Hoshinoya Tokyo, a Japanese-style inn in Otemachi, Tokyo, will offer a strawberry-filled afternoon tea set from January 7 until May 31, 2023.
Fragrant Strawberry Afternoon Tea
The Fragrant Strawberry Afternoon Tea is a modern-day expression of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. A major part of Edo culture, guests can enjoy small dishes, sweets, and more. All 10 dishes are made with seasonal strawberries and fermented foods. Visitors can enjoy a plethora of unique textures and flavors, from a French cake with four layers of strawberry sauce to a strawberry confiture in dough kneaded with amazake.
Enjoy Unique Pairings
Dim sum, sweets, and dried goods will each be served with a proper pairing. The oshizushi is paired with a sparkling sake that perfectly matches the seasonal ingredients, and accompanying the main sweets is original coffee brewed in a French press. This coffee was developed exclusively for the afternoon tea set by the specialty coffee shop Sarutahiko Coffee.
Original Box
Since ancient times, the fuchidaka has been used as a sweets dish to accompany stronger tea. This afternoon tea will be served in an eye-catching original decorated stacked box decorated with jewel beetles. Come enjoy this elegant treat with a loved one to celebrate the new year!
Information
Fragrant Strawberry Afternoon Tea
Available: January 7 – May 31, 2023
Available after 14:00
Capacity: 1 couple (2 people) per day
Price: ¥12,000 per person (Includes tax and service charge) *Doesn’t include hotel charges
Venue: Hoshinuya Tokyo 2F Tatami Room
Reservations: Required at least 3 days in advance (https://hoshinoya.com/tokyo/)
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Hoshinoya Tokyo, a traditional ryokan in Otemachi, has announced the New Year’s Kabuki Plan, a two-day, one-night stay from January 5 until January 7, 2023. During the Edo Period, citizens enjoyed watching Kabuki plays during the New Year’s holidays, often sipping tea at connected teahouses. This event will invite visitors to experience what this was like, complete with traditional food and decorations. Watching Kabuki was a chic way for those in Edo to ring in the new year. Theater teahouses were also a popular gathering place–along with arranging tickets, the teahouses offered plot notes, tea, sweets, boxed lunches, snacks, and other drinks.**Hiroshi Fujita, Yoshihide Tomizawa (2012) / The Updated Kabuki Dictionary, Kashiwa Shobo
Relax Before Enjoying Tea and a Play
Guests are invited to relax in the Ochanoma (Living Room) Lounge, decorated to look like a traditional teahouse with fans, ukiyo-e prints, and formal curtains. Hanabiramochi, or rice cakes with flower petals, will be served with green tea. These rice cakes are said to date back to the New Year’s tradition of eating hard foods like daikon and rice cakes in the hopes of prolonging one’s life. Characterized by its curious burdock root aroma, the cakes are sweetened with white miso bean paste. Enjoy a Post-Viewing Mont Blanc Shaped like Soba with Sweet Dessert Wine
At theater teahouses in the Edo period, sake, snacks, and desserts were served one after another. During this special event, a menu inspired by this practice and prepared by Hoshinoya Tokyo Executive Chef Noriyuki Hamada will be served! Soba noodles were often served after a play in the past. Inspired by this tradition, Mont Blanc made with chestnut paste and sponge cake will be served up to look like this popular dish. Paired with a dessert wine aged in oak barrels, the sweet will be served in a traditional lacquerware basket. In addition, the dish will be paired with Wasabi Pralines, Shichimi Meringue, and Ginger Pate de Fruits.Take a Rickshaw to the Kabuki-za Theater
Guests will be taken on an Edo-style tour on their way to the Kabuki-za Theater. Passing through the Nihonbashi area, the first stop will be the Fukutoku Shrine. It’s said that Hidetada Tokugawa paid a visit to and praised the shrine on New Year’s Day in 1614. The next shrine on the docket, Hodo Inari Jinja, was enshrined in Edo Castle during the Edo period to protect the heir to the Tokugawa family. It’s said that the shrine provides blessings for child rearing, matchmaking, and business prosperity. This tour will provide a more elegant way to explore Tokyo as guests enjoy exposition from their chauffeur. To make the rickshaw ride even more enjoyable, guests can rent kimonos for an extra charge. Would you like to take a step back in time this New Year?Information
New Year’s Kabuki Plan
Running: January 5 – January 7, 2023
Capacity: 1 couple per day (1-2 people)
Price: ¥110,000 per person, ¥180,000 for 2 people (Including Tax & Service charge, excluding accommodation charge)
Reserve/Details – Official Site: https://hoshinoya.com/tokyo
*Reservation required at least 14 days in advance
**Exclusive experience for Hoshinoya Tokyo guests
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There are plenty of events going on in Tokyo to celebrate the holiday season, but this one might be the most peculiar. Elemis, a skincare brand from England, has teamed up with bus operator Upstar for Japan’s first bus tour featuring afternoon tea! This extremely limited event will drive guests around the city to see some of the most impressive Christmas lights in Shibuya, Roppongi, Omotesando, and other spots. Only 60 seats are available each day and the bus will run from December 1 until December 25, 2022.
