Starbucks Japan releases a new Cream Puff Frappuccino for a limited time

Exclusive drinks will make you feel like you’re biting into a choux cream pastry.

Starbucks is a leader in the world of dessert drinks, but its newest release looks set to raise the bar even further, with two drinks inspired by cream puffs, or “shu cream” (“choux creme”) as they’re known in Japanese.

Designed with the chain’s springtime theme of “Spring is the season for dreams to bloom” in mind, these two beverages are said to make you feel like you’re biting into a cream puff, which is a dream come true for pastry lovers.

While this is a Japan-first flavour, Starbucks says it was inspired by a beverage enjoyed every spring by its customers in Korea. The star of the Japan release is the Cream Puff Frappuccino, which combines vanilla-flavoured milk caramel sauce with a rich milk base and tops it all with a vanilla bean custard-flavoured whipped cream and crunchy choux pastry pieces. The mixture of custard and choux pastry is said to perfectly replicate the taste and texture of a cream puff, in a way that will “make your heart leap with the arrival of spring”.

Joining the Frappuccino is the Cream Puff Latte, which combines espresso and milk with vanilla-flavoured milk caramel sauce, creating a sweet and aromatic cream puff experience. The gentle sweetness of custard is said to pair well with the bittersweetness of the espresso, while the crunch of the cream puff pastry pieces creates a pleasant balance, “like a moment of warmth in the still-cold breeze”.

Starbucks wants its customers to enjoy a sense of their dreams expanding and soaring with every sip, and to help them with that, the chain is recommending several customisations.

▼ The Cream Puff Frappuccino with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce is said to bring out a luxurious, dessert-like taste, similar to an eclair.

The Cream Puff Latte with a change to two shots of Blonde Espresso (only available at some stores) adds lightly roasted coffee to the mix for a more mellow cream puff taste with a heightened coffee kick.

The Change to Almond Milk is recommended for both drinks, with the fragrant nutty aroma of almonds adding a slightly luxurious feel to the beverage, creating a flavour that’s reminiscent of a choux pastry topped with nuts.

While it’s perfectly fine to pay for your drinks at the counter, the chain is encouraging people to use its online Mobile Order & Pay system to ease congestion at stores, offering a 100-yen off eTicket to new users and those who haven’t used the service since December, which can be used on their next orders.

The eligible period for the campaign is 13 March to 20 April, which is also when the new drinks will be on the menu. The Cream Puff Frappuccino will be sold in a Tall size only, priced at 687 yen (US$4.36) for takeout or 700 yen for dine-in, while the Cream Puff Latte will be sold hot or cold, in a Tall size for 609 yen for takeout and 620 yen for dine-in.

Source, images: Press release
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Cherry blossom Totoro cake brings pink sakura sweetness to Tokyo this White Day

Ghibli-themed sweets shop puts together a cherry blossom viewing party for a pair of Totoros.

Last month, we looked at some very tasty, and cute, chocolate Valentine’s Day treats from Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory, Tokyo’s Ghibli-themed confectioner. Japan has a sweets-centered celebration in March too, though, as March 14 is White Day, when guys are expected to give thank-you gifts to the women who gave them chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

So Shirohige is getting set to start baking a lineup of special White Day Totoro sweets, and with spring here, they’ve even got a sakura Totoro cake!

Called the Ohanami, or “Cherry Blossom-viewing,” Cake, the first thing that grabs your attention is the pair of Totoros made out of nerikiri, a soft but shapable mixture of white sweet bean paste and mochi. The two forest spirits are hanging out in a grove of chocolate tress and chocolate cherry blossom petals, with the flowers falling to a floor of matcha chocolate. Inside the green tea section of the cake is a filling of sakura mousse with a core of cherry and raspberry gelee, with a pie crust-like tart at the base.

▼ The handy diagram is full of the sort of Ghibli artwork charm you’d expect from a bakery run by the relatives of studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki.

There’s more springtime fun in the air/oven with the Friendly Totoro Seasonal Cookie Set, with a pair of shortbread cookie Totoros, one plain and one chocolate, plus white chocolate-covered raspberry cookies shaped like a cherry blossom, a plum blossom, and a butterfly.

