Pop-up Theme Cafes in Japan, 2023

Here’s a list of temporary, pop-up theme cafes in Tokyo and around Japan in 2023. As well as permanent themed restaurants, there are lots of limited time, collaboration cafes with popular characters, movies and games. They’re usually announced near the time of opening, so check back to see what’s new.

Making a reservation is highly recommended, because they’re very popular!

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Kuromi Cafe: Winter Party

Tokyo: Box Cafe & Space, Shinjuku (inside Lumine Est department store)
14th December 2023 – 12th February 2024

A winter theme cafe starring Sanrio character Kuromi (who’s everywhere in Japan lately!). The food’s super kawaii and very themed, with a burger, stew and various desserts including mont blanc and muffins with Kuromi ears or colouring. Very impressed with the theming of the food at this cafe! There’s lots of cute, pastel-coloured Kuromi merchandise too.

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Dragon Quest Monsters 3 at Square Enix Cafe

Tokyo: Square Enix Cafe (Akihabara)
2nd December 2023 – 12th January 2024

To celebrate the release of Dragon Quest Monsters 3, there’s a theme cafe at the Square Enix Cafe in Akihabara. There are several dishes and themed drinks featuring cut-outs of the characters, plus special merchandise and gifts.

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IDOLM@STER Pop-up Cafe

Tokyo: Animate Cafe, Ikebukuro
25th December 2023 – 23rd January 2024

Osaka: Animate Cafe, Tennoji
25th December 2023 – 23rd January 2024

Nagoya: Animate Cafe
25th December 2023 – 23rd January 2024

A pop-up theme cafe at AniCafe, the cafe inside Animate stores, featuring characters from the mobile game Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls, dressed in Chinese style outfits. There’s a cute steamed bun on the menu that looks like an apple, plus lots of colourful drinks, and fried rice with a cat face (sorry, I don’t know the characters in this game! But I can appreciate the cuteness..!).

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BT21 Cafe

Tokyo: Box Cafe & Space – inside MyLord department store in Shinjuku
14th December 2023 – 4th February 2024

Osaka: Kawara Cafe & Dining, Shinsaibashi
14th December 2023 – 21st January 2024

Featuring the cute BT21 characters, this theme cafe is based on the theme of MANG’s hometown “The Dotohee Village”. The dishes are really well themed, with colourful rice and burgers shaped like the characters.

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Chikawa Restaurant

Tokyo: The Guest, Cafe & Diner, Ikebukuro Parco, 7F
16th November 2023 – 13th February 2024

Chiikawa is a kawaii character originally from an online manga, now made into an anime. There are so many cute dishes featuring Chikawa at this pop-up cafe, with the theme of a family restaurant. And as it’s held over Christmas time, there’s even a festive parfait with a Christmas tree, strawberries and a present.

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Rilakkuma Glamping Cafe

Tokyo: Kawara Cafe & Kitchen, Kichijoji Parco
3rd November – 3rd December 2023

Rilakkuma’s celebrating their 20th anniversary, so expect to see a lot of them at the moment! They’re holding a collaboration cafe in Kichijoji (walkable from the Studio Ghibli museum in Tokyo) with super-cute dishes. There are two plans, with different numbers of courses included. The pop-up cafe is divided into two time periods, until 18th November and then 19th November onwards, with different small gifts for each menu item you order. You also get a code to enter an online lottery (like an ichibankuji) with surprise gifts for 880 yen, that you can enter as many times as you want to. Reservations are open from 14th October 2023.

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Tom and Jerry Diner

Tokyo: Rayard Miyashita Park, Shibuya
1st November 2023 – 12th May 2024

A pop-up theme cafe starring Tom and Jerry, the cartoon cat and mouse. While the cafe itself isn’t all that themed, the dishes are very creative, including cheese stew with rice shaped like Jerry, sandwich towers with the characters hiding inside and a cheesecake that looks just like a wedge of Jerry’s favourite holey cheese! There’s also a shop with lots of merchandise. Reservations open on 20th October 2023.

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Chip and Dale & Donald Duck Cafe

Tokyo: Oh My Cafe, Omotesando
17th November 2023 – 2nd January 2024

Osaka: Collabo Index, Shinsaibashi
22nd December 2023 – 28th January 2024

Oh My Cafe always hosts Disney themed cafes. This time it’s Chip and Dale, together with Donald Duck. The theme is slightly retro, with comic book styling and muted colours. As always at Oh My Cafe, the menu’s supposed to be slightly healthy. There’s very cute “hide and seek” curry with chipmunk butts, and of course, special merchandise with these chaotic characters.

