Twentythree

Exclusive lineup breathes new life into the Pumpkin Spice Latte, and serves up other designer beverages too. 

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the death of Pumpkin Spice, with experts saying online data indicates the hype for it is over, as many young people turn to other drinks like matcha.

Here in Japan, though, Pumpkin Spice is still alive and kicking, at least at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo, where it’s just been unveiled as part of the new autumn lineup.

Created around the theme of “Crafting a Playful Fall“, the five beverages in the range are born from the spirit of “craft exploration” that’s said to be deeply rooted in the Roastery Tokyo. While many will be interested in the new take on Pumpkin Spice, there’ll also be a lot of interest in the Espresso Rosso Tonic, as it was devised by Starbucks’ 19th Coffee Ambassador, Asumi Yamaguchi.

▼ Asumi Yamaguchi, the 19th Coffee Ambassador

▼ Espresso Rosso Tonic (1,178 yen [US$7.55] takeout, 1,200 yen dine-in)

Available at the Main Bar on the first floor, this drink is inspired by the espresso tonic, which Yamaguchi says was her gateway into black coffee, which she now loves. Created when she was competing in the Ambassador Cup, this new beverage combines coffee with brown sugar syrup, cinnamon, and passionfruit tea with a hint of cranberry for layers of unique flavour.

▼ Barrel-aged Pumpkin Spice Latte (1,400 yen, dine-in only)

While we await news of whether Pumpkin Spice will be gracing the menu at Starbucks branches around Japan this autumn, Reserve Roastery Tokyo is showcasing it in a beautiful latte, made with domestically grown pumpkin powder, and the Roastery’s “Whiskey Barrel-Aged Coffee” blend. Topped with iyokan peel, (iyokan is a tangerine-like Japanese citrus fruit), and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, this is a very unique drink that breathes new life into pumpkin spice.

Rounding out the autumn lineup are three other intriguing creations, with two tea-based specials up at the Teavana Bar on the second floor.

▼ Kaga Bo Hojicha Gelato & Tea (1,374 yen takeout, 1,400 yen dine-in)

Developed in collaboration with Teavana Bar baristas, this carefully designed beverage features Kaga Bo Hojicha gelato, made in-store. Paired with a fragrant and refreshing Kaga Bo Hojicha tea, a roasted green tea from Ishikawa Prefecture, this drink evolves as the gelato slowly melts, allowing you to enjoy the different dimensions of the roasted tea.

▼ Earl Grey Autumn Tea (Hot/Iced) – 1,080 yen takeout, 1,100 yen dine-in

This tea beverage combines the refreshing, autumnal taste of grapes with Earl Grey tea and spices like cardamom and ginger. The juiciness of the fruit and the elegant aroma of the tea are said to harmonise perfectly, creating a deep and complex flavour with every sip.

The collection is complete with a unique cocktail up at the third floor Arriviamo Bar.

▼ Honey Pear Brew (2,500 yen, dine-in only)

This coffee cocktail, also available in a non-alcoholic version, combines pear, mead (honey wine), and cold brew coffee. The fruity flavour of the pear, the richness of the honey, and the aroma of the cold brew create a delicious blend, ideal for long autumn evenings.

So if you’re looking to keep Pumpkin Spice alive this autumn, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo is the place to go. If you prefer to treat your taste buds to different autumnal flavours, the other seasonal drinks in the multi-storey building will take them to new heights, and they’ll all be on the menu for a limited time from 4 September.

Cafe information
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo / スターバックス リザーブ ロースタリー東京
Address: Tokyo-to, Meguro-ku, Aobadai 2-19-23
東京都目黒区青葉台2丁目19-23
Open 7 a.m.-11 p.m.
Website

Source, images: Press release
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Are you ready to commit to sharing your home with Madoka and Homura?

Though its claim to fame is the dark twists it puts on the genre, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is still a magical girl anime, focusing on a cast of adolescents whose lives are changed when they receive their special powers. Incidentally, in Japanese magical girls are called maho shojo, with shojo, meaning “girl” and written with the kanji characters 少女, which translate literally to “small woman.”

However, while Madoka Magica’s Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi are both magical girls, and thus maho shojo, their new plushies are not at all small.

Sure, they’ve got the super-deformed proportions often seen in compact stuffed animals. But that sofa Madoka and Homura are sitting on in the above photo? That’s not doll furniture. As a matter of fact, that’s not even a kids-size couch, because these plushies are gigantic.

