Shibuya restaurant is ready to give customers as big a smile as the rising anime director’s feel-good movies.
Since 2006, anime director Mamoru Hosoda has taken three years between theatrical projects. If this pattern holds up, since Hosoda’s The Boy and the Beast was released in 2015, we’ve still got two years to go before his next, as-yet unannounced film graces theaters.
However, Hosoda is back in the spotlight this summer, as it marks the 10-year anniversary of his breakout hit The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. So to celebrate, The Guest Cafe and Diner, part of the Shibuya, Tokyo branch of Japanese department store Parco, will be serving as the location of a Girl Who Leapt Through Time cafe
But while Tokikake (the nickname for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, coming from its Japanese title Toki wo Kakeru Shojo) gets top billing, the cafe’s food and drink are inspired by all four of Hosoda’s most recent anime, which means there are also menu items saluting Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and The Boy and the Beast.
Let’s take a look at what’s on offer. For Wolf Children, there’s the Ame and Yuki Cute Ice Tea Latte (680 yen [US$6.20])…
…Snowy Mountain Shaved Ice (1,180 yen), which comes with vanilla and strawberry ice cream, annin tofu, and mixed fruit…
…and Hana’s home-style yakitori with potato salad made with Old Man Nirasaki’s potatoes (1,380 yen).
Summer Wars is represented by the Kari Kenji and King Kazuma burger plate (1,480 yen)…
…Grannie Sakae’s Japanese-style cake set (1,280 yen)…
…and Kari Kenji mango smoothie (1,080 yen), flavored with mint, grape, and pear.
Fans of The Boy and the Beast will want to check out the rice and ham omelet made just like Kyuta’s mom used to (1,380 yen)…
…watermelon juice made with the remnants of Kyuta and Kumatetsu’s martial arts training (980 yen)…
…and fruit parfait that Jiromaru enjoyed in the Jutengai marketplace (1,180 yen).
And finally, because it couldn’t be a Girl Who Leapt Through Time cafe without some Girl Who Leapt Through Time fare, there’s the purin a la mode that Makoto snacks on (1,380 yen)…
…Time Leap caffe latte (680 yen)…
…and chilled pasta made with tomatoes and peaches, like the ones carried in Makoto’s bicycle basket.
As is becoming the norm for anime-themed cafes, a number of the menu items come with coasters bearing illustrations from Hosoda’s works, and the restaurant’s interior will be likewise decorated with scenes evocative of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
Attached to the cafe will be a gift shop selling a variety of related merchandise such as key chains, drinking glasses, handkerchiefs, clear files, and even a handheld blackboard.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Cafe will be open from July 7 to August 7.
Restaurant information
Restaurant information
The Guest Cafe & Diner
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Uchidagawa 15-1 Shibuya PARCO Part 1, 7th floor
東京都渋谷区宇田川15-1渋谷パルコ パート1・7F
Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Website
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Source: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Cafe press release
Images: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Cafe press release (edited by RocketNews24)