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Livly Island x Sanrio Characters Cafe

Sweets Paradise (various stores):

Tokyo: Shinjuku East store
Until 10th December 2023　

Osaka: Tennoji store
Nagoya: Parco store
Kawasaki: Dice store
Hyogo: Crefi Sannomiya store
Now finished

Hiroshima: Parco store
18th December 2023 – 8th January 2024

Kyoto: Shijo Kawaramachi store
9th – 25th January 2024

All our favourite Sanrio characters are here, including Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi and Hello Kitty herself, together with cute characters from the Livly Island mobile dress-up game. Sweets Paradise is a chain of dessert buffet restaurants in Japan. To get the special themed dishes, you need to order from the collaboration menu (they’re not included in the buffet). There are some very cute dishes, including a burger in a blue elephant bun and a sleepy Pompompurin omurice.

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My Hero Academia at Tower Records Cafe

Tokyo: Tower Records, Shibuya
5th January – 4th February 2024

Tokyo: Tower Records, Omotesando
17th – 29th January 2024

Nagoya: Tower Records
5th January – 4th February 2024

Osaka: Tower Records, Umeda
5th January – 4th February 2024

Osaka: Tower Records, Osaka Station City
17th – 29th January 2024

Fukuoka: Tower Records
Dates TBA

So far they’ve only announced the limited edition merchandise, but there’ll be a My Hero Academia pop-up cafe at six Tower Records stores across Japan, in their in-store cafe. In the artwork, the characters are dressed as waiters at a cafe!

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Koupen-chan Cafe

Tokyo: MG Cafe, 8th Floor of Matsuya Ginza
15th – 29th December 2023

Koupenchan is a super cute penguin character. As well as a temporary theme cafe, there’ll be an exhibition of character artwork. There are sweet and savoury dishes, including kawaii star-shaped cakes.

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Little Twin Stars × DOLLY MIX

Tokyo: Sanrio Characters Garden Cafe, Ueno
1st – 25th December 2023

The perfect collaboration – these go together so well! Sanrio Characters Garden Cafe is a permanent theme cafe in Ueno featuring Hello Kitty and friends, with a garden/floral theme. There’s a special menu this December, featuring ultra kawaii Little Twin Stars and Dolly Mix, to celebrate Little Twin Stars’ birthday. Special merchandise is also available from Thank You Mart.

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Rilakumma x Spa LaQua

Tokyo: Spa LaQua (at Tokyo Dome)
25th October – 25th December 2023

Spa LaQua is a newly-renovated hot spring bath complex at Tokyo Dome, with lots of different bath and spa areas to relax in. Both Rilakkuma and Spa LaQua are celebrating their 20th anniversaries, so they’re celebrating together! As well as special merchandise and decorations, plushies and photospots around the facilities, there are special Rilakkuma menu items at the various cafes and restaurants. They’re so kawaii, including chocolate Rilakkuma, a pudding mocktail like Rilakkuma in the bath, bear-shaped bibimbap and pudding cake printed with Rilakkuma on top. The name “Rilakkuma” means “relax bear”, so the collaboration makes perfect sense!

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Shaun the Sheep

Tokyo: Kimpton Shinjuku Hotel (The Jones Cafe & Bar, 1F)
Until 31st January 2024

A special menu at the Kimpton Shinjuku Hotel, to celebrate the release of the new Shaun the Sheep movie. There are only two dishes – both desserts – but they’re really cute and excellently themed. There’s a cookies and cream croffle with Shaun made out of cream, and a soft ice cream dessert with Baby Shaun.

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Keiko Sena Picture Book Cafe

Sunday Brunch, Kichijoji (Tokyo)
15th September 2023 – 9th January 2024

Keiko Sena is a Japanese picture book author. Even if you don’t know the books, this cafe’s really fun and cute! The dishes are really well themed – I just love the ghosts on the parfait, mocha and hashed beef, and the adorably angry pink bear on the spaghetti. There’s also a curry in the shape of a carrot!

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Miffy at Huis Ten Bosch

Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki
Until 14th March 2024

Huis Ten Bosch is a theme park in Nagasaki with the theme of the Netherlands. Given that Miffy’s from the Netherlands, it makes sense that it’s the venue for a number of Miffy pop-ups, including a themed cafe (Cafe Nijntje). There’s also a Miffy themed hotel room at the theme park’s hotel, a shop and special merchandise.