5 Unique Features of the Elemis Special Christmas Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
① Enjoy a Special Christmas Afternoon Tea Menu by ElemisA special Christmas menu will be available on board, including a Santa Claus shortcake and a party popper-inspired sandwich.② Travel on a Bus Filled with Elemis Christmas DecorationsInside the bus, guests can enjoy fir trees and original decorations inspired by the Elemis holiday collection! ③ Best-Selling Elemis Goods will be Gifted to Guests!Guests will receive a trial size of Elemis’ best-selling Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm as a Christmas present! ④ A Special Gift Campaign will run from November 15 until December 25Prior to the start of the bus tour, a campaign will be held on Instagram and Twitter. Winners will snag tickets for the bus tour and an Elemis makeup set worth over $12,000! ⑤ Travel on a Special Route to Enjoy Tokyo’s Christmas Lights!The bus tour will take visitors to some of Tokyo’s best Christmas locales, from Shibuya and Omotesando to Keyakizaka and Roppongi. The 90-minute journey starts and ends in Omotesando. How would you like to enjoy Tokyo’s Christmas lights on a British bus enjoying some of the best beauty products on Earth? Get into the holiday spirit with this unusual and unique tour! Information
Elemis Christmas Afternoon Tea
Running: December 1 – December 25, 2022 *Not running December 12, 13
Times:
1st Service / 15:00~16:30
2nd Service / 17:00-18:30
3rd Service / 19:00-20:30Length: 90 minutes
Departure Point: In front of the Shioda Building (5-10 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Price: ¥6,800 (Adults, Tax Included) / ¥3,000 (Children, Tax Included)
Reservations: https://www.upstar-londonbus-travellingnewtokyo.com/booking
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During the month of October, Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo will be offering a special Autumn Afternoon Tea. Inspired by Halloween–and particularly black cats–Lounge Momiji on the first floor will invite guests to devour some tasty treats.
This year’s Halloween theme is ‘black cats,’ which are said to be the messengers of witches. Guests will be able to enjoy Halloween-specific sweets and afternoon tea to fully enjoy the flavors of autumn. In addition to sweet and sour macaroons filled with blackcurrant with a black cat motif, visitors can enjoy a bat-themed purple sweet potato Mont Blanc and cream puffs made with pumpkin. The black cat cookies are also perfect for posting to Instagram, so come enjoy lots of sweet and savory goods made with autumn fruits and vegetables such as grapes, persimmons, and figs. Come enjoy afternoon tea and get into the Halloween spirit this October! Information
Autumn Afternoon Tea ~Chat Noir~
Venue: Lounge Momiji (Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa 1F)
Price: ¥5,800 per person
Running: October 1 – October 31, 2022
Hours: 1:00 PM-6:00 PM (Last entry at 3:00 PM, All You Can Drink)
Details/ Reservations: https://www.princehotels.co.jp/shintakanawa/plan/momiji/afternoontea2H_Halloween/ -
Art Grace Wedding Hills, a wedding venue in Kyoto, will be offering a ghostly Halloween Afternoon Tea experience in September and October!
Mischievous Ghost Halloween Parfait *Sample Image
Sweets *Sample Image
Savory Dishes *Sample Image
Adorable ghosts and Halloween-inspired sweets made with autumn flavors such as pears, apples, chestnuts, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes will be on the menu. The Mischievous Ghost Halloween Parfait has a refreshing finish with blackcurrant mousse and blood orange jelly. The marshmallows, made to look like ghosts wearing witch hats, are perfect for posting on social media. How would you like to spend a sweet time in Kyoto this Halloween season?Information
~Trick or Treat~ Halloween Autumn Afternoon Tea
Dates:
September 4, 9, 16, 18, 25, 30
October 2, 7, 14, 15, 16, 21, 23, 30Times: Seating 1, 13:00-14:30 / Seating 2, 15:15~16:45 (90 minute seatings)
*Must make a reservation a minimum of 15 minutes before seating.
*Only 1 seating on weekdays.Venue: Kyoto Art Grace Wedding Hills
Details/Reservations: https://www.bestbridal.co.jp/guestparty/kyoto/artgrace_kyoto/2022event-37/
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From September 1 until October 31, the District Brasserie, Bar, and Lounge at the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo will be offering a spooky Halloween-themed afternoon tea set. The tasty treats won’t be the only scary thing on the plate–the event will incorporate AR technology! By holding up your phone, you’ll be able to see monsters moving around on your plate.
The goodies will also be available for take-out, making them perfect for souvenirs or at-home Halloween parties! Nine types of Halloween sweets, six small dishes, and two tea sachets will be included. Why not spend Halloween in a more elegant way in 2022? Information
Kimpton Halloween MONSBLANC Afternoon Tea
Running: September 1 – October 31, 2022
Hours: 11:30-17:00 (Last Order at 15:00), 2-hour seatings
*Reservations must be made by 16:00 on the previous day.
Venue: Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo, District Brasserie, Bar, and Lounge
Reservations/Details: https://bit.ly/3Qi5d3KOfficial Site: https://www.kimptonshinjuku.com/jp/
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Kawagoe Prince Hotel, located in an Edo-period castle town in northwest Tokyo, will begin offering a special afternoon tea set starting July 1, 2022. Inspired by the Japanese folktale Momotaro, the summer fruit-filled tower of treats will be available until August 31, 2022. Top Plate
Middle Plate Bottom Plate Savory The top plate of the three-tiered set features tasty peach and cheese mousse, peach meringue, macadamia nut chocolate, and Kibi Dango put together to resemble the hero of the story, Momotaro. On the middle tier, visitors will find sweets inspired by the many animals found in the story, from the monkey and dog to the pheasants. Guests can enjoy many summer fruits including mango and kiwi. Those who come to the store in a yukata (summer kimono) and follow the official Kawagoe Prince Hotel Instagram will receive a special fruit platter. Come enjoy the world of Momotaro as you wander around this historical Japanese town! Information
Japanese Folk Tale Afternoon Tea ~Momotaro~
Available: Weekdays from July 1 – August 31, 2022
Times: 2 90-minute seatings a day *Limited to 10 groups each day
Seating 1: 11:30-13:00Seating 2: 13:15-14:45
Venue: Etoile Buffet Restaurant (9F)
Reservations/Details: https://www.princehotels.co.jp/kawagoe/plan/etoile/afternoontea_momotaro/