Discover insider tips, travel guides, and inspiring stories for your next adventure in Japan
gelato pique cafe is launching its first-ever collaboration with the Dragon Quest series, called PIQUE CAFE encounters DRAGON QUEST, from August 7 (Friday) to August 20 (Thursday), 2026. The lineup features cooling summer crepes, soda floats, and a sundae inspired by Zenithia Castle and its monsters, marking the franchise's 40th anniversary.
The G.E.M. Series Gintama Kamui Ver. 2 [Limited Reissue Edition] 1/8 scale completed figure is now available through AmiAmi and select distributors, with a release planned for December 2026.
A 1/6 scale figure of the police officer Nikita from GIRLS' FRONTLINE 2: EXILIUM is now available for pre-order at AmiAmi, capturing her poised stance with her signature rifle. The figure from Fat Company is scheduled for release in July 2027.
GODIVA Japan is releasing Nangoku Shirokuma Monaka Chocolate, an ice cream created with Kagoshima's Seika Foods that brings the flavor of Nangoku Shirokuma together with rich Belgian chocolate in an easy-to-eat monaka shell.
General merchandise maker Hac Co., Ltd. is releasing four new plush toys in August 2026 — a kiwi, a schnauzer, a mameshiba, and a pastel-colored bear — in 35 cm and 45 cm sizes, each with a suggested retail price of ¥1,980.
Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort in Nagano is introducing a summer-only "Hakuba Morikaze Picnic" plan starting July 29, offering a picnic setup with Northern Alps views at an elevation of about 1,289 meters, including a make-your-own sandwich experience with local Hakuba ingredients.
From August 5 to 25, Hankyu Umeda Main Store's Umeda Souq "Ito-ya" floor is holding "Enjoy!! Décopatch 2026 SUMMER," introducing the French paper craft décopatch, with a no-reservation workshop on August 8 and 9 where parents and kids can decorate their own "Osuwari Monkey."
Wagokoro Co., Ltd. will simultaneously open a Hashiya Mansaku chopstick specialty store and a second Hokusai Graphic Japanese umbrella store in Asakusa's おまいり町 in late August 2026, expanding its store count in the area to four.
Maple confectionery specialty store HELLO MAPLI, inside JR Nagoya Takashimaya, is releasing its first new item since opening — Maple Fleur, a flower-shaped assorted sable cookie tin combining maple, pistachio chocolate, and hazelnut chocolate — from Saturday, August 1, 2026.
To mark the "Girl with a Pearl Earring" exhibition at Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, confectionery brand Henri Charpentier and the Mauritshuis have collaborated on a limited original tin assortment of madeleines, matcha petit gâteau, and Hyogo chestnut marron cake, going on sale August 3, 2026.
Hida Takayama Museum of Art is holding a special exhibition through February 15, 2027, exploring how Art Nouveau masters such as Emile Gallé drew inspiration from Japanese art and Japonisme, with a shared reverence for nature linking East and West.
The 6th floor Bar & Lounge ZATTA at Hilton Hiroshima is serving an autumn afternoon tea called "Harvest," built around persimmon, chestnut, pumpkin, pear, fig, and apple, from September 7 through November 8, 2026, priced at ¥4,700.