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New Cardcaptor Sakura Cafe opens in Tokyo, two other cities with themed food, drinks, and art

Casey Baseel Feb 5, 2018
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Kero-chan Caramel Milk and sakura-flavored cotton candy from Kyoto are among the anime-themed treats on offer.

Even though it was one of the most popular and influential anime of the 1990s, Cardcaptor Sakura isn’t content to simply cash in on nostalgia. In 2016, the 30th anniversary of the series’ original manga debut, a full-fledged sequel comic went into serialization, and last month was the debut of its anime continuation, the Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc.

And now, even with so many new things for fans to get excited about already, the franchise’s handlers are keeping the accelerator down with a new Cardcaptor Sakura Cafe that opens February 6 in three of Japan’s largest cities.

The restaurants are a collaboration with Tower Records, and operate as pop-ups in the Tower Record Cafes in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood, Osaka’s Umeda district, and Sapporo. In addition to interiors decorated with series artwork, each of the food and drink items on the menu has a connection to a character or artifact from the series, such as the Kero-chan Caramel Hot Milk which features latte art of Sakura’s winged crest and a marshmallow of familiar Kero-chan (while supplies last).

Sakura herself shows up in the Sakura’s Hanyaan Hotcakes, which reference the magical girl’s verbal tic.

▼ All of the cafe’s drinks are priced at 750 yen (US$6.70), its desserts at 1,100 yen, and its entrees at 1,400 yen.

Also on the dessert menu is the Spinel Sun Wagashi (Japanese sweets) Plate. With dorayaki sweet bean cakes, skewered dango dumplings, and ice cream with a Japanese-style glaze, it’s sure to satisfy diners with a sweet tooth as strong as the anime’s winged feline.

Thirsty patrons also have a pair of cold drink options: the Character Drink and the Release Unsealing Drink. Both are non-alcoholic cocktails with under-wraps ingredients, garnished with art of one of four characters or a magical Clow Card.

For entrees, you can choose between the Kinomoto Family Breakfast-Fujitaka Version, which looks to be ham and egg salad sandwich, soup, and mixed greens…

…or the Sakura in Full Bloom Syaoran Rice Omelet.

Surprisingly, one of the most intriguing items on the menu is also the only one that’s available for take-out: the 800-yen sakura mochi-flavored cotton candy, seasoned with salted cherry blossom leaves, crushed raspberry, and sakura-shaped dried apples and peach, made by Kyoto-based cotton candy specialist Jeremy & Jemimah.

▼ It’s also a rare instance of cotton candy being served in a box.

In keeping with the accepted operating procedure for themed cafes, ordering a drink gets you a special coaster adorned with the image of a character from the series. Order an entree or dessert, and you’ll receive a bookmark, and going all-in with an entree, dessert, and drink earns you a Clow Card sticker.

The Cardcaptor Sakura Cafes are scheduled to be in operation from February 6 to March 14. While the above drinks and pancakes are permanent fixtures of the menu, the entrees and other eat-in desserts will be swapped out for new as-yet-undisclosed replacements on February 23, at which point the cafes will also switch over to the coasters, bookmarks, and stickers shown below. Special Valentine’s Day events are also planned for February 10-14, and White Day festivities for March 10-14.

So while we here at SoraNews 24 (who’re always fans of anime-themed dining) would ordinarily sign off by saying that if you’re a Cardcaptor Sakura fan you should clear out a day in your schedule to eat at the cafe, you’ll really want to clear out two.

Restaurant information
Cardcaptor Sakura Cafe (Tokyo) / カードキャプターさくらカフェ（東京）
Venue: Tower Records Cafe (Shibuya) / タワーレコードカフェ（渋谷）
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jinnan 1-22-14, Tower Records Shibuya 2nd floor
東京都渋谷区神南1-22-14 タワーレコード渋谷店2F
Open 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
Website

Cardcaptor Sakura Cafe (Osaka) / カードキャプターさくらカフェ（大阪）
Venue: Tower Records Cafe (Umeda) / タワーレコードカフェ（梅田）
Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Kita-ku, Chayamachi 10-12, NU chayamachi 6大阪府大阪市北区茶屋町10-12 NU chayamachi 6F
Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website

Cardcaptor Sakura Cafe (Sapporo) / カードキャプターさくらカフェ（札幌）
Venue: Tower Records Cafe (Sapporo ) / タワーレコードカフェ（札幌）
Address: Hokkaido, Sapporo-shi, Chuo-ku, Minami 2 Nishi 4, Pivot 5th floor
北海道札幌市中央区南2条西4丁目ピヴォ5F
Open 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Website

Source: Tower Records via IT Media
Images: Tower Records

Follow Casey on Twitter as he continues his quest to eat as much anime-themed food as possible.