The sakura Totoro cake is priced at 3,500 yen (US$22.60), but the cookies are more impulse buy-friendly, as they’re just 500 yen for the set. You can also opt for a three-pack cookie set, for 1,500 yen, which also gets you one matcha cookie shaped like a leaf with a little bug nibbling on it.

And if you’re looking for a gift with an extra dash of mature sophistication, and also one that’ll leave part of the present for after you’ve eaten everything, Shirohige’s also has a 1,600-yen caramelized nut selection with picans, almonds, cashews, and macadamia nuts that comes wrapped in a handkerchief featuring the bakery’s mascot character.

Since these are all special White Day items, they’re only available for a limited time, March 7 to 14 for the cookies and nuts, and March 11 to 14 for the sakura Totoro cake. In addition, while the nuts and cookies will be on sale at both Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory branches in Tokyo, Daita and Kichijoji, the cake can only be ordered from the Daita branch, and must be reserved ahead of time (preorder information can be found on the official website here). Meanwhile, if you’re looking for sakura Totoro fun of the non-edible kind, we can help you with that too.

Related: Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory official website
Source: Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory
Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory
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Which of Japan’s main coffee shop chains is best for a caffeine-free life?

Hunting for Japan’s best caffeine-free drinks in these temples to caffeine.

There are a myriad of reasons to keep your caffeine in check, be it pregnancy, health, or just to ensure a good night’s sleep. The real struggle starts when you start to eat out, or pick up beverages on the go, because trying to figure out how many caffeine-free options are available takes more than just a quick glance at a menu. So, let’s explore the caffeine-free landscape of three of Japan’s major coffeehouse chains: Starbucks, Tully’s, and Doutor.

Before we get into the details, it’s probably best we establish our baseline of standard levels of caffeine consumption. According to the 20202 Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, coffee contains about 60 milligrams of caffeine per 100 milliliters (about 3.9 fluid ounces), and black tea contains about 30 milligrams.

Also, a key point to be aware of is that while “caffeine-less” usually means zero milligrams of caffeine, “decaf” (decaffeinated) items still contain small amounts of caffeine. Another tricky category is cocoa and hot chocolate as they also contain caffeine, albeit at trace amounts, but since they typically have less caffeine than decaf coffee, this category is included in the below lists. All caffeine amounts are based on a Medium size.

Key:
★ Limited-time beverage
※ Contains trace amounts of caffeine

● Starbucks

Starbucks has a very strong low-caffeine game as almost all espresso-based drinks can be switched to decaf (just seven milligrams per shot) for an extra 55 yen (US$0.35). They also offer plenty of caffeine-free herbal teas and juices, along with having some seasonal drinks that are caffeine-free, like their Spring 2026 menu.

Regular Menu (milligrams of caffeine, if any, listed)

  • ※ Decaf Brewed Coffee (Hot 26 milligrams / Iced eight milligrams)
  • ※ Decaf Caffe Misto (13 milligrams)
  • ※ Cocoa (16 milligrams)
  • Iced Tea (Passion)
  • Chamomile Tea
  • Mango Passion Tea Frappuccino Blended Juice
  • Vanilla Frappuccino Blended Cream
  • Chamomile Tea Latte
  • Caramel Cream
  • Milk
  • Kids Milk
  • Be juicy! Kids Apple Mix
  • Be juicy! Kids Orange Mix

Menu items customizable to Decaf for an additional 55 yen (all containing approximately seven milligrams of caffeine per shot)

  • ※ Starbucks Latte (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Soy Latte (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Almond Milk Latte (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Cappuccino (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Caffè Mocha (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ White Mocha (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Caramel Macchiato (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Caffè Americano (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Espresso

Limited-Time Menu

  • ★ Sakura Sakuyo Peach Frappuccino Blended Beverage
  • ★ Sakura Sakuyo Latte
  • ★ Sakura Sakuyo Peach Soda

Starbucks’ special seasonal dessert drink, the Sakura Sakuyo Peach Frappuccino, is a great example of a drink that’s caffeine-free but still looks very fancy, and is sure to make many people pleased as they enjoy the slippery texture of the white peach jelly and the subtle cherry blossom scent, safe in the knowledge that it’s caffeine-free.