Posed in a seated position, these stuffed animals measure one full meter (a little over three feet and three inches) in height. That means that if they could stand, they’d be even taller, likely close to the height of an actual petite middle schooler like Madoka and Homura are within the anime.

▼ Homura here is big enough that it looks like she’s ordering the human to water her plants.

Madoka and Homura are the latest entries in manufacturor Taito’s Doqute series of jumbo-sized plushies, created to celebrate the release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Walpurgisnacht: Rising, the latest anime movie in the franchise which opened in Japanese theaters late last month. As the series has progressed, the franchise has become increasingly focused on the pair’s interpersonal relationship, so while the series started off with a core cast of five magical girls, the other three aren’t getting the Doqute treatment this time.

▼ Though that could possibly be because the designers know that there’d be no way to fit Doqute versions of all five of them in a room together.

While the SD-style aesthetics simplify the character designs down quite a bit, they still retain the series’ distinct sketch lines under the characters’ eyes.

As you can probably guess, these aren’t cheap, with each plushie having a price tag of 66,000 yen (US$415). Stores aren’t going to be stocking these on the off-chance that a random shopper will comes moseying in and grab one off the shelf, either. Instead, they’re being offered by pre-order only, between now and October 13, through the Taito Goods online shop here, with shipping slated for March of next year.

Source: PR Times via Anime News Network/Ken Iikura-Gross, Taito Goods
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Taito Goods (1, 2)
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Used as a Netflix crime drama set, this safe, solo-female-friendly venue offers up black omurice and colorful retro sodas.

Kabukicho, in Tokyo, is Japan’s most recognizable red-light district, packed to the brim with adult entertainment and touts for venues that charge exorbitant and unexpected fees. It’s not the sort of place where most travelers, women in particular, would probably feel comfortable heading into an establishment alone and for the first time. However, we came across a Kabukicho cafe that even many solo women are keen to dine at, and it’s like stepping through a portal into a world set half a century prior.

Our Japanese-language reporter Natsuki Gojo is a lover of all things cute, with her life goal being to live surrounded by cute things, spread the charm of cuteness and become a cute grandmother. One of her less grandiose dreams, though, was to visit a Showa-era (1926–1989) cabaret, so when she found out about Niinana Kissa, a cafe that operates inside what used to be the famous Hinomaru Cabaret, she knew she had to be brave and venture forth into Kabukicho.

Walking through the district, just north of Shinjuku’s iconic Godzilla Head installation, Natsuki soon came across the cute retro sign…

…but the building itself was another mental hurdle for her to overcome, being less than warm and welcoming.

Pushing aside her trepidation, Natsuki plucked up her courage to walk up the stairs and open the door.

Unfolding before her was a glamorous Showa cabaret, with neon lights shaped like the Japanese flag (colloquially called the Hinomaru) dazzlingly brightly at the end of the room.

Looking up at the ceiling, it was covered in mirrors, and the disco ball was sparkling like a massive gemstone.

The entrance had, to put it bluntly, an intimidating vibe, but take a step inside, and it’s truly another world. Natsuki’s excitement couldn’t help but shoot through the roof, this was exactly the type of cabaret she had been longing to visit at least once.

Since Niinana Kissa was used as a filming location for the Netflix crime drama series Tokyo Swindlers, Natsuki was a little worried about what to do if there were scary customers inside, so just in case, she prepared some high-pressure fashionable sunglasses to adopt a don’t-mess-with-me vibe.

▼ They turned out to be completely unnecessary.

Looking around the interior, it was clear that the main customer base was groups of women, who all seemed to be enjoying oshikatsu (activities centered on supporting their favorite idol or character) by savoring colorful drinks, but there were also couples and women by themselves too. In fact, the typical Kabukicho-like clientele that Natsuki had been expecting wasn’t there, being mostly women and younger generations. Taking off her unneeded sunglasses, she settled in her seat and got ready to enjoy herself.

During peak hours, there is a 60-minute limit (or an additional order required), and after 10:00 p.m., a cover charge of 500 yen (US$3) applies, but during other time slots, you can use the cafe without a cover charge.

Having come all this way, Natsuki opted for the most popular drink and food to see the best the cafe had to offer.

▼ Although there were numerous tantalizing options to choose from.

The 27 Club Soda (900 yen) is just so photogenic, with a rich variety of versions available. Natsuki selected orange, which is said to be one of the most popular among customers because of its great taste.

On top of the refreshing orange soda, there’s whipped cream, ice cream, an Oreo, and a cherry, and while the menu says it’s a drink, it feels more like a dessert. Natsuki loved how voluminous it was, but she had to wrap up her photos quickly as the ice cream soon started melting.

