Yokohama Coffee Festival is coming back for the first time in three years! The event will bring together the best coffee from around Japan, showing off the personality and individuality of each shop. The festival was created to build bridges between shops and customers and to spread coffee culture in Yokohama. Coffee fans should head to Yokohama Park on October 23, 2022.    Coffee tickets–four cups for ¥1,000–will be available to purchase on the day of the event, allowing visitors to compare different shops. From those who are just starting to enjoy coffee to those who are coffee fanatics, this event will allow everyone to enjoy coffee to the max! Be sure to chat with the charming baristas as you explore the festival!

From July 15 until November 6, 2022, the ‘teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live’ exhibition at Mifuneyama Rakuen, an ancient forest at the Takeo Hot Springs in Saga Prefecture. The massive event is held each summer and fall and was named CNN World’s ‘Best Outdoor Art Exhibition to Visit’ in 2021 and one of the Top 10 Art Installations in the world by DesignboomMagazine in 2017.   Works on Display   Universe of Water Particles on a Sacred Rock, 2017Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and Boats - Mifuneyama Rakuen Pond, 2015   Ever Blossoming Life Rock, 2017    Life is Continuous Light - Azalea Valley, 2017   Rock Wall Spatial Calligraphy, Continuous Life - Five Hundred Arhats, 2017   Split Rock and Enso, 2017   Resonating Forest - Cherry Blossoms and Maple, 2017   Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins, 2019   Graffiti Nature - Living in the Ruins of a Bathhouse, Red List, 2017-   Resonating Forest in the Ravine, 2019   Abstract and Concrete - Forest Entrance, 2018   Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup, 2016   Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest - One Stroke, Summer Forest, 2018Mifuneyama is said to have risen from the Ariake Sea 3 million years ago. The 500,000 square meter Mifuneyama Rakuen Park was created in 1845, at the end of the Edo period. The park is home to megaliths, caves, and forests that have been slowly shaped over thousands of years. teamLab believes that the shapes and textures of these objects are important, serving as traces of ancient people and natural changes over time.  The concept of the project is that non-material digital technology can turn nature into art without harming it. The creative team will be holding a number of other high-profile exhibitions this year, including installations in Paris, Tallinn, Shanghai, and Geneva. Their sauna collaboration with TikTok for teamLab Reconnect in Roppongi made huge waves in 2021--guests would take alternating hot and cold baths to experience intense physical sensations while surrounded by digital art.

Starbucks will open the first Starbucks Tea & Cafe location in Kyushu at AMU Plaza Hakata on April 27, 2022. This spin-off shop specializes in colorful, aromatic tea-based beverages, and has locations in Tokyo, Toyama, and Osaka.  Starbucks Coffee AMU Plaza Hakata, the first Starbucks Tea & Cafe to open in the Kyushu area, is a new store on the second floor of Amu Plaza Hakata directly connected to JR Hakata Station.  

Yuzu & Citrus Lavender Sage Tea / Japanese Chai Tea Latte / Strawberry & Passion Tea Frappucino®

  Starbucks Tea & Cafe will offer a lineup of 13 types of tea-based beverages, including tea lattes and tea frappuccinos made with seasonal ingredients. The Japanese Chai Tea Latte is new this season and includes hojicha with spices like yuzu peel, ginger, Japanese pepper, and cinnamon.    Come enjoy this cozy space and enjoy a warm cup of tea at this unique Starbucks where tea is the main attraction!

Sony Park Mini, a tiny experimental art space in Ginza, is going to hold fans over until Ginza Sony Park opens in 2024. Sony Park Mini is located in a small 3.5 square meter space on B1F of the Nishiginza parking lot adjacent to Ginza Sony Park, which is currently under construction. The concept of the space is to “hold events that highlight local artists.”   More than 30 experimental programs will be held throughout the year highlighting unique creators and artists from all backgrounds including music, film, art, food, fashion, and shopping. Depending on which programs are popular, the project may extend to other cities.    The first event, ‘Ayatake Exaki presents None Session,’ will run from March 23 until April 5, 2022, and will feature the musician and his piano.   Program Schedule 1: March 23 - April 5, 2022 / Ayatake Ezaki (Musical Artist) 2: April 6 - April 19, 2022 / Takuro Tamayama (Contemporary Artist) 3: April 20 - May 2, 2022 / Chiaki Kadota (Painter) 4: May 3 - May 16, 2022 / Neo Sora (Film Director), Aiko Masubuchi (Film Curator) *The period of these events is subject to change. Any changes will be announced on Sony Park Mini social media accounts.   The Nishiginza Parking Lot Coffee shop, located inside Sony Park Mini, will offer a lineup of drinks made from carefully selected coffee beans. Vegan donuts and cookies made with natural ingredients will also be available.