● Tully’s Coffee

Not all Tully’s stores offer decaf espresso, so to find a compatible store might need a little extra searching, but when you come across one, you can switch any espresso drink to decaf for an additional 65 yen.

Regular Menu (milligrams of caffeine, if any, listed)

  • ※ Decaf Coffee (19 milligrams)
  • ※ Cocoa (10 milligrams)
  • Mango Tango Swirkle
  • Yogurt & Açai
  • Blood Orange Juice
  • Apple Juice 100 Percent
  • Milk
  • Kids Milk
  • Kids Apple Juice 100 Percent

Decaf-Compatible Store Menu (all contain approximately four milligrams of caffeine per shot)

  • ※ Espresso Shake
  • ※ Caffè Mocha (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Salty Caramel Latte (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Honey Milk Latte (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Soy Latte (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Cafè Americano (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Cafè Latte (Hot/Iced)
  • ※ Cappuccino
  • ※ Espresso Macchiato
  • ※ Espresso Con Panna
  • ※ Espresso

The Yogurt & Açai drink from the regular menu is a super satisfying choice, which feels more like a dessert than a drink, while still feeling quite healthy, so it definitely makes the list of beverages worth trying.

Tully’s Coffee also operate some tea-specialty stores, though there aren’t that many of them, called Tully’s Coffee & Tea.

The Rooibos Blood Orange Tea they sell there is highly recommended to try out. If only they brought it to all of the regular Tully’s locations…

● Doutor

Doutor has a slightly smaller menu overall, so their caffeine-free options are also a bit more limited compared to the others. However, some Doutor locations offer “Caffeine-less Coffee,” which is noteworthy because the caffeine is kept to an extremely low, almost negligible, level.

Regular Menu (milligrams of caffeine, if any, listed)

  • ※ Cocoa (Hot/Iced both 15 milligrams)
  • Rooibos Tea (Hot/Iced)
  • Unshu Mandarin Orange Juice
  • Tapioca Kokuto Milk

Caffeine-less Store Menu (all contain approximately zero milligrams of caffeine)

  • Decaf Coffee (Hot/Iced)
  • Decaf Caffè Latte (Hot/Iced)
  • Decaf Honey Caffè au Lait (Hot/Iced)
  • Decaf Soy Latte (Hot/Iced)

Limited-Time Menu

  • ★ Sakura au Lait with Fragrant Yuzu (three milligrams)
  • ★ Matcha Warabimochi au Lait with Fragrant Yuzu and Sakura~ (10 milligrams)

The limited-time Sakura au Lait with Fragrant Yuzu is a sweet, cherry-blossom-flavored milk drink with a hint of yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit) that really evokes the feeling of “spring”. The matcha powder topping has a tiny bit of caffeine, so if you’re super strict about it, you can ask to leave the powder off.

As an extra note, Doutor’s iced drinks are impressively large and cheap when compared to the competition, so if you’re looking to chug something refreshing down, Doutor is the clear winner.

After taking a look at the offerings from the three chains, Starbucks has the strongest lineup by nature of offering decaf customization at all locations, so if you’re looking for a drink that’ll refresh you without leaving you feeling jittery, Starbucks is going to have the widest variety. Tully’s and Dotour, on the other hand, require a little more research since not all of their locations offer decaf versions of their ordinarily caffeinated drinks, but links to those two chains’ decaf-inclusive branches can be found below.

Related: Tully’s Coffee Decaf Store Locations, Doutor Caffeine-less Coffee Store Locations, Tully’s Coffee & Tea Store Locations, Starbucks Nutritional Information, Tully’s Coffee Nutritional Information, Doutor Nutritional Information
Photos ©SoraNews24

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Silicone testicle covers banned from Japanese sauna following cups being left behind and on shelves

“People don’t forget to take their testicles with them when they go home” says sauna in explaining new policy.

Most of the posts made through the official Twitter account of Sauna Monkey, a sauna and bathhouse located in downtown Nagoya, are pretty mundane. There’s information about limited-time discounts, promotional events, and other little everyday updates. But on February 28, Sauna Monkey put out a much more unique announcement:

“Thank you very much for your continued patronage of Sauna Monkey. Based on careful consideration of hygiene factors, we would like to take this opportunity to ask that customers refrain from using covers for certain specific parts of the body, made of silicone or other materials, within the bath and sauna areas.”

