains 15) – ¥6,264
The “Original Maya” considers the civilisation and mysteries of Mesoamerica. The “Cocoa Honey Delight” uses honey to sweeten the chocolate like they did in the latter half of the Middle Ages when there was no sugar. The “Modern Love”burns into your mind the image of its vivid red heart lovingly made with sweet and sour strawberries, ganache, and milk chocolate.
▶︎GODIVA Valentine’s Collection 2020
Running: from January 10, 2020 (Limited Time)
Prices:
Chocolate Chronicle Sweetheart: 6 Set ¥3,240/12 Set ¥5,400
Chocolate Chronicle Chic Assortment: 4 Set ¥1,296/6 Set ¥2,160/10 Set ¥3,240/16 Set ¥5,400
Chocolate Chronicle Sweet Kare Assortment: 6 Set ¥1,080
Chocolate Chronicle Chic Collection: 4 Set ¥1,836/6 Set ¥2,700/9 Set ¥3,888/12 Set ¥5,076/15 Set ¥6,264/20 Set ¥8,208
Official Website: https://www.godiva.co.jp/
Koi Suru Chocolate
Valentine’s Collection 2020
The base of these treats is chocolate by Shiroi Koibito. The collection was first released in January 2018 and is very reminiscent of Hokkaido chocolate. There are lots of chocolates in the collection made with cute pink ruby chocolate too.
Mille-feuille (Contains 3) – ¥520
These mille-feuille are layered with milk and white chocolate and coated in things like couverture chocolate and ruby chocolate.
The Heart (Contains 7) – ¥1,080
Each of these hearts has its own distinct sauce: the ruby chocolate has blackcurrant, the milk chocolate has caramel, and the white chocolate has yuzu.
▶︎Koi Suru Chocolate Valentine’s Collection 2020
Release Date: January 17, 2020
Available: ISHIYA store/Online
Prices:
Mille-feuille: 3 Set ¥540/6 Set ¥1,080/12 Set ¥2,160
The Heart: 7 Set ¥1,080/14 Set ¥2,160
Official Website: http://www.ishiya.co.jp/koi_choco/
Morozoff
Valentine’s Dessert Plate
Morozoff specialises in western-style sweets, and at Cafe Morozoff, they’re serving up a Valentine’s-only dessert.
Valentine’s Dessert Plate – ¥1,200
The beautiful dessert plate is an assortment of cute heart-shaped treats. The rich chocolate mousse has an orange scent, and the fluffy chocolate sponge combines sweet and sour strawberries with smooth whipped cream which elevate the flavour of the chocolate.
▶︎Morozoff Valentine’s Dessert Plate
Running: January 15, 2020 – February 14, 2020
Available: select Cafe Morozoff branches in Japan
Price: ¥1,200 (comes with tea or coffee)
Official Website: http://www.morozoff.co.jp/
Did you enjoy this list? There’s plenty of Valentine’s Day delights to be enjoyed while in Japan. Which on this list has you drooling the most?