Lemon Afternoon Tea at Kichijoji Excel Hotel Tokyu

An afternoon wrapped in refreshing acidity during summer in Kichijoji. “Lemon Afternoon Tea” is being held, featuring tea leaves from a local Kichijoji specialty tea shop.

As summer heat intensifies, Kichijoji Excel Hotel Tokyu offers a seasonally limited afternoon tea built around the aroma and sharpness of lemon. The menu delivers exactly what the season demands: visually cooling sweets and light-tasting savories that satisfy without weighing you down in humid weather.

What Sets This Apart

Most hotel afternoon teas in Tokyo follow a predictable formula—heavy on cream, chocolate, and richness. This summer iteration deliberately inverts that approach. The partnership with Tea Market Giclef Kichijoji Main Store, a respected local specialty shop operating in the neighborhood, gives guests access to carefully sourced leaves that change character with temperature and steeping time. The atrium space on the hotel’s second floor provides natural light and vertical breathing room rarely found in central Tokyo hotel lounges.

The Menu

Sweets are arranged to move through different expressions of citrus:

• Verrine: Layered mango passion fruit jelly, panna cotta, and lemon jelly with aloe—textural contrast in a glass
• Citron Tart: Sharp acidity as the dominant note
• Lemon Opera-style cake: Lemon buttercream meeting chocolate’s depth
• Lemon Vanilla Mousse: Gentle sweetness with a mellow finish
• Lemon Cream Cookie Sandwich: Light, handheld, approachable

Savories are calibrated for summer appetite:

• Chickpea hummus with fragrant spices and prosciutto
• Chilled corn soup (served separately)
• Smoked salmon and avocado tart
• Cold beef canapé with remoulade sauce
• Egg sandwich

The welcome drink—sparkling lemon tea with active carbonation—cleans the palate before the tiered service begins.

Scones arrive with clotted cream and mixed berry jam: plain and tea varieties.

Beverages pull from Tea Market Giclef’s selection: Darjeeling, Assam, Jasmine, Earl Grey, Classic Chai, Darjeeling Earl Grey Blend, Rooibos Classic, Lemon Garden, plus Organic Forest Coffee, Café Latte, and Espresso. Unlimited refills and exchanges are permitted.

Service Details

Venue	Kichijoji Excel Hotel Tokyu, Lounge & Dining “SORAE” (2nd Floor)
Nearest Station	Kichijoji Station, 8-minute walk
Address	〒180-0004, 2-4-14 Kichijoji Honcho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo [MAP]
Period	June 1 – August 31, 2026
Time	14:30–17:30 (L.O. 17:00), 2-hour seating
Capacity	Weekdays: 15 servings / Weekends & holidays: 20 servings
Evening Session	17:30–21:00 (L.O. 20:30), weekdays only, except Wednesdays, 6 servings
Price	¥6,000 per person (includes 12% service charge and 10% consumption tax)
Reservations	Required

Official Website

Photos are for illustrative purposes. Menu subject to change based on ingredient availability. Guests with food allergies should inform staff in advance. Alcohol service declined to drivers and those under 20, per legal requirements.

---

🛏️ View hotels near Tokyo

The posted content may have changed. Please check the official website of the venue or organizer for the latest information.

What is Kichichijoji?

Kichijoji sits in western Tokyo, about fifteen minutes from Shinjuku on the JR Chuo Line. It has become something of a benchmark for livability in the city—frequently topping resident surveys while remaining relatively low-key compared to its eastern counterparts.

The neighborhood organizes itself around Inokashira Park, a substantial green space built around a pond that serves multiple purposes depending on the season. In early April, the cherry Blossom trees draw substantial crowds for hanami, while the rest of the year sees a steadier stream of joggers, musicians, and families. The Ghibli Museum sits within the park grounds, designed specifically to house the studio’s work without the conventional layout of a traditional animation museum—no fixed route, no photography, an admission system that requires advance tickets purchased through specific convenience store chains.

The retail and food landscape in Kichijoji operates on several registers simultaneously. Sun Road provides the covered arcade experience common to Japanese suburbs, functional and unpretentious. Harmonica Yokocho, by contrast, retains the physical footprint of its postwar black market origins—narrow passages between compressed structures now housing roughly sixty bars and restaurants, most with fewer than ten seats. The concentration of vinyl record dealers, small publishers, and independent clothiers in the surrounding blocks is not accidental; several date to the 1960s and 1970s, predating the current wave of interest in such businesses.

What distinguishes Kichijoji from comparable neighborhoods is not any single amenity but the persistence of its irregular built environment. Height restrictions have prevented the tower development visible in Shibuya or Ikebukuro, and the street grid retains enough inconsistency to accommodate unexpected structures. This has attracted a particular demographic mix—families who have owned property for decades, students from the nearby university district, and more recent arrivals working in creative fields or remote arrangements. The resulting atmosphere has been durable enough to function as a recognizable setting in film and television, typically shorthand for a certain manageable pace of urban life.

BBQ Garden Overlooking Tokyo Skytree(R) / World Beer Museum

Choose from two courses: American BBQ or Korean BBQ! An open-air beer restaurant on a rooftop overlooking Tokyo Skytree, where you can enjoy empty-handed BBQ and 100 types of draft beers from around the world.

---

Perched on the 7th floor rooftop of Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi, this beer restaurant delivers what few venues in the capital can match: direct sightlines to the 634-meter Tokyo Skytree while you eat. The terrace seating puts the tower overhead during daylight hours, then shifts to a panoramic cityscape as evening falls and the urban landscape lights up. The space has been designed with photography in mind—designated Instagrammable seats and photo spots are integrated throughout, and the overall aesthetic leans toward stylish rather than casual.