Sipping on her drink, Natsuki admired the cuteness of both the coasters and the matchboxes.

The overwhelming favorite food is said to be the Black Omurice (1,500 yen), but with the amount of cheese sauce, it’s definitely more white than black.

▼ Oh… wait…. there it is.

The inside is pitch black. Unlike some other instances of black food being a result of including squid ink, this blackness comes from bamboo charcoal, and the lightly-seasoned rice goes exceptionally well with the rich cheese sauce. Due to how black it was Natsuki wasn’t quite sure what to expect as they took a bite, but the vegetables and meat still turned out to have a thoroughly enjoyable texture and flavor.

While there is a trend for photogenic items at places where you go to enjoy the space to not be particularly delicious, the menu at Niinana Kissa is genuinely tasty. In fact, whenever Natsuki feels like having something to drink or eating a meal around Kabukicho, she’s considering using it as a regular coffee shop.

▼ Even the sofas on the side look comfortable enough to enjoy some refreshments on.

For some, there is one thing that might put people off, and that is that smoking is allowed, though Natsuki could see that as adding to the sense of having traveled back in time to the Showa era.

Contrary to its somewhat intimidating exterior, Niinana Kissa is a charming space where, once inside, you can enjoy it in various ways, from reflecting on a bygone era to using it as an everyday cafe.

Cafe information
Niinana Kissa / ニーナナ喫茶
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Kabukicho 2-36-3, Shinjuku Acb Kaikan 3F
東京都新宿区歌舞伎町2-36-3 新宿Acb会館 3F
Open 11:00 a.m.–6:00 a.m.
May suddenly close due to filming or event operations, so check Instagram stories for confirmation
Instagram

Photos ©SoraNews24
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To serve and protect.

Convenience store workers really don’t get enough credit. Often working for minimum wage, they have a wide array of duties, including sales, banking, postal services, and photocopier technical support, to name a few. But they’re also on the front lines of protecting people from increasingly rampant fraud in Japan.

The reason for this is that in cases of “special fraud” (tokushu sagi), scammers often ask for payment in the form of electronic currency that can be acquired through prepaid cards sold at convenience stores. These cards can be convenient ways to make online purchases for those who don’t have or would rather not use credit cards, but they require a fair bit of technical know-how to use.

So, when a convenience store clerk spots an elderly person fumbling their way through buying some WebMoney cards, they tend to get suspicious. That’s what happened on 22 July at a Lawson store in the city of Tomigusuku, Okinawa.

An elderly customer who was a regular at the store came in and seemed noticeably more erratic than usual. The women behind the counter, Yoshie Sawada and Naomi Takaesu, talked to the man, who told them he had won 700 million yen and needed to purchase a prepaid e-currency card worth 3,000 yen to cover the “handling fee.”

The man also showed the workers the message he received on his smartphone, and they could immediately tell it was a scam. However, when they tried to convince him of this, he refused to hear it, telling them: “I won. It can’t be a scam.”

Finding it hard to disprove the man’s logic that didn’t exist in the first place, the two women kept him in the store and called in the police, who eventually explained the situation to him. The women were worried the man would just go to another convenience store if he wasn’t convinced then and there, so did what they could to make him see the light.

In response to their heroic efforts, Sawada and Takaesu were given letters of appreciation by the Tomigusuku Police Department. Police Chief Yoichi Ohama said the women’s “cool-headedness and sense of justice, combined with the store’s high degree of awareness, resulted in the prevention of financial loss.”

Many readers of the news were sympathetic to the victim, while others shared their own stories of attempted scams, showing just how widespread the problem has become.

“I got home from work last night and checked my answering machine. There were two messages telling me how to transfer my money. Seems like having a landline is more of a risk than a benefit.”
“It is kind of weird how you have to pay transfer fees even for a real lottery.”
“I don’t trust anyone, so I’m fine. But it must be hard for those who do have faith in people.”
“They saved that guy, but I wonder how many victims there are out there that don’t make the news.”
“Did the guy think he entered a contest or lottery for 700 million and just forgot about it?”
“That must have been hard for the staff. The guy probably thought they were the ones trying to scam him.”
“I got an email with the subject ‘It’s your real mom.’ It’s like they’re not even trying anymore.”
“If he was into the lottery, he’d know that they always make you contact them when you win, not the other way around.”
“All that for 3,000 yen seems rather small-time.”

