Taking a look around these mugs is like taking a mini trip around Japan.
It’s not like we’re exactly hurting for excuses to visit Starbucks in Japan, what with their amazing rotating lineup of hojicha roasted tea and matcha green tea drinks and desserts. Still, we now find ourselves with one more reason to go come October.
Starbucks’ You Are Here Collection of coffee cups features simple but elegant artwork of local landmarks. While it’s been available in the U.S. and Canada for some time it’s only now making its way to Japan, in the form of a full-sized mug and compact demitasse espresso cup.
Most prominently featured on the You Are Here Japan design is Mt. Fuji, the nation’s tallest mountain, with a red sun (like the one on the Japanese flag) poking out from behind the peak. There’s also a trio of cherry blossoms and one of Japan’s famous hot spring-bathing monkeys on the half of the mugs seen in the promotional photo released by Starbucks. The company promises that on the backside we’ll find bonsai, sushi, ramen, a daruma wishing doll, and even a castle, making a rotation around the mug feel like a whirlwind cultural tour.
While this isn’t Starbucks first time to release Japan-exclusive drinking vessels, thankfully these won’t be quite as comlicated to get your hands on as the tumbler that was only sold at Haneda Airport or the bottle which could only be bought onboard flights operated by airline ANA. The You Are Here Japan design will be available for purchase at Starbucks locations across Japan starting October 2, with the full-size mug priced at 1,800 yen (US$16) and the demitasse cup (which comes with a string just in case you’d like to hang it up in your home as a decoration) costing 1,200 yen. Given Starbucks’ immense popularity in Japan, though, you’ll probably want to pick yours up as soon as possible.
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