The operational concept centers on removing friction from outdoor dining. Guests arrive without equipment—the kitchen handles all grilling—while heat management comes via large fans and outdoor spot coolers that keep the terrace functional through Tokyo’s humid summers.

Beer selection represents the venue’s other primary draw. The restaurant ranks among Japan’s largest dedicated beer establishments, with 100 draft varieties sourced internationally. Domestic options from Asahi, Kirin, Suntory, and Sapporo anchor the list, supplemented by 100 types of overseas craft beers. This breadth allows for progression through styles over the course of an evening, or direct comparison between regional brewing traditions.

Two distinct BBQ courses structure the food offering:

• American BBQ Course: Grilled steaks and specialty hamburgers, calibrated for pairing with fuller-bodied beers
• Korean BBQ Course: Samgyeopsal, UFO chicken, and specialty cold noodles, served alongside Korean beer selections

The split format lets groups align their meal with specific occasions or preferences without leaving the venue.

Additional service elements include all-you-can-eat BBQ options, dedicated kids’ menus, and indoor contingency seating—when weather turns, operations either move inside or continue under the rooftop’s permanent roof structure.

---

Practical Information

Category	Details
BBQ Style	Empty-handed (equipment provided, no preparation required)
Heat Countermeasures	Large fans, outdoor spot coolers
Beer Range	100 types of overseas craft draft beers; plus Asahi, Kirin, Suntory, Sapporo
Total Capacity	320 seats (150 outdoor terrace seats)
Group Maximum	300 people
Reservations	Web reservations available
Payment Methods	Credit card, QR code, electronic money, cash
Rain Response	Move indoors, or continue outdoors under roof coverage

---

Access & Location

Venue: World Beer Museum Tokyo Skytree Solamachi Store

Nearest Stations: Tokyo Skytree Station / Honjo-Azumabashi Station / Oshiage <Skytree-mae> Station

Address: 〒131-0045 Tokyo-to, Sumida-ku, Oshiage 1-1-2 Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi 7F

MAP

---

Operating Schedule

Event Period	March 1, 2026 (Sun) – October 31, 2026 (Sat)
Hours	11:00 – 23:00
Last Order	Food 22:00 / Drinks 22:30
Regular Holiday	None

---

Contact

Phone: 03-5610-2648 (11:00–23:00)

Official Website: https://www.zato.co.jp/restaurant/worldbeermuseum/worldbeermuseum_tokyo/

The published content may be subject to change. Please check the official website of the venue or organizer for the latest information.

🛏️ See hotels near Tokyo

---

Gallery

What is Tokyo Skytree?

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting tower and landmark in Sumida City, Tokyo. At 634 meters, it is the tallest structure in Japan. Completed in 2012, it took over primary broadcast duties for the greater Tokyo region from the older Tokyo Tower.

The tower has two observation decks: one at 350 meters and another at 450 meters. On clear days, visitors can see Mount Fuji in the distance. The lower deck features a glass floor section and a restaurant; the upper deck, called the “Tembo Galleria,” has a sloping ramp that spirals upward to the 451.2-meter summit.

At ground level, Tokyo Skytree Town houses shops, restaurants, an aquarium, and a planetarium. The complex connects directly to Oshiage Station, making it accessible by train, subway, and bus lines. The area draws roughly 30 million visitors annually.

The tower’s design has practical roots. Its height was chosen to clear nearby buildings for broadcast signals, and its tripod base and central shaft are engineered to withstand earthquakes and typhoons common to the region. The exterior lighting changes seasonally—white for winter, blue for summer—based on traditional Japanese color schemes.

Tokyo Skytree operates as a commercial facility managed by Tobu Railway Group and Tobu Tower Skytree. Broadcast equipment occupies the upper sections; the remainder supports tourism, retail, and observation functions.

Step Back to the Sengoku Period: Summer Festival with Lord Hideyoshi and Lord Toshiie at Nagoya Sword World

On Friday, July 24, 2026, the Nagoya Sword Museum—known as “Nagoya Sword World”—transforms its Main Building 2nd Floor lobby into a spirited summer festival ground where history and family entertainment converge. This single-day event, titled “Summer Festival with Lord Hideyoshi and Lord Toshiie,” offers visitors the rare opportunity to interact with two of Japan’s most pivotal historical figures while experiencing traditional festival culture within the context of one of the nation’s premier sword collections.

The afternoon brings together Lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi—the warlord who completed the unification of Japan—and Lord Maeda Toshiie, the distinguished warrior and founder of the Kaga domain, both portrayed by members of the Nagoya Omotenashi Bushotai®. Adding to the spectacle, the Jingasa-tai Odori-mai will perform traditional dances in conical war hats, creating an atmosphere that bridges the museum’s martial artifacts with the lively entertainment of the Sengoku period.

What distinguishes this festival from standard summer matsuri is its integration with the museum’s unique identity. While visitors explore the blade collections that define Nagoya Sword World, they can also participate in classic carnival activities including target shooting (shateki), ring toss (wanage), and capsule toy vending machines—each offering substantial prizes. The program extends beyond games to include a formal tea ceremony demonstration, curated photo opportunities with the warlord reenactors, and informative gallery talks that contextualize the weapons within Japan’s festival traditions.

For families considering attendance, July 24 presents a significant financial incentive: admission is free for children of elementary school age and younger exclusively on this date. This represents a departure from standard pricing, which typically charges junior high and elementary students at the door. To accommodate this offer, parents should notify the staffed reception at the museum shop on the 1st floor of the North Building upon arrival, as admission tickets will be issued for eligible children.