Just what “specific parts of the body” are the covers in question for? The balls.

Pictured above are the colorful offerings from Tamamall, a Japanese company that offers what it calls “sauna-use male protective devices.” To brush aside the delicately worded descriptions from Sauna Monkey and Tamamall, these are silicone cups for men to rest their testicles in while in a sauna, so as to keep the sensitive skin of the scrotum off the heated surface of the bench that sauna users sit on (though officially Romanized as “Tamamall,” the product is pronounced “Tamamoru” in Japanese, a mashup of the Japanese words tama (“balls”) and mamoru (“protect”).

Sauna Monkey’s rationale of banning the covers’ use for hygiene reasons had one Twitter commenting whether this meant that the management had judged that having silicone on the sauna benches is less hygienic than having uncovered testicles on them, to which Sauna Monkey replied:

“People don’t forget to take their testicles with them when they go home, or leave them on the rack. That’s why we came to this decision.”

So the problem here doesn’t seem to be the covers themselves, so much as that apparently Sauna Monkey has had to deal with people leaving their ball covers behind, meaning the cleaning staff has to pick them up and throw them away, or that customers have been leaving their covers on the common-use racks/shelves for personal items, where they’re a bit too close for comfort to other people’s belongings.

Just one day after Sauna Monkey announced the new policy, though, Tamamall itself tweeted back a question in response, asking:

“The sauna mats provided by sauna facilities, as well as customers’ own personal sauna mats that they bring, are also in direct contact with the user’s private parts, and are left on common-use racks. Please explain the rational difference between these and Tamamall. Isn’t it an overly strict policy to ban a specific product at a stage where no concrete negative effects have occurred?”

Despite the aggressive tone of Tamamall’s question, Sauna Monkey replied that it could see the validity of it. To clarify its position, Sauna Monkey explained that sauna mats and towels do come into direct contact with one’s private parts, they don’t have the purpose-built design of holding just the balls. As such, there’s a greater likelihood of customers finding the sight of testicle covers lying around the facility to be “psychologically uncomfortable,” or, in more visceral terms, just plain gross, and this, more so than scientific hygiene concerns, is the primary reason for the policy. Aside from Tamamall’s, the majority of the reactions to Sauna Monkey’s tweet about the ball cover ban have been in support of it, so it seems as though the management does have a pretty good sense of what its potential customers would find icky.

However, Sauna Monkey isn’t opposed to ball covers on a conceptual level, and in its response to Tamamall’s query said that they think their design is excellent, and that customers are welcome to use the covers in the facility’s private saunas (so long as they remember to take them home when their session is done).

In addition to Sauna Monkey, Sauna Tokyo, located in downtown Tokyo’s upscale Akasaka neighborhood, has recently enacted a policy banning the use of testicle covers too. A commenter replying to Sauna Monkey’s announcement said that a number of saunas he’s recently visited had similar rules, so if you’re headed to a sauna and planning to plop your boys into a cup, it might be a good idea to check what the house rules are first.

Source: Twitter/@SAUNA_MONKEY_, Twitter/@tamamall_sauna, Chunichi Sports
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times
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Japan asked to vote on what to officially call insanely hot days

Good idea to hold the election before it’s too hot to think.

The days are starting to warm up here in Japan, and while that used to be a nice thing, I can’t help but be filled with a sense of dread at what’s to come. I think I’m at the bargaining stage of grief, where I’m praying for even a few weeks of bone-chilling weather just so we can make winter last a little bit longer.

It’s pretty much a given that this will be the hottest year on record, because every year has been the hottest year on record for quite a while now. To make matters worse, Japan has this really special blend of heat and humidity you don’t find in many other places, the kind where your sweat constantly clings to you and also starts to heat up, making everything feel twice as hot as it normally would.

▼ It’s really the kind of heat that makes you consider switching to 19th-century fashions.

It’s truly a horrible time of year to look forward to, but the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has decided to try an have a little fun by holding a naming contest for the lethal heat to come. It’s like the ending of Ghostbusters, where we get to choose the name of the thing that kills us all.