Of course, the 3,000 yen was just an initial transfer. Normally, these scams keep the first money request small so the victim is more willing to try even if it seems implausible. Then they string the person along with subsequent requests for money, gauging his trust in them as they go to decide whether to increase the amount and to make up excuses like, “You have to pay this tax” or “You need to open an overseas account to qualify.” The more the person buys into it, the more willing they are to continue, since they’ve already begun sinking money into it.

The thing these scammers rely on the most is finding people who are so desperate they’re willing to look past the obvious gaps in logic simply because they want whatever the offer is to be real so badly. In that way, it seems the best way to reduce these kinds of scams is to improve the overall quality of life for people so they won’t feel the kind of desperation that feeds fraud. Then, we wouldn’t have to burden convenience store workers with this too.

Source: Okinawa Times, Golden Times, Yahoo! Japan News
Images: ©SoraNews24, Pakutaso
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Not every doughnut is worth the calories.

Around this time every year, Mister Donut delights fans by releasing a special range called Satsumaimo Do. With “satsumaimo” referring to sweet potato, and “do” being an abbreviation of “doughnut”, this range is so popular it’s now in its eighth year, but one person who’s never really gotten on board with the craze is our reporter P.K. Sanjun.

He’d always thought they were tasty, but not really worth recommending, given that the sweet potato wasn’t strong enough to win him over. However, this time around, the range is said to be very different, with Mister Donut claiming to have reinvented the doughnuts, enhancing the sweet potato flavour by giving them a brand new shape and texture.

▼ The three-lobed shape is said to resemble three sweet potatoes in a circular formation.

Image: Press Release

This was enough to lure P.K. into Mister Donut for a tasting, and with his hopes high, he ordered all of them to see if they were any better this year.

▼ First up was the most basic of the bunch, the Satsumaimo Do Plain (183 yen [US$1.17] for takeout and 187 yen for dine-in).

Taking a bite, the first thing that stood out was the texture. It was incredibly crumbly, almost on par with the texture of an Old Fashioned, but with an extremely light mouthfeel. More importantly, though, was the flavour of sweet potato, which was significantly stronger than before. P.K. couldn’t quite work out how they managed to pack this much sweet potato flavour into the doughnut without any topping, and it was so good that he began to think that this eighth evolution might really be worth paying for.

▼ Next up was the Stone-Roasted Sweet Potato-style (194 yen; 198 yen), which was a stunner.

The stone-roasted sweet potato-style glaze made it look near-identical to an actual roasted potato, and it helped deliver the flavour faster to the taste buds too. This one totally earned P.K.’s respect, and it was so good he says it was the best one in the range.

▼ The next doughnut, however, the Satsumaimo Do Melty Salted Butter (194 yen; 198 yen), totally fell short, with P.K. saying it was his least favourite.

Though it was tasty, the cream totally overpowered the sweet potato, burying it to such an extent that he could barely taste it, making it the weakest sweet potato flavour of the five.

Things got much better with the Satsumaimo Do Fragrant Creme Brulee (216 yen; 220 yen), which turned out to be just as good as the Stone-Roasted Sweet Potato Style.

The crispy brulee sheet was irresistibly delicious, with a slight bitterness that didn’t detract from the sweet potato flavour. It was the crispiness that really took this sweet to the next level, giving it the best overall balance out of all the doughnuts.

The final variety, the Satsumaimo Do Rich Sweet Potato (216 yen; 220 yen), was delicious, and also had plenty of sweet potato flavour, even without the sweet potato paste topping.

At this price, though, he’d recommend the Fragrant Creme Brulee instead, seeing as it costs the same and you get a more decadent experience.

So, after trying them all, P.K. is happy to eat his words on the Satsumaimo Do, at least for this year’s collection. It turned out to be much more delicious than past iterations, with more flavour, better visuals, and satisfying textures that capture the experience of eating a sweet potato more realistically than ever before.

In terms of delicious sweet potato flavour, P.K. highly recommends the Stone-Baked Sweet Potato Style as his favourite, followed closely by the Fragrant Creme Brulee, then the Plain, and then the Rich Sweet Potato, with the Melty Salted Butter at the bottom of the list.

Still, if you’re not watching your wallet or your waistline, then you could easily try them all and walk away happy as this is a tasty bunch of doughnuts. They’re only available in limited numbers and for a limited time, though, so you’ll want to get in quick before they disappear like the Mrs. Donut range in honour of Mrs. Green Apple earlier this year.

Images ©SoraNews24 unless otherwise stated
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