Event Details

Date and Time
Friday, July 24, 2026, from 10:00 to 17:00 (final admission at 16:30)

Venue
Nagoya Sword Museum “Nagoya Sword World”
Summer Festival Venue: Main Building 2nd Floor, Lobby in front of the entrance gate

Admission Fees

• General: 1,200 yen
• Seniors (65 and older): 1,000 yen
• University/High school students: 500 yen
• Junior high/Elementary school students: Free admission only on Friday, July 24
• Preschool children: Free
• Persons with disabilities (including one companion): Free *Please present your disability certificate.
• Groups (20 or more people): 300 yen discount for General admission / 100 yen discount for non-General categories

Note: Since admission tickets will be issued for children of elementary school age and younger, please notify the staffed reception at the museum shop on the 1st floor of the North Building.

Access

• 10-minute walk from Yabacho Station on the Nagoya City Subway Meijo Line
• 9-minute walk from Osu Kannon Station on the Nagoya City Subway Tsurumai Line
• 12-minute walk from Fushimi Station on the Nagoya City Subway Higashiyama Line

Contact
Nagoya Sword Museum “Nagoya Sword World”
Email: [email protected]
Homepage: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000077.000023091.html

🛏️ See hotels near the event

Nagoya Sword World is a historical theme park and museum located in Aichi Prefecture, exploring Japanese sword craftsmanship and Sengoku period military history. The facility centers on a reconstructed Edo-period castle town, where timber-framed buildings house both permanent exhibitions and working forges. Smiths demonstrate traditional folding and tempering techniques using the same grades of tamahagane steel and pine charcoal that defined the era’s metallurgy.

The collection features authenticated nihontō historically linked to Central Japan’s warlords, including several blades attributed to the region’s major clans. Rather than presenting these weapons in isolation, the park examines their physical construction within the context of 16th-century warfare. Visitors can observe the differential hardening process that produces the hamon (temper line), examine the grain structure of traditional steel, and discuss with artisans how smiths balanced hardness against brittleness when forging weapons intended for battlefield use.

The programming particularly investigates the military alliance between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Maeda Toshiie, two figures who established their power bases in this region. Historical reenactments and seasonal performances analyze the political strategies and logistical challenges that defined this relationship. The annual Summer Festival expands these themes through extended theatrical programming and temporary exhibitions drawn from private collections.

Educational offerings range from wood sword training for younger visitors to advanced seminars on metallurgical analysis and blade appraisal. The facility accommodates various levels of prior knowledge, providing structured entry points for newcomers while maintaining the technical precision required by serious researchers. This approach allows direct engagement with martial traditions without compromising the historical accuracy of the demonstrations or the safety of the participants.

As the Osaka-Kansai Expo concludes, the cultural momentum shifts north to Umekita, where Grand Green Osaka emerges as the new focal point for international exchange. Bakushokuonsai GG—translated as the Wheat Eating Sound Festival—represents one of the most significant “After Expo” events to inherit the exposition’s spirit of global connection, channeling the Expo’s international focus into a three-day celebration of craft beer, world cuisine, and performing arts.

This third iteration of the festival distinguishes itself through scale and specificity. While previous editions established the template of combining craft beer with multicultural programming, the 2026 installment expands to encompass food and cultural contributions from over fifty participating countries and regions. The result is not merely a food festival with background music, nor a concert with catering, but a deliberate integration of gastronomy and performance where craft beer stalls sit adjacent to stages featuring representative musicians, DJs, dance troupes, and theatrical performers from across the globe.

The programming engages multiple senses simultaneously. With contributions from over fifty nations and regions, visitors encounter combinations of sound, taste, and movement designed to transcend cultural barriers through immediate, sensory experience rather than passive observation. This approach reflects the Expo’s legacy of international dialogue, compressed into an accessible, park-based format that requires no admission fee—an intentional contrast to the Expo’s ticketing complexity.

Event Details

Set within the newly developed Umekita district, the festival occupies Grand Green Osaka at Umekita Park, a modern urban green space designed to host precisely this scale of international gathering.

• Dates: Friday, July 10 – Sunday, July 12, 2026
• Hours: 9:30 – 17:00 daily
• Location: Grand Green Osaka, Umekita Park (5 Ofukacho, Kita-ku, Osaka City)
• Admission: Free
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/bakushoku_afterexpo

🛏️ View hotels near the event

What is Grand Green Osaka?

Grand Green Osaka (グラングリーン大阪), abbreviated as “GG”, is a 4.5-hectare urban development occupying the former Umeda Freight Yard north of Osaka Station. Completed in phases during 2024 and 2025, the project replaces a century of industrial rail infrastructure with public space, commercial facilities, and pedestrian infrastructure that finally integrates the previously isolated northern Umeda district into the station area.

The development centers on Ume-Kita Park (うめきた公園), built on a deck approximately four meters above street level. This elevation separates the park’s lawn and plaza areas from the traffic and pedestrian congestion below, accessible via stairways, escalators, and elevators from the surrounding streets. The raised design allows the space to function as both a neighborhood park and a venue for substantial events without disrupting the flow of commuters through the district.

Surrounding the park are mixed-use towers containing offices, hotels, and retail. The South Tower and North Tower complexes frame the green space on two sides, with retail podiums at ground level and hotel entrances opening directly onto the plaza. The buildings house approximately ninety commercial tenants along with hotel accommodations. The architectural massing maintains sight lines across the park while providing the density and foot traffic necessary to support the site’s public infrastructure.

For Bakushokuonsai GG 2026, the venue offers specific logistical advantages. The main lawn accommodates standing crowds of several thousand, while adjacent covered civic plazas provide weather-protected areas for vendors, stages, and seating. The site connects directly to Osaka Station via the Ume-Kita underground passage, which allows visitors to walk from the main concourse to the festival grounds without navigating Umeda’s complex, grade-separated street intersections or crossing surface traffic.