Offered by BANDAI SPIRITS, Ichiban Kuji is a popular brand of lottery in Japan, in which players are guaranteed to win a piece of merchandise. This no-lose game is often seen in collaboration with popular anime and game series, and a number of dedicated BANDAI SPIRITS Ichiban Kuji stores are starting to pop up around Japan. Now, the fourth of these shops is opening in Fukuoka on September 9, making it the first in Kyushu.  

Upcoming Products

  Ichiban Kuji - Disney’s Twisted Wonderland, Vol. 4 Release Date: September 10, 2021     Ichiban Kuji - Monogatari Series Release Date: September 18, 2021     Ichiban Kuji - Kirby Series KIRBY’S BURGER Release Date: September 24, 2021     Ichiban Kuji - Mobile Suit Gundam Gunpla 2021 Release Date:  September 25, 2021     Prior to opening brick-and-mortar stores, Ichiban Kuji took place at convenience stores, bookstores, and game centers across Japan. In December 2020, the first dedicated shop opened in Umeda, Osaka, with the following two opening in Ikebukuro in Tokyo and Yokohama in Kanagawa in March 2021. Popularity is only increasing, as fans continue to enjoy the unique collection of products.   The new Fukuoka location is the largest of any Ichiban Kuji shops to date, and also features the Ichiban Coffret, a lineup of high-quality pop culture-inspired cosmetics for purchase.

UCC Ueshima Coffee is currently developing the Food with Coffee themed 'UCC CAFE@HOME' selection, pairing snacks with a perfectly matching coffee. Doraemon is the latest to appear in the CAFE@HOME series in the new collaboration, designed by Sanrio. The new series features coffee and gifts based on the Doraemon characters' favorite snacks and was released on September 3, Doraemon's birthday.  

CAFE@HOME Doraemon Series

 

UCC CAFE@HOME DORAEMON Dorayaki Suited Coffee VP10g: ¥281 (Tax Incl.)

 

UCC CAFE@HOME DORAMI Melon Pan Suited Coffee VP10g: ¥281 (Tax Incl.)

UCC CAFE@HOME NOBITA Caffeine-free Coffee VP10g: ¥281 (Tax Incl.)

   

Gifts

UCC CAFE@HOME Doraemon Secret Gadget Print 6-piece Set: ¥1,901 (Tax Incl.)

UCC CAFE@HOME Doraemon Open Lot Printed 6-piece Set: ¥1,685 (Tax Incl.)

     

Goods

Doraemon Mug (Dorayaki): ¥1,540 (Tax Incl.)

Doraemon Cotton Handkerchief (Yellow) ¥990 (Tax Incl.)

Present Campaign Freebie: Original Coaster

    CAFE@HOME, main product and cafe brand of UCC Group's COFFEE STYLE UCC, are releasing a lineup of Doraemon themed coffees, each to be drank with the characters' favorite snacks: One to go with Doraemons beloved Dorayaki, one for Dorami's preferred Melon Pan, and a caffeine-free blend for the sleep-loving Nobita.   UCC has been researching coffee and food combinations for many years, using taste sensors to analyze both the coffee and food before diagnosing the comparability rating between each product. The company has patented their 'Food Matching System' technology, which has now been used to find out which coffee would be best suited to Doraemon's Dorayaki.    An in store campaign has been announced to celebrate the release of CAFE@HOME's Doraemon series, starting on September 3. During the campaign, customers who spend over ¥3,000 on CAFE@HOME's Doraemon series will receive a free coaster. The coasters are only available in store and are limited in quantity. Taste the world of Doraemon for yourself with UCC CAFE@HOME's special coffee technology!