JE 1

Although it hasn’t been that long since its first U.S. retail outlet opened, French gourmet food supplier Fauchon has had a presence in Japan since the early 1970s. The company is best known here for its line of high quality teas, but they also offer pastries to well-heeled shoppers with a sweet tooth in the dessert section of a number of upscale department stores.

After so many years of success in Japan, Fauchon has decided to tip its hat to the country by releasing a line of éclairs with decorations and ingredients inspired by Japanese culture.

A total of six different types of éclairs will be available, each for a limited time. Kicking off the series is Éclair Primrose, in honor of the Hinamatsuri, or Doll Festival, held in Japan each March, with a pink and green color pattern that evokes the holiday’s feminine decorations and a peach cream filling.

March 5 sees the rollout of the sakura éclair, modeled after Japan’s iconic cherry blossoms, which will be here roughly as long as their real life counterparts, with April 8 your last chance to buy one.

JE 3

March 29 sees the kabuki éclair take center stage, featuring a design that calls to mind the traditional striped curtain used at theaters for Japan’s representative performing art. The kabuki éclair’s sophisticated filling is a mixture of green tea and citrus yuzu creams, and the confectionary will be on sale until May 13.

Two varieties of koinobori éclairs, patterned after the carp streamers flown to celebrate Children’s Day, can be purchased between April 9 and May 6. Starting May 7, Fauchon will be selling its matcha green tea éclair, and for the finale, on July 2, the French company will release an éclair decorated in the manner of famed woodblock artist Katsushika Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa.

JE 2

The limited-time pastries, collectively called the Homage to Japan, range in price from 468 yen (US $4.50) to 540 yen ($5.32). In the Tokyo area, Fauchon operates retail outlets in the Takashimaya department stores branches in Nihonbashi, Shinjuku, and Yokohama.

Sources: Entabe, Nicheee!
Top image: Entabe
Insert images: Blogspot, Wikipedia