The festival operates under an open admission policy; there are no gates or ticket barriers separating the park from the surrounding commercial areas. Visitors can move freely between the event grounds, the adjacent retail spaces, and the station, treating the festival as part of the district’s normal pedestrian circulation rather than a sealed destination. This arrangement reflects the site’s intended function as public thoroughfare as much as programmed event space.

The 1st Nagoya International Film Festival

“Creating the entertainment culture of a hundred years from now”

The Nagoya International Film Festival distinguishes itself from the typical film festival model. Rather than operating as a closed venue for criticism intended only for a limited number of enthusiasts and industry insiders, it positions itself as an open, urban-style entertainment festival where filmmakers, business people, and citizens converge. Set against the backdrop of the Meieki and Midland Square area, the event creates space for these groups to resonate and unite around shared cultural passion.

What does this mean for attendees? The festival offers proximity to filmmakers active on the world’s front lines, providing direct exposure to contemporary cinema at its most ambitious. It also functions as a launch point for creators who will lead the next generation. The organizing principle is clear: connecting chains of “emotion” and “discovery” from Nagoya toward the future.

Event Details

Dates	April 3 (Sat) – 4 (Sun), 2027
Time	13:00–15:00 (Red carpet implementation time)
Location	Midland Square (Public roads around the Meieki south side plaza, B1F Atrium, 5F Midland Hall, 5F Midland Square Cinema, etc.)
Fees	Only movie tickets are paid
Contact	Nagoya International Film Festival Executive Committee — [email protected]
Website	https://niff.or.jp/

🛏️ View hotels near the event

Access

By train:

• Approximately 5 minutes walk from the Sakura-dori Exit of “JR Nagoya Station”
• Approximately 3 minutes walk from the Central Ticket Gate of “Meitetsu Nagoya Station”
• Approximately 3 minutes walk from the Front Ticket Gate of “Kintetsu Nagoya Station”
• Approximately 1 minute walk from the Higashiyama Line South Ticket Gate of “Subway Nagoya Station”

By bus:

• Approximately 0 minutes walk after getting off at the Nagoya City Bus “Nagoya Station (Platform 21)”
• Immediately upon getting off the Aoi Kotsu Highway Bus at “Nagoya Station (In front of Midland Square)”

Nagoya houses the Toho Chukyo Studio in Midori Ward, one of Japan’s three major film production facilities outside Tokyo. Built in the post-war era on industrial land south of the city center, the lot includes soundstages large enough for kaiju films and standing water tanks for marine sequences—resources that remain scarce in Tokyo’s dense studio districts. Toho used the location to shoot tokusatsu effects sequences when productions outgrew their Tokyo backlots, capitalizing on the available warehouse space for miniature construction and wire-work rigs.

The Eizo Film Studio maintains a separate facility nearby, where crews have built and maintained period architecture for historical drama since the 1950s. Rather than dismantling sets after each production, Eizo kept its Edo-period street facades and castle walls standing, allowing directors to return for location shooting without reconstruction delays. This established Nagoya as a fabrication center rather than simply an exhibition market—a city that builds sets and weaves costumes rather than just projecting finished work.

The Aichi Film Commission coordinates location shooting across the prefecture, matching productions to specific sites from the preserved tie-dyeing district of Arimatsu to the crystalline towers of Nagoya Station. The commission maintains databases of industrial corridors, coastal ports, and mountain villages within driving distance of the studio lots, allowing crews to return to editing suites without overnight travel. This logistical infrastructure reflects the region’s manufacturing base, where precision coordination and technical labor already defined the industrial culture.

Hosting an international festival here places visitors within a working production environment. Theaters sit near active soundstages where crews still build miniatures and rig practical effects; local hotels regularly house location scouts and armorers alongside actors. While many festival cities import cinema as a finished commodity, Nagoya maintains the equipment rental houses, prop workshops, and technical schools that produce the work. The event accordingly emphasizes craft—offering workshops in special effects and set construction alongside premieres—acknowledging that the physical labor of filmmaking remains visible here in ways it is not in cities devoted primarily to exhibition.

AFTERNOON TEA with “SIROCCO” “Peach” [The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome]

A summer afternoon tea featuring a parfait crowned with a whole white peach.

The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome welcomes back its celebrated AFTERNOON TEA with “SIROCCO” “Peach”—an event that proved so popular in its previous iteration that it returns with thoughtful refinements rather than radical reinvention. The centerpiece remains unchanged in its visual ambition: a white peach parfait topped with an entire white peach, prepared through a labor-intensive process where the pastry chef hand-peels each fruit in hot water before slow-simmering it into a delicate compote. What distinguishes this year’s offering is the addition of jasmine and almond jelly (annin), introducing aromatic complexity that complements the peach’s natural sweetness without overwhelming it.

The menu extends beyond this signature creation. Peach appears throughout the savory selections—most notably in a chilled peach and tomato potage that balances the fruit’s sugars against the tomato’s acidity, and in an ensemble pairing peach with prosciutto and Camembert atop pancake. Weekday visitors receive an additional benefit: a welcome iced tea prepared with SIROCCO TEA.

---

AFTERNOON TEA with “SIROCCO” “Peach” Menu

WELCOME TEA

Luxury Swiss SIROCCO TEA (black tea) served in the “Butterfly Bloom” series of tea ware by Wedgwood.

SAVORY

• Chilled peach and tomato potage
• Ensemble of peach and prosciutto with rich Camembert on a pancake
• Steamed chicken and watermelon “cool” salad
• Corn and soy milk royale-style with scallops and consommé gelée
• Spicy ratatouille sandwich using summer vegetables

SWEETS

• White peach and almond jelly parfait with a scent of jasmine
• White peach pudding
• White peach roll cake
• Peach mousse
• Peach cheese pie

DRINK

Two service tiers are available:

“Cafe Free” — Unlimited coffee and black tea

“Cafe & SIROCCO TEA Free” — Unlimited coffee, black tea, plus a selection of SIROCCO teas, green tea, herb teas, and fruit teas

---

Weekday Only Welcome Tea “Summer Jewelry”

The weekday experience includes a theatrical preparation: a two-layered separate tea created tableside by pouring a mixture of SIROCCO TEA’s “Lemon Beach” and “Pigna Moringa” into blue syrup containing silver dragees. Rosemary garnish adds aromatic dimension. The visual effect—cool blues and silvers—functions as a straightforward seasonal marker.

