”You’re a Japanese cafe, Harry.”
We’ve seen several themed cafes in Japan for the country’s home-grown anime and video game characters, but the latest franchise to get such treatment is Harry Potter, whose magical school stories fit right in with Japanese entertainment tastes.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s first film adaptation, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, two Harry Potter Cafes will be opening in Japan, one in Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku neighborhood, and the other in Nagoya’s otaku-friendly Sakae district. The menu, naturally, is filled with food and drink inspired by the Harry Potter franchise as well as its spinoff series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
There’s plenty of house loyalty on display, with each of Hogwarts’ four student groupings getting its own bento boxed lunch sandwich, plus a side soup.
▼ The Gryffindor bento looks to have a few sections of cream strawberry, in keeping with Japan’s love of fruit sandwiches.
▼ Bento for Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff
Each boxed lunch is priced at 1,800 yen (US$16), but for an additional 1,000 yen, you can also take your house’s corresponding bento box home with you.
Among the desserts, the most opulent option is the Golden Snitch Parfait…
…and for drinks it’s hard to beat the visual impact of the bubbling smoothies of the four houses.
▼ The smoothies are also available for takeout.
Other menu items include the stately shepherd’s pie with Hogwarts crest…
…Owl Post Snack Platter…
…Herbology Class Salad…
…and recreation of the charmingly misspelled birthday cake Hagrid made for Harry.
On the Fantastic Beasts side, there’s a Magical Suitcase Cake and Niffler Orange Tart…
…and finally, if you’re looking for something a little more mature-tasting to wash down all that sweetness, you can order a Hogwarts Express Caffe Latte.
As is often the case with character cafes in Japan, reservations are required, and carry a 650-yen per-person seating fee, though that does also get you a multi-use case bearing the likeness of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Severus, or Dumbledore.
The Tokyo Harry Potter Cafe will be open from July 22 to September 12, while the Nagoya version’s dates are from July 23 to August 22. Reservations can be made through the official website here.
Cafe information
Harry Potter Cafe Tokyo
Venue: Omotesando Box Cafe & Space
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 5-13-2, Pine Under Flat basement level 1
東京都渋谷区神宮前5-13-2 パインアンダーフラットB1F
Website
Harry Potter Cafe Nagoya
Venue: Nagoya Box Cafe & Space B
Address: Aichi0ken, Nagoya-shi, Naka-ku, Sakae 3-6-1, Lachic basement level 1
愛知県名古屋市中区栄3-6-1 ラシック地下1階
Website
Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Happy Potter Cafe official website
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