Currently, the JMA calls days over 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) natsubi, meaning “summer days,” and when the temperature rises over 30 degrees (86 Fahrenheit), it becomes a manatsubi/“midsummer day.” Once we surpass 35 degrees (95 Fahrenheit), we get into moshobi/“extremely hot day” territory.

Now, the question is what to call the growing number of days where the thermometer cracks the 40-degree (104 Fahrenheit) line. The JMA currently has an online form for anyone to choose their favorite name from a field of 13 nominees.

Here is the full list of candidates. Bear in mind that these use kanji characters that can sometimes be open to interpretation and don’t necessarily have a universally correct English translation, but I’ll do my best to approximate them.

1.  enshobi (blazing hot day)
2. gekishobi (dramatically hot day)
3. gekishobi (intensely hot day) *different kanji than the one above
4. genshobi (severely hot day)
5. kokushobi (cruelly hot day)
6. gokushobi (drastically hot day)
7.  jinshobi (immensely hot day)
8. seishobi (fully hot day)
9. taishobi (big hot day)
10. nesshobi (extra hot day)
11. hanshobi (overly hot day)
12. resshobi (fiercely hot day)
13. chomoshobi (super extremely hot day)

In addition to these candidates, write-in votes are also possible. Readers of the news online have been full of ideas.

“I want ‘bonjobi [“annoyingly hot day” and an obvious reference to Bon Jovi].”
“Let’s go with ‘super extremely hot day’ and when it gets over 45 degrees, we can call it ‘super extremely hot day 2.’”
“I was going to say ‘extremely hot day,’ but was shocked to learn that’s already an official designation.”
“How about just ‘hell day?’”
“I think ‘don’t go out day’ is most effective.”
“I voted honestly, but I really wanted to write in ‘death day.”’
“‘Super’ sounds cool, so I vote for ‘super extremely hot day.’”
“It’s intensely gross, so I like ‘intensely hot day.’”
“Since we can write in votes, can we agree on ‘super-hot-hot death day?’”
“‘Super extremely hot day’ has a real 90s vibe to it.”

Personally, I feel this really should go to “bonjobi” if there’s any justice in the world. It’s certainly a time that we’re all slippery when wet. But judging by the comments, “chomoshobi” is looking like an odds-on favorite in this contest. Whichever term does end up winning, it’s important to remember that we’re all huge losers when next summer rolls around.

Source: JMA, Hachima Kiko
Photos ©SoraNews24
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Japanese government planning higher ticket prices for foreign tourists at Tokyo National Museum

Agency for Cultural Affairs wants two-tiered ticket pricing system at 12 National Museums.

Located in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, the Tokyo National Museum is considered by many to be the finest museum in Japan. Filled with centuries’ worth of historically significant artwork and artifacts, it’s a must-visit for anyone with an interest in Japan’s cultural legacy, but if you’re a foreign tourist, the Japanese government wants you to start paying more than locals do for a ticket.

The Tokyo National Museum is part of Japan’s National Museum Network, which receives funds from the national government. Multiple media organizations are now reporting that the Agency for Cultural Affairs, part of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, wants the museums to reduce their reliance on government funding, and instead cover a greater proportion of their operating expenses through self-generated revenue such as ticket and merchandise sales. Museums that fail to meet their targets will face restructuring, and possibly even closure.

The initiative affects the following 12 art, history, and science museums, three of which are located in Ueno Park.
● Tokyo National Museum (Ueno)
● Kyoto National Museum
● Nara National Museum
● Kyushu National Museum
● The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan
● National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
● National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
● National Film Archive of Japan
● National Museum of Western Art (Ueno)
● National Museum of Art, Osaka
● The National Art Center, Tokyo
● National Museum of Nature and Science (Ueno)

The Agency for Cultural Affairs wants the museums to be generating revenue equal to 65 percent of their operating costs by 2030, which is roughly 10 percent higher than their current performance. Under the plan, those which are under 40 percent at the end of fiscal year 2029 will undergo restructuring, with an exception made for the National Museum of Nature and Science, for which a minimum allowable percentage has not been disclosed.

Several ideas have been proposed to boost ticket revenue. Starting with the visitor-friendly ones, the agency has discussed keeping museums open later at night and extending the runs of special exhibitions to allow more guests to visit.