Please check the official website for detailed contents.

---

Basic Information

Location	The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome — 1-6-3 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 〒105-8333
Nearest Stations	Shiodome Station / Shimbashi Station
Venue	24F Bar Lounge “THE BAR” and All-Day Dining “Harmony”
Period	Wednesday, July 1, 2026 — Monday, August 31, 2026
Hours	“THE BAR”: 13:00–15:00 daily<br>”Harmony”: Weekdays 13:00–14:00; Sat/Sun/Holidays 14:00–14:30
Capacity	Weekdays: Limited to 15 servings per day<br>Sat/Sun/Holidays: Limited to 30 servings per day
Pricing	Cafe Free: ¥8,500<br>Cafe & SIROCCO TEA Free: ¥12,700<br><br>Each seating limited to 120 minutes<br>Online booking reduces “Cafe & SIROCCO TEA Free” to ¥7,000
Official Website	https://www.royalparkhotels.co.jp/ic/tokyoshiodome/news/0p1jfwdzu6/

The listed content may have changed. Please check the official website of the venue or organizer for the latest information.

🛏️ See hotels near Tokyo

What is “SIROCCO”?

SIROCCO is the restaurant and lounge at The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome, on the 24th floor with views of Tokyo Bay and the city skyline. The name references the warm wind that blows from the Sahara across the Mediterranean. The space makes deliberate use of this idea—large windows, natural light, and a layout that shifts easily between day and evening use.

The afternoon tea program has become a particular focus. Pastry chefs work with seasonal ingredients, treating them with techniques and presentations that reflect both international and Japanese approaches. The “Peach” 2026 edition follows this pattern: a single ingredient, in this case stone fruit at its summer peak, explored across multiple courses and preparations.

TOKYO Matcha Time at SKYTREE(R) ~Savoring Japanese Harmony in the Sky~

First-ever event to enjoy “Matcha” at Tokyo Skytree(R)

Tokyo Skytree(R) hosts its inaugural matcha-focused event, bringing together panoramic city views with the refined traditions of Japanese tea culture. In collaboration with Gion Tsujiri—the venerable Kyoto tea house established in Gion’s historic district—the observation deck transforms into a space where visitors can experience matcha in multiple dimensions: through taste, sight, and atmosphere.

The program extends beyond themed cafe menus. Exclusive photo spots and decorations introduce Japanese tea culture to the Tembo Deck for the first time. A new special lighting installation, “Kissa-ko,” reinterprets the meditative movements of tea preparation as flowing illumination. Sorakara-chan, the tower’s beloved mascot, will appear in a newly designed costume evoking the fresh green of shincha (new tea). For those seeking deeper immersion, “Savoring the New Tea Season ～Tokyo Sora-cha-kai～” offers private morning access to the Tembo Deck, where participants can learn tea ceremony fundamentals from a Sumida Ward instructor.

Whether you are a resident of Japan or visiting from abroad, the combination of Tokyo’s skyline and the contemplative traditions of matcha offers something genuinely difficult to replicate elsewhere: elevation in both the literal and figurative sense.

Event-Exclusive Cafe Menu at SKYTREE CAFE (Tembo Deck Floor 350)

Gion Tsujiri’s Uji matcha—cultivated in the region most celebrated for its tea—forms the foundation of four limited-edition items. The cafe interior itself will carry limited-time Gion Tsujiri branding.

Drinks & Sweets Menu:

Item	Description	Price
Wasanbon Uji Matcha Au Lait	Wasanbon sugar’s subtle sweetness complements aromatic Uji matcha in a Japanese-style latte with a smooth, mellow richness	¥1,100
Yuzu Uji Matcha Gin Soda	A gin-based cocktail layering yuzu fragrance with matcha’s gentle bitterness; light carbonation and depth create a clean finish	¥1,300
Fragrant Uji Matcha Wa-Sundae	Uji matcha powder dusted over vanilla soft serve, with azuki beans adding contrast to the elegant flavor profile	¥1,430
Rich Uji Matcha Affogato	Matcha and vanilla ice creams atop sponge cake, served with separate rich matcha sauce for customized intensity	¥1,650

Location: Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck Floor 350, “SKYTREE CAFE”

Special Planning Tickets: Matcha Set + Admission

Two bundled ticket options combine Tembo Deck admission with a Gion Tsujiri collaboration item, offering savings of up to ¥400 compared to separate purchases.

Ticket Type	Contents	Price
Matcha/Drink Set Ticket	① Tembo Deck admission + ② 1 collaboration drink (from above menu)	From ¥2,700
Matcha/Sweets Set Ticket	① Tembo Deck admission + ② 1 collaboration sweet (from above menu)	From ¥3,050

Sales Start: April 9, 2026 (Thursday) 14:00
Sales Period: Through the day of visit
Purchase Method: Tokyo Skytree official website

Note: Tokyo Skytree employs variable pricing for observation deck admission, meaning ticket prices fluctuate based on the selected date.

Private Workshop: “Savoring the New Tea Season ～Tokyo Sora-cha-kai～”

An early-morning private rental of the Tembo Deck allows participants to engage with tea ceremony culture before the public arrives. The workshop, led by an instructor from Senho-an (a tea ceremony school based in Sumida Ward), requires no prior experience—attendees will learn matcha preparation and basic etiquette in a setting removed from ordinary life.

