A miraculous collaboration between Michel Belin, the renowned French chocolatier acclaimed as a national treasure of France, and Lotte's beloved Japanese chocolate brand Ghana has come to fruition. This marks Belin's first-ever collaboration with a Japanese confectionery product, with exclusive items available at "2026 Amour du Chocolat Chocola Daisuki!" (Chocola Love!), Japan's largest Valentine's Day event held at JR Nagoya Takashimaya from January 16 (Friday) to February 14 (Saturday), 2026.
Collaborative Sweets Featuring Ghana: "Fondant au Ghana"
"Fondant au Ghana (3-piece set) ¥2,700"
This special creation reimagines Belin's signature specialty, "Moelleux Chocolat," a soft chocolate cake beloved in French homes, using Ghana chocolate. "Moelleux" means "soft" in French, characterized by the smooth and rich taste of the chocolate hidden within the cake. For this collaboration, both the cake batter and the chocolate filling use Ghana chocolate, creating a special piece infused with Belin's craftsmanship that captures the rich, milk-forward flavor. The set includes three flavors: Milk, Black, and White. Enjoy at room temperature to experience the harmony of the moist cake and chocolate that melts luxuriously in your mouth.
View the creation process video
"Ghana Milk"
This variety pairs Ghana Milk, known for its rich milk flavor, with hazelnut caramel. Enjoy the nutty aroma and gentle sweetness of the caramel.
"Ghana Black"
This features Ghana Black with 50% cacao content, offering a rich aroma and clean aftertaste, enhanced with French Marc brandy for a sophisticated adult flavor.
"Ghana White"
This combines luxuriously rich and mellow Ghana White with raspberry. Experience the refreshing acidity and elegant sweetness spreading across your palate.
Special Offer: Purchase the collaboration product and receive a complimentary "Premium Ghana Crème Chocolat
*While supplies last
*One box per purchase
About Michel Belin
About Michel Belin
Michel Belin's journey began in 1978 in the peaceful town of Albi in southern France. As an artisan (craftsman and artist) with genius-level taste and technique, he steadfastly continues handcrafted production while researching and creating new chocolates in his atelier. As the founder of "Relais Desserts International," a global association of pastry chefs, he serves as a contest judge and mentor to young professionals. He is truly a chocolatier and pâtissier renowned as a national treasure of France, both in name and reality. Currently, he operates five shops in France and two locations exclusively in Nagoya within Japan. This marks his 19th year participating in Amour du Chocolat since 2008.
Michel Belin's Comment on the Ghana Chocolate Collaboration
"Hello to everyone in Japan. For this year's Amour du Chocolat, we have prepared a special collaboration product. It's a collaboration with Ghana, a representative Japanese confectionery. We thoughtfully selected ingredients to complement each of the three Ghana chocolate varieties—Milk, Black, and White—and arranged them into baked sweets. Please enjoy this collaboration. I hope it reaches many people. Au revoir, see you again." (Japanese translation)
About Lotte
Company Information
Under the corporate philosophy of "We contribute to the enriched lives of people around the world by providing better products and services that are loved and trusted by everyone," Lotte develops businesses centered on the manufacturing and sales of confectionery and ice cream. Representative products include confectionery and ice cream such as "Ghana," "Koala no March," "Xylitol Gum," and "Yukimi Daifuku," as well as health products like "Hokaron."
About Ghana
Ghana chocolate features a melting texture. The rich yet clean cacao flavor combined with the milk-forward richness creates a deliciousness unique to Lotte, a brand that prioritizes cacao quality.
Our Vision for This Collaboration
We were approached by Michel Belin to represent a beloved chocolate in Japan, making this collaboration possible. Through this partnership, we hope that even those who rarely choose Ghana will experience its appeal and high quality. Ghana's history is a history of challenges. It is both an honor and an exciting new challenge to showcase Ghana products at Amour du Chocolat, the premier chocolate festival. Please enjoy this special Ghana creation crafted by an artisan.
About JR Nagoya Takashimaya's "Amour du Chocolat"
Overview
Takashimaya's Valentine's Day event "Amour du Chocolat" is beloved as a "Chocolate Festival" featuring carefully selected chocolates from Japan and abroad. Among these events, the "Amour du Chocolat" at JR Nagoya Takashimaya, operated by JR Tokai Takashimaya Co., Ltd. (located in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya City; President: Mitsuaki Awano), a department store directly connected to JR Nagoya Station, is supported as Japan's largest Valentine's Day event. The 2025 season featured approximately 140 brands and about 2,600 product varieties, attracting approximately 900,000 visitors during the period and recording sales of 4.9 billion yen, the highest ever. During the event, chocolatiers and pâtissiers active in Japan and abroad visit the venue, interacting with customers through photo sessions and autographs. In recent years, more people enjoy these encounters with star chefs as "fan activities," making it popular not only as a gourmet event but also as a space for fan engagement.
History
JR Nagoya Takashimaya pioneered Valentine's events nationwide by launching "Valentine Land" in 2001 (its opening year). Since renaming it "Amour du Chocolat" in 2006, the event has been held every season through 2024. Excluding 2021 and 2022 when entry restrictions were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sales have grown year after year, making it a signature event representing Japan.
"2026 Amour du Chocolat Chocola Daisuki!" Overview
Period: January 16 (Friday) to February 14 (Saturday), 2026 [30 days / +1 day from previous year]
Location: 10th Floor Main Venue, Satellite Venues: 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, B1 Floors
Food Maison Okazaki Store [January 22 (Wednesday) to February 14 (Saturday)] [24 days / same as previous year]
*Total of 10 venues; satellite venues on 6th floor and B1 floor did not feature brand displays in the previous year
Theme: "Dream"
Number of Brands: Approximately 150 brands [including about 20 debut brands (+10 brands from previous year)]
Limited Products: Approximately 180 varieties (largest ever) *Including advance sale products
Product Varieties: Approximately 2,700 varieties
*Images are for illustration purposes.
*Prices include consumption tax.