The thousand-year-old katana Dojigiri, during a special exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum

However, raising all ticket prices is also an avenue being explored, and the agency says it wants a two-tier ticket pricing system, in which foreign tourists pay more than Japanese guests, to be put in place no later than March of 2031.

Two-tiered pricing has become a topic of more intense discussion in Japan recently. Record-breaking numbers of foreign tourists arriving in the country while the yen is at its lowest value in decades represents an immense economic opportunity for tourist attractions and tourism-adjacent facilities and businesses, such as museums and restaurants. At the same time, Japanese residents are seeing their own buying power eroded by rapid inflation and stagnant wages. This puts facility operators in a quandary. Do they raise prices to better profit from foreign tourists, for whom the extra cost will still feel acceptable, and possibly even negligible, while alienating Japanese residents in the process? Or do they keep their prices low in order to remain accessible to locals, and leave all that tourist cash on the table?

The situation gets further complicated with Japan now having a larger number of foreign (i.e. not ethnically Japanese) residents than ever before. Ostensibly, under a two-tiered pricing system foreign residents would pay the same price for National Museum tickets as Japanese citizens, but could possibly be required to show proof of residence when making their ticket purchase, which might not feel like a particularly welcoming atmosphere to some.

It appears that after weighing all those factors, the Agency for Cultural Affairs has still come to the conclusion that two-tiered pricing for the National Museum is the right decision.

Source: NewsJP/Kyodo, NHK, Yomiuri Shimbun
Top image: Wikipedia/Wiiii
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Studio Ghibli now sells Ursula’s backpack from Kiki’s Delivery Service at its anime shop in Japan

Channel the cool confidence of a Ghibli character with a real-world bag…that comes with a giant price tag.

Journeys, both figurative and literal, are a recurring motif in a lot of Studio Ghibli movies, and it’s not just limited to the main characters, as members of the supporting cast are keen to explore new worlds too. While some journeys are treacherous, others are filled with fun experiences, and one character who makes travel seem like an exciting adventure is Ursula from Kiki’s Delivery Service.

No obstacle is too great for Ursula, who travels to Kiki’s place for a surprise visit and then offers to cheer the young witch up by taking her home with her. During this part of the narrative, where the two travel by bus and hitchhike on the side of the road, there’s another companion by their side throughout the journey – Ursula’s giant backpack.

Image: Studio Ghibli

Now, we can channel Ursula’s sprightly confidence in our own real-world adventures, thanks to a new backpack from Ghibli’s cool streetwear label GBL.

Simply called “Ursula’s Backpack“, or “Ursula no Ryukku” in Japanese, this new product has been carefully designed to replicate the one worn by the character in the movie.


With two large pockets on the side, and three leather clasps keeping the main sections secure, this bag really does look like Ursula’s backpack.

Though the overall look is simple, there are sweet details to be found throughout, with a woven label on the back showing Ursula herself, offering up a piece of bubblegum just as she does in the movie.

Other details include embroidered images of Ursula’s signature motifs on the underside of the pocket flaps, with paintbrushes on the pocket to your left…

▼ …and bubble gum on the right.

Like Ursula’s anime bag, this real-world version sits on the larger end of the spectrum, but not so large to be uncomfortable. According to GBL, the bag is designed for everyday use, and can withstand a lot as it’s made of the same durable, water-resistant fabric used for outdoor tents, so it can remain a mainstay in your wardrobe for years to come.

▼ The bag’s measurements are approximately 35 x 50 x 20 centimetres (13.8 x 19.7 x 7.9 inches).

Metal fittings and sturdy straps add to the bag’s durability, while a handy side zip gives you easy access to everything inside.

The sturdy material has excellent water resistant qualities, so you can venture out on rainy days without any worries, and the muted colour scheme makes it easy to incorporate into your existing wardrobe.

Sturdy, reliable and filled with fun details, this backpack has everything you’d want in a travel companion. It does come at a price though, and that price is 38,500 yen (US$244.34).

While that might sound like a lot, this backpack is everything fast fashion is not, with quality materials giving you years of use in return for the investment. Pre-orders are only available online, as applications aren’t being accepted at physical stores, with delivery scheduled for mid to late March. If your love for Ursula is as big as the backpack but without the budget to match, you can always opt to wrap yourself up in her real-world blanket, which is slightly more affordable.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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