Detail	Information
Dates	May 9, 2026 (Saturday); June 13, 2026 (Saturday)
Time	7:45 – 8:45
Location	Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck Floor 350
Program	① Lecture and demonstration on tea ceremony culture ② Hands-on matcha preparation (Japanese sweets included)
Fee	¥6,500 (includes Tembo Deck and Tembo Galleria admission)
Capacity	30 participants
Sales Start	April 10, 2026 (Friday) 11:00 (first-come, first-served)
Age Requirement	18 years and older

Installation & Photo Spots

Decorative elements throughout Floors 350 and 340 create what the organizers describe as “a tea room in the sky”—with the gentle aroma of new tea serving as an atmospheric detail.

Sorakara-chan Appearances in Fresh Greenery Costume

Sorakara-chan will greet visitors in a costume unveiled specifically for this event, its design inspired by the vivid green of shincha season.

Period	April 23, 2026 (Thursday) – July 6, 2026 (Monday)
Times	10:30 / 12:00 / 13:30 / 15:00 / 16:30 / 18:00
Location	Tembo Deck Floor 350 (18:00 session: 4F Entrance Floor)

Appearances subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Special Lighting: “Kissa-ko”

The tower’s exterior illumination will feature a new program translating the choreographed movements of tea preparation—measuring, whisking, presenting—into flowing light. Greens merge, blend, and intensify, culminating in an effect suggesting the rising aroma of a freshly prepared bowl.

Lighting times and content may change without prior notice.

---

Basic Information

Venue	Tokyo Skytree(R)
Address	1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 〒131-0045 [MAP]
Nearest Stations	Tokyo Skytree Station (Tobu Skytree Line); Oshiage <Skytree-mae> Station (Toei Asakusa Line, Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line, Tobu Skytree Line)
Event Areas	Tembo Deck Floor 350, Floor 340; SKYTREE CAFE (Floor 350)
Period	April 23, 2026 (Thursday) – July 6, 2026 (Monday)
Hours	In accordance with facility operating hours
Inquiry	Tokyo Skytree Call Center: 0570-55-0634 (10:00–18:00)
Official Website	https://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/event/matcha/

Event details are subject to change. Please verify current information through the official website.

🛏️ See hotels near Tokyo

What is Gion Tsijiri?

Gion Tsujiri is a Kyoto tea house that opened in 1860 in the Gion district. Founded by Riemon Tsuji, it began as a small operation serving matcha and traditional sweets to the local community.

The company has survived on straightforward practices: shade-grown tencha cultivation and stone-milling. These methods produce matcha with a distinct color and depth of flavor. The business has stayed in the family for over 160 years, passing from one generation to the next with minimal fanfare.

Currently, Gion Tsujiri runs stores in Kyoto and Tokyo. The Kyoto location offers prepared matcha in a traditional setting. The Tokyo locations, particularly in busier districts, serve soft-serve ice cream and blended drinks alongside conventional preparations. The company also supplies matcha to restaurants and retailers domestically and abroad.

For the TOKYO SKYTREE event, Gion Tsujiri will serve its products in a temporary space. This is a standard commercial arrangement—a food vendor at a high-traffic location.

Festival BBQ Beer Garden Asakusa Ekimise Yatai Village

Directly connected to Asakusa Station on the Tobu Skytree Line, an experiential “Festival x BBQ” space is born on a rooftop in the center of the city!

The concept of this facility is “Enjoy the atmosphere of a festival & BBQ in an outdoor space in the city center!” “Festival memories,” such as the sky dyed by the sunset, drifting savory aromas, and lively laughter heard from all around, have been reproduced in the modern urban space.

While gazing at the Tokyo Skytree® from the open rooftop, you can enjoy an experiential beer garden that can only be tasted here, where the fun of authentic BBQ and festival stalls intersect. Why not visit and experience a festival-like space that can be enjoyed in the heart of the city?

A rooftop festival space that is “nostalgic yet new”

Spread across the rooftop is a festival scene that somehow tickles the heart. Freshly grilled meat sizzles, and the scent of takoyaki and karaage wafts through the air.

Fries, yakisoba, ice sherbet—stalls with gourmet food that you can’t help but reach for line up, and time flows in a way that makes you realize you’ve returned to your childhood.

Furthermore, we have prepared festival contents that adults also get absorbed in, such as shooting galleries, ring toss, and smart ball.

The moments spent eating, playing, and laughing will eventually turn into special memories.

An extraordinary experience where you can “go without bringing anything”

At this facility, there is no need to prepare ingredients or equipment. The appeal is the casualness of being able to visit empty-handed and enjoy a BBQ right away.

With carefully selected ingredients and a wide variety of all-you-can-drink beverages, you can spend a relaxing time with friends, family, and loved ones.

In addition to the outstanding access being directly connected to Asakusa Station on the Tobu Skytree Line, it is an all-weather rooftop space equipped with tents, so you can enjoy the “festival mood” comfortably without worrying about the weather, even on days with strong sunlight or sudden rain.

(*In the event of strong winds or stormy weather, operations may be cancelled for safety reasons.)

Course Overview

All courses include all-you-can-eat stall menus and are limited to 2 hours.

Course	Alcohol & Soft Drinks	Soft Drinks Only	Notes
Standard BBQ and All-You-Can-Eat Stall Course	6,270 yen (tax included)	5,720 yen (tax included)	BBQ is not all-you-can-eat
Deluxe BBQ and All-You-Can-Eat Stall Course	7,920 yen (tax included)	7,370 yen (tax included)	BBQ is not all-you-can-eat
Casual All-You-Can-Eat Stall Course	5,500 yen (tax included)	4,950 yen (tax included)	Stall food only
Kids Course (All-You-Can-Eat Stall Menu)	—	2,200 yen (tax included)	Soft drinks only

*Please check the official website for detailed contents.

