Moomin Cafe in Tokyo

Last month I visited the Moomin Bakery & Cafe in Tokyo! The Moomin family of characters are originally from Finland, and they’ve practically been adopted by Japan because they’re quaintly adorable fairy tale creatures.

There are two branches of the cafe within Tokyo (plus one in Fukuoka) and they’re all Moomin-centric with a themed menu and decorations.

Moomin is parked outside the cafe to welcome in guests(By the way, I went to the Tokyo Dome branch)

The interior space has a homely feel, kind of like being in the real Moominhouse in a dreamy valley. A while ago the Moomin cafe became popular as the anti-loneliness cafe; the staff brings you life-sized Moomin dolls to keep you company while you eat.

Even if you don’t have a lunch parter, no problem! In fact I think it might even be more fun to go on your own just to have some one-on-one time with the Moomins. Although the one in this picture is Stinky, a weirdly cute black hairball.

Here’s my lunch partnerI’d asked the staff if I could choose a character, and she kindly brought over Moominmamma (who was supposedly taking a break from running the cafe). The characters are rotated around the tables, so if you have a particular choice they’ll likely come to your table eventually.

Both solo and group diners get to enjoy the characters’ companyThat day I went with my mom and older brother.

Okay, so food

The lunch set includes all-you-can-eat bread, so you can help yourself at the side!

There was a big variety of different kinds of Finnish bread, and they’re all cut up in bite sizes so you won’t be full before even getting to the main meal

This is the chilled latte that comes with Moomin’s face on it! It was a Wednesday, which is the day when female diners get a special discount for drinks—although this was for my brother (the only coffee drinker at the table).

For my main dish I had the Moomin rice plate! (As broken down above) It was a pretty standard curry and rice, but there were pumpkin chunks and potatoes which made it so much better. Also, the soup was perfect to dip the bread in

This whole set (with the bread buffet and a free drink) cost ¥1,250, which was plenty worth it for the amount of food and general cuteness of eating a rice Moomin. I’ve experienced plenty times how detailed themed cafes in Japan are, and this one wasn’t an exception.

They have character-shaped pasta…

…and Moomin cutlery

Next to the cafe is the gift shop with lots of merchandise (you can buy the cutlery!) and the bakery, where there’s lots of fancy bread.

Little My bread with strawberry cream, and Moomin bread with custard cream.

Framboisier and chocolate bread, with the characters stencilled over the top.

And this was some soft cream bread with different flavours like cream cheese and chocolate!

There’re a lot of surprises at the Moomin Cafe & Bakery.

Goodbye, teenage me!

The picture is kind of inaccurate. My birthday was two days ago. Yes, I turned a year olderNow I’m 20 years old and probably obliged to act a little more grown up. Before this I’d always objected to the reality that I wouldn’t be a teenager anymore, but now that I’ve actually crossed the point of no return I just feel the same

I’m still a girl who loves cute things, hunts for My Melody and Moomin cafes in Japan, takes too many pictures of food, and gets stuffed toys for birthday gifts.

Mostly because I asked my dad for it(It’s a collaboration item between Rascal the raccoon and Nameko the mushroom)

My dad had to go back to his workplace overseas, so we celebrated a bit earlier before he left. The cake on top was a gift for him so we ate it for my birthday! What great timing. It was fancy too, a yuzu cream sponge cake with white chocolate flowers and almond sable

On the day itself, my mom and my brother took me out for lunch at a family buffet restaurant. Naturally I had a field day with the dessert table, and half my lunch ended up being cakes. But it’s my birthday and I’ll eat as many cakes as I want today!

…is what I said but I’m still finishing off the leftover yuzu cake in the fridge. I’m just going to take it as my birthweek and treat myself for a bit longer

Kiki & Lala x My Melody Cafe in Shibuya

Once you’ve gone to Japan, you never go back to eating food that is not made to look like some animal or cute character.

 

Yes. Just like thisThis is Lala, one half of the Little Twin Stars, Sanrio’s third most popular characters, and she was turned into a curry and put on my table.

Last week I visited the Kiki & Lala ♡ My Melody 40th Anniversary Cafe, which is open for a limited time at The Guest Cafe and Diner at Shibuya! The pop-up cafe is entirely based on a collaboration between the Little Twin Stars and My Melody, so the menu and shop decoration is full of nothing but fluff and cuteness.

This is what the cafe looks like, with big pink posters and happy music bringing crowds of girls to the shop. You can’t see it here, but there’s a photo booth for you to take a commemorative picture with props too

 During the lunchtime period there was a long queue, but everyone seemed happy to just look at the menu with all its mind-bogglingly cute dishes and mull over what to order. (Pink My Melody curry or Little Twin Stars sushi?! It’s okay there’s still an hour to decide)

The place mat was so adorable I took it home with me instead of using itIt was free and I was probably going to spill sauce on it anyway.

I had a strawberry milk with My Melody on itThe cream on top tasted like pudding, and below it there were juicy strawberry bits in the milk.

This was my mom’s vegetable plate with 20 different ingredients in it! I liked how they can have a more health-conscious option that’s still just as dolled up as the rest of the cafe.

The carrots were heart-shaped, and the cauliflowers were pink. (Dyed with natural colour, no less) So if you feel like eating something more sensible, the cafe still has something yummy for you

The characters aren’t only on the walls or in your food, they’re right there at the cafe too! When there isn’t a crowd they’ll just sit right there at the table across you and mingle with all the guests.

When I was there one of the guests was celebrating her birthday with her friends, so they got to take a special picture with the mascots and have the Happy Birthday song played just for her.

There was lots of other activity going on too, since it was the first day of opening. A few TV and web shows were there to catch the cafe experience on camera, so I could see lots of tasting and interviewing going on from where I was seated. And of course, everyone has to take pictures of their food

As usual themed cafes make sure you enjoy the (expensive) experience from start to finish. I’m not a big fan of these characters so I didn’t buy anything from the merchandise shop, but I liked having a browse

Anyway! I did get to take home a souvenir (besides the place mat I pinched). The curry rice I ordered came with a special pink Little Twin Stars x My Melody mug, which is way more than a good deal.

If you’re in Tokyo right now, trade places with me it’s definitely a good idea to try out this cafe!

Eating Totoro at Shirohige’s Cream Puff Shop

Today I’ll introduce more cute sweets in Japan!

Welcome to Shirohige’s Cream Puff Shop

This place is well-known for its popular Totoro-shaped cream puffs, but still in a quiet enough area to be a hidden gem of adorable themed sweets. Rather than a cafe or shop, it was more like a home with all its whimsical decorations and snug ambience.

And here is the cutest cream puff in the whole of Japan, and maybe the world too. There are several varieties of Totoros, each characterised by different decorations (like a summer hat or a cherry blossom). I chose the original Totoro with a green leaf on its head and custard and cream inside.

It was deliciousAll the cream puffs are handmade fresh at the cafe! The custard was thick and silky and a yummy companion to the flaky choux pastry. All that good stuff just oozed out when I poked through the crust with my fork.

It wasn’t just the food I fell in love with, but the cafe’s cosy setup that paid homage to the world of Totoro in every corner. If you looked carefully around the shop, you’d see lots of tiny Totoros and his friends

I have a big love for Ghibli films and characters, so I couldn’t get enough of this Totoro-fest of a cafe. But even if you’re not a fan of the characters, it’s still a wonderful cafe in the peaceful suburbs of Shimokitazawa with a completely charming vibe.

This is the address!

Shirohige no Shu Cream Factory Daita 5-3-1 Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

Either way, Totoro will be there to welcome you.