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Sumikko Gurashi Movie Cafe

Tokyo: BOX cafe & space, Tokyo Solamachi (the mall at the SkyTree)
2nd November 2023 – 8th January 2024

Osaka: BOX cafe & space, Umeda Loft store
16th November – 17th December 2023

Nagoya: BOX cafe & space, Nagoya Lasik 2nd store
21st December 2023 – 4th February 2024

This theme cafe celebrates the release of the third Summiko Gurashi animated movie: “The Mysterious Girl of the Tsugihagi Factory”. The theme of the cafe is “Mysterious Encounters at the Tsugihagi Factory”. Everything to do with Sumikko Gurashi is always super-kawaii and adorable, and this cafe is no exception! There are lots of cute dishes featuring the characters, or their faces on food, plus high quality colour printed lattes. My favourites from the menu are the lizard kaiju cake and Penguin? robot parfait.

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Love Live 10th Anniversary Cafe

Tokyo: GiGO arcade (building 3), Akihabara
11th November 2023 – 8th January 2024

Love Live, the popular anime about a school girl idol group, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a theme cafe at a games arcade in Akihabara, featuring characters from season 1. It’s the perfect place! There are cute dishes and drinks for each of the characters, but the most important part is the special merchandise, and birthday cards for some of the characters.

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Disney Wonder Movie Cafe

BOX Cafe & Space, Omotesando Hills, Tokyo (near Harajuku)
27th September – 17th December 2023

The Wonder Movie Cafe celebrates Disney’s 100th anniversary. It’s gone through several phases with different themes, and now it’s time for the third and final phase: “Final Frame”. The theme is: Disney, plus cinema, plus memorable scenes from Disney animated movies. The menu features cinema-inspired dishes including popcorn and cinema hotdogs, plus “cinema milk soup” (pictured below – I don’t know what that is either, but it looks like it’s sweet!).

On 18th November, an additional month-long celebration will begin for Mickey Mouse’s birthday, with special dishes and merchandise.

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Hanamaru Obake Cafe

Tokyo: Box Cafe & Space, Matsumoto Kiyoshu Ikebukuro Part 2 store, Ikebukuro
17th November – 17th December 2023

Earlier this year, Sanrio held a campaign called “Next Kawaii Project” to find which of their new characters would be most popular. This cafe celebrates the winner: Hanamaru Obake (obake = ghost). There’s fluffy ghost rice with omurice or spooky blue curry, a ghostly mousse and lots more – it’s very kawaii.

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Hello Kitty and Little Twin Stars

Tokyo: Keio Plaza Hachioji (45 min train from Shinjuku)
1st November 2023 – 31st January 2024

This dreamy and kawaii dessert buffet features Sanrio characters Hello Kitty together with Little Twin Stars Kiki and Lala. It’s called “Hello Kitty Kiki & Lala’s Sparkling Yumekawa Buffet Party”. There are lots of high quality, pastel rainbow coloured desserts, plus a few savoury dishes including Hello Kitty inari sushi. As well as regular tables, there’s a special seat where you can dine with a giant plush Hello Kitty (only 3 tables per day).

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Pokemon Menu at Pronto

Pronto (all around Japan)
12th October – 10th December 2023

Not so much a theme cafe – but a special menu with themed Pokemon items and special merchandise on sale. Pronto is a chain cafe with branches all around Japan, which transforms into a bar in the evening. They’ll have a special menu to commemorate the release of the new Detective Pikachu game on Switch. There are some delicious-looking drinks: sweet potato marron latte and crackling electric orange tea, and coffee featuring Detective Pikachu. There are also several dishes featuring Pikachu and friends – the best one is a sweet potato nut pancake featuring Pikachu and Mimikyu. You get a special card for each drink you order, and an acrylic keyring for each food item.

Five flagship Pronto stores will also have special Pokemon decorations:

• PRONTO New Chitose Airport store
• PRONTO Akihabara North Exit store
• PRONTO Ginza Corridor store
• PRONTO Umeda Rakutenchi Building store
• PRONTO Fukuoka Shintencho store

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Attack on Titan x DISH UP

Tokyo: Dish Up, Shinjuku (Marui Annex, 8F)
12th December 2023 – 30th January 2024

To celebrate the conclusion of the anime Attack on Titan, there’s a collaboration cafe at Dish Up in Shinjuku. The dishes feature blue flowers and other motifs from the anime.