---

Basic Information

Location	EKIMISE Asakusa Station
Address	〒111-0033 1-4-1 Hanakawado, Taito-ku, Tokyo MAP
Venue	Asakusa Ekimise Rooftop
Period	2026/05/27 (Wed) ～ 2026/10/18 (Sun)
Hours	Weekdays: 12:00–22:00 (Last entry 20:00)<br>Weekends/Holidays: 11:00–22:00 (Last entry 20:00)
Official Website	https://bbq.urban-earth.jp/asakusa/

*The listed content may have changed. Please check the official website of the venue or organizer for the latest information.

🛏️ View hotels near Tokyo

What is Ekimise?

The Japanese term ekimise combines eki (station) and mise (shop), describing a department store or commercial facility built directly into or above a major train station. This architectural form emerged from practical necessity: in dense Japanese cities, valuable real estate around transit hubs made horizontal expansion difficult, while vertical construction allowed stations to serve multiple functions without consuming additional street-level space.

Tokko’s examples illustrate the concept’s range. Matsuya Ginza, adjacent to Ginza Station, represents the traditional department store model with its 1920s facade and luxury retail. Shinjuku and Shibuya stations demonstrate the sprawling, multi-building complexes where several ekimise structures cluster around major interchanges, creating self-contained commercial districts. The Asakusa Ekimise, opened in 2012 above Tobu Asakusa Station, occupies a middle position—modern construction replacing older facilities, with ten floors combining transit functions, retail, restaurants, and a rooftop terrace engineered for significant public use.

The format addresses specific constraints in historic neighborhoods like Asakusa, where narrow streets and protected building stock limit new development. By concentrating commercial activity vertically, ekimise preserves street-level character while meeting contemporary needs. The Asakusa building’s rooftop exemplifies this efficiency: infrastructure designed for capacity crowds supports programming—such as the seasonal Yatai Village—that extends the building’s utility well beyond standard retail hours, drawing evening visitors to a space that would otherwise sit dormant.

This integration of transit and commerce is not unique to Japan, but the ekimise’s scale and institutionalization distinguish it. Where Western stations often treat retail as ancillary, Japanese operators and department store chains developed formal partnerships to maximize both foot traffic and revenue. The result shapes daily behavior: travelers pass through commercial space as a matter of course, and locals treat the station building as a destination in itself rather than merely a point of departure.

France Exhibition 2026

Approximately 80 Stores Featuring Food, Wine, and Miscellaneous Goods Line Up! Enjoy Gourmet Delicacies at a Venue Filled with the Aroma of Freshly Made Treats.

From Thursday, April 23 to Wednesday, April 29 (public holiday), 2026, the “France Exhibition 2026” will transform the Event Space on the 6th floor of the Main Building at Isetan Shinjuku Store into a corner of Paris. This annual celebration of French culture brings together approximately 80 stores offering an immersive experience of contemporary French life—one that extends well beyond the expected culinary attractions.

What distinguishes this exhibition from other international food events in Tokyo is its deliberate curation of “now” in France: star pastry chefs and emerging popular brands selected specifically for their relevance to current French trends. Visitors will find desserts executed with technical precision, breads and baked goods still warm from the oven, and an extensive selection of cheeses, deli items, and charcuterie. The wine program, developed to satisfy knowledgeable collectors, runs parallel to expanded lifestyle offerings that include Parisian fashion, tableware, accessories, and carefully selected miscellaneous goods—collectively creating what organizers describe as a “Little France” within Shinjuku.

---

Practical Information

Location & Access

Isetan Shinjuku Store
Nearest stations: Shinjuku-sanchome Station (1 minute walk) / Shinjuku Station (5 minute walk)

Address: 〒160-0022, 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
VIEW MAP

Venue: Isetan Shinjuku Store Main Building 6th Floor Event Space

Dates & Hours

Period	Date
Special invitation day for MI Card members	Wednesday, April 22, 2026
General admission	Thursday, April 23 – Wednesday, April 29, 2026 (public holiday)

Service	Hours
Main exhibition	10:00 AM – 8:00 PM (closes 6:00 PM on final day)
Eat-in area	10:30 AM – 8:00 PM (closes 6:00 PM on final day)
Food Hall	10:00 AM – 8:00 PM (closes 6:00 PM on final day)
Last order for all services: 30 minutes before closing

Official Website: https://www.mistore.jp/shopping/event/shinjuku_e/france_10

---

Important Notes

• All prices include tax
• A mix of standard tax rate (10%) and reduced tax rate (8%) applies
• The event is subject to change without notice
• Posted content may have changed; confirm latest information on the official website

---

Visual Preview

---

🛏️ View hotels near Tokyo

What is Isetan Shinjuku?

Isetan Shinjuku is a department store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. The seven-story flagship opened in 1933 and has since become known for a particular retail approach: high-end merchandise selection combined with the kind of thematic, large-scale exhibitions that have become rarer in department stores elsewhere.

The depachika, or basement food hall, operates on a straightforward principle—limited products, conspicuous quality, queues. Wagyu, seasonal items, and regional specialties from across Japan fill the cases. The main floors rotate through collaborations and country-themed exhibitions that temporarily reconfigure retail space into something more like a museum or market. Previous exhibitions have focused on specific Japanese craft regions, European design movements, and full-scale recreations of foreign marketplaces.

For the 2026 France Exhibition, this matters for practical reasons. Isetan draws roughly 100,000 visitors daily, and its customer base has shown consistent willingness to pay premium prices for imported goods presented with narrative context. The store’s history of country-specific exhibitions means the infrastructure and audience expectations are already in place.

Mamoru Hosoda’s Origins Exhibition

An exhibition approaching the “origins” before The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and an area where you can experience the world-view of “OZ” from Summer Wars

What precedes a celebrated directorial career? For Mamoru Hosoda—whose films have redefined contemporary Japanese animation—that question leads to unexpected places: 8mm film experiments shot during junior high school, live-action video projects crafted at Kanazawa College of Art, and oil paintings that reveal a visual imagination in constant evolution. This exhibition traces the complete arc of Hosoda’s development, from these early independent works through the breakthrough that established his reputation.

The exhibition’s scope extends well beyond the trilogy of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children that most viewers associate with his name. Visitors will encounter production materials from his pre-feature directorial period—works that rarely receive public exhibition—alongside the familiar touchstones of his later career. The result is a comprehensive portrait of an artist whose commercial success emerged from decades of formal experimentation across multiple media.

A particular architectural feature of this exhibition distinguishes it from standard animation retrospectives: the venue’s 5-meter ceiling height has been leveraged to create an immersive “OZ” environment, reproducing the virtual internet world central to Summer Wars. Within this space, life-sized figures of King Kazuma and Love Machine—characters who embodied the film’s exploration of digital identity and community—will be on display. The scale of this installation offers something unavailable in home viewing: physical confrontation with the aesthetic logic of Hosoda’s most technologically ambitious fictional world.

The production material collection is substantial—over 300 pieces encompassing storyboards, layouts, director’s corrections, original drawings, art boards, and character setting materials. For viewers interested in animation craft, these materials permit direct comparison between initial conception and final execution, illuminating the revision processes that shape finished films.

The exhibition also functions as a retail environment, with more than 100 original goods developed specifically for this showing. The merchandise strategy emphasizes portability: items designed to extend the exhibition experience into daily life. The product range includes pieces themed around the “blue sky” imagery that recurs throughout Hosoda’s work, alongside goods featuring signature scenes from his filmography. The positioning suggests these objects serve as mnemonic devices—tangible connections to narrative experiences that resist simple summary.

---

Practical Information

Venue
CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO
Nearest Station: Kyobashi (Tokyo)

Address
〒104-0031
TODA BUILDING 6F, 1-7-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
MAP

Exhibition Period
June 20, 2026 (Saturday) – August 31, 2026 (Monday)

Hours
Standard: 10:00 – 18:00 (last admission 17:30)
Extended hours: 10:00 – 20:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, days before public holidays, and August 11–14 (last admission 19:30)

Admission Prices

Ticket Type	Advance	Same-day
General / University Students	¥2,300	¥2,500
High School Students	¥1,300	¥1,500
Elementary / Junior High Students	¥800	¥1,000

Advance tickets available until 23:59 on June 19, 2025

Inquiries
050-5541-8600

Official Channels
Website: https://hosodagenten.exhibit.jp/
X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/hosodagenten_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hosodagenten
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hosodagenten_

Exhibition details subject to change. Confirm current information through official channels prior to visiting.

🛏️ View hotels near Tokyo

What is Mamoru Hosoda known for?

Mamoru Hosoda makes animated films about families under pressure. He left Studio Ghibli in the early 2000s after a falling-out over a proposed Howl’s Moving Castle adaptation, then left Madhouse to found Studio Chizu in 2011. This independence matters: his work carries the marks of someone building a visual language without the institutional weight of Japan’s established animation houses.

His films typically begin with a speculative premise—a time loop, a virtual world takeover, a woman raising wolf-human children—and use it to examine how households absorb disruption. In The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), a teenager discovers temporal displacement and uses it mostly to fix awkward social situations, until the mechanism itself becomes a source of loss. Summer Wars (2009) sends a math prodigy to a rural family reunion where a hacked global network threatens his future employer; the set pieces alternate between a digitized apocalypse and a grandmother rallying her scattered descendants through traditional competence. The film became his biggest domestic hit, though its actual insight about online infrastructure aging poorly gives it an unintentional period quality now.

Wolf Children (2012) remains his most fully realized work. The central conceit—a widow raising children who transform unpredictably—functions as a literalization of parental uncertainty that never collapses into allegory. Hosoda renders the children’s dual nature through mundane practical problems: school enrollment, medical records, a rural house that needs actual maintenance. The film’s attention to physical labor distinguishes it from more ethereal treatments of transformation.

The Boy and the Beast (2015) returns to surrogate parenthood with less discipline, though its depiction of a parallel Tokyo populated by anthropomorphic deities demonstrates his continuing interest in architectural space. Mirai (2018) condenses his themes into domestic scale: a four-year-old’s jealousy of his newborn sister generates temporal intrusions that remain ambiguous in origin, possibly imaginary, possibly not. The Academy nomination it received drew overdue attention to his work outside Japan, though the film itself sacrifices narrative clarity for emotional beats.

Bell (2021) revisited virtual spaces with explicit reference to Beauty and the Beast, this time concerned with how online identity enables both performance and genuine connection. The film’s release during pandemic conditions gave its imagery of physically separated people finding intimacy through screens an unplanned resonance.

Hosoda’s animation tends toward rounded, physically plausible figures rather than the more stylized conventions of television anime. His action sequences emphasize weight and momentum; his quiet scenes hold on faces longer than genre pacing typically permits. The Miyazaki comparisons he receives reflect less his actual aesthetic—he lacks Miyazaki’s ecological mysticism and appetite for mechanical detail—than the scarcity of Japanese animators who secure theatrical distribution abroad while treating children asthinking, feeling agents rather than marketing demographics.

His limitations are real. His female protagonists often exist in relation to maternal or romantic obligation; his technology narratives date quickly; his screenplays can resolve through emotional assertion rather than earned development. But within contemporary animation, his commitment to family as a subject rather than a backdrop remains distinctive.