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Winnie the Pooh: Funny & Hunny

Oh My Cafe, Tokyo (in Tokyu Plaza Omotesando mall in Harajuku)
Now finished

Oh My Cafe, Osaka
9th November – 10th December 2023

Oh My Cafe always hosts official Disney theme cafes. Their next theme is called “Funny and Hunny”, which is Winnie the Pooh themed! As always at Oh My Cafe, the inside of the cafe is decorated and the meals are excellent. The food’s supposed to be healthy (low salt and low carb). There’s a frozen yoghurt honey pot, pizza toast, soy meat taco rice (contains chicken extract), a salad plate, burger and savoury crepe. Everything looks colourful and also adorable, with Winnie the Pooh faces.

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Attack on Titan Cafe

Tokyo: Smile Base Cafe, Ikebukuro
9th – 30th December 2023

Osaka: Smile Base Cafe, Shinasaibashi
28th November – 12th December 2023

Nagoya: Smile Base Cafe, Sakae
28th November – 12th December 2023

Commemorating the final season of Attack on Titan, there’s a pop-up theme cafe at Smile Base Cafe in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. The dishes aren’t all that themed, but there’s special merchandise featuring the characters.

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Hachiko Afternoon Tea

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu, Tokyo
Until 31st December 2023

To celebrate Hachiko’s 100th anniversary, there’s a themed afternoon tea in Shibuya! Hachiko is the famous dog statue in Shibuya. It’s based on a real dog who used to wait outside the station while his owner went to work at the university. When the owner passed away, the dog continued to sit outside the station, faithfully waiting for him to come home. It’s a touching and heartwarming story. In 2023, Hachiko celebrates their 100th anniversary. What better way to commemorate it than a cute afternoon tea! Rather than a completely themed restaurant, this is just a themed menu in the hotel’s Estacion Cafe. There are also takeaway items and Hachiko merchandise. The cafe’s on the 5th floor of the hotel and has views of Shibuya Crossing! I stayed there earlier this year – here’s my hotel room tour!

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Icoca Theme Cafe

Osaka: Deli Cafe, Osaka North
Until 25th January 2024

Icoca is the local IC card for Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, for paying for your trains (basically the same as a Suica card, with exactly the same functionality). It’s the 20th anniversary of Icoca, so there’s a pop-up theme cafe to celebrate, featuring Icoca’s blue platypus mascot Ico-chan.

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Chiikawa at the Tokyo SkyTree

Tokyo SkyTree
17th October 2023 – 16th January 2024

This isn’t just a theme cafe – it’s a whole pop-up event/takeover at the Tokyo SkyTree, starring Chiikawa, the popular and super-kawaii (mouse?) character. All around the observation deck there are spots to take photos with Chiikawa cut-outs and displays, as well as decorations, gachapon, a stamp rally, and special frames for your official commemorative photo. There’ll also be seasonal photospots for Halloween, Christmas and New Year. And of course, the cafe at the SkyTree will have special themed dishes. There’s omurice with star-shaped rice, colourful pudding parfait and special fruit soda floats. There’s limited edition merchandise featuring Chiikawa and the SkyTree, and the SkyTree will have special lighting inspired by the characters.

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Sound! Euphonium x Keihan Railway Cafe

Hotel Keihan Kyoto Grande, Octavia restaurant on 2F (Kyoto)
8th September – 10th December 2023

A collaboration between music anime Sound! Euphonium, about a girls’ brass band, and Keihan Railway. There’ll be a theme cafe at the hotel owned by the railway. The dishes aren’t very themed, but there’s lots more to this collaboration: displays of the characters at select stations (including Uji, which is where the anime is set), a special train ticket, a digital stamp rally where you collect stamps on your phone to get an AR photo frame and decorated train carriages (schedule available on the official website).

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My Hero Academia at Sweets Paradise

Tokyo: Sweets Paradise, Shinjuku East
11th December 2023 – 21st January 2024

Yokohama: Sweets Paradise, Vivre store
11th December 2023 – 8th January 2024

Saitama: Sweets Paradise, Marui Omiya
11th December 2023 – 8th January 2024

Kyoto: Sweets Paradise, Shijo Kawaramachi
11th December 2023 – 8th January 2024

Osaka: Sweets Paradise, Umeda
January 9, 2024 to 31st January 2024

Hiroshima: Sweets Paradise, Parco
January 9, 2024 to 31st January 2024

Chiba: Sweets Paradise, LaLaport Tokyo Bay
15th – 31st January 2024

Sweets Paradise is a chain of dessert buffet restaurants around Japan. For a limited time, they’re collaborating with My Hero Academia at seven of their stores, with cute, chibi versions of the characters. Usually at Sweets Paradise, collaborations take the form of a special menu that’s separate from the regular buffet.

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More About What’s New in Tokyo

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All images are from the official cafe websites.