The tie-in cafe to a Hokusai exhibition at the Creative Museum Tokyo will feature a menu that pays homage to the beloved artist’s famous works.

Celebrated Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is still incredibly relevant today, garnering plenty of new fans of his timeless woodblock prints and more with ease. The latest Japanese exhibition paying homage to his works, “Everything was the Work of Hokusai” Exhibition (also being called “Hokusai: The Artist Mad About Painting” in English), will run at the Creative Museum Tokyo in Tokyo’s Kyobashi district from September 13 through November 30. Over 400 works will be on display, including 16 drawings being shown to the public for the first time. The exhibition is largely thanks to one Mitsuru Uragami, the world’s foremost collector of a series called Hokusai’s Manga (in this earlier context, “manga” refers to sketches, informal drawings, and even drawing manuals by the artist).

Adjacent to the museum space will be a Hokusai-themed cafe with an original menu that complements the exhibition. If you’ve ever wondered what Hokusai’s works of art would have looked like if his media of choice were food, then this is the perfect gastronomic gallery for you.

● Main dishes

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa Soba (1,690 yen/US$11.48)

Hokusai’s most famous woodblock print is reimagined as soba in a shellfish broth with a mini Mt. Fuji made of grated daikon and a kakiage (vegetable and seafood tempura) boat as accents.

Hokusai Blue Omuraisu (1,890 yen)

While this dish doesn’t use the typical ketchup found in the Western-influenced Japanese dish omuraisu, the rice-filled omelet dyed in the vividly blue color beloved by Hokusai still has a nostalgic taste.

Hokusai’s Doing Burger (1,990 yen)

This codfish burger accompanied by fries makes use of striking lines resembling manga.

Geometric Pattern Rib Chirashi (rice with mixed toppings) (2,290 yen)

Rice topped with a mix of eel, shrimp, cucumbers, dried gourd strips, cheese, and tomatoes results in a flavorful combination. The lattice of nori on top also makes the dish reminiscent of a woodblock print.

Edo Spice Curry (1,890 yen)

This multicolored keema curry dish includes mackerel, dried bonito slices, and plenty of vegetables. Its overall golden hue is achieved using turmeric.

● Desserts

Colorful Daifuku Comical Faces Set (1,980 yen)

Six daifuku (mochi dumplings with a sweet filling) in a variety of flavors are sure to delight when paired together with small paper illustrations of humorous faces from the Hokusai Manga.

▼ Flavors (clockwise, from upper left): Pear, cherry tomato, grape, fig, persimmon, mikan

Colorful Daifuku (660 yen)

For those with not as much room left over for dessert, you can also order only two of the above daifuku of your choice.

Portrait of a Beautiful Woman Parfait (1,390 yen)

This parfait is composed of layers of black tea-flavored gelatin, peach, matcha castella cake, and raspberry ice cream, all topped with a small paper illustration of one of Hokusai’s woodblock print beauties.

Fuji at Sea Crepe (890 yen)

Let your imagination soar above the seas with this vibrant crepe topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a pink mitarashi glaze made using clear soy sauce.

● Drinks

Fuji Cream Soda (1,190 yen)

Enjoy a refreshing indigo-blue cream soda with vanilla ice cream in a mountain-shaped glass. It’s also paired with two small wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) designed to look like wave crests.

Yuzu Sunflower Iced Tea (990 yen)

Yuzu-infused genmaicha, a green tea flavored with roasted rice, forms the basis of this drink. It’s topped with amazake (a sweet, fermented rice drink)-flavored sorbet sprinkled with sunflower seeds.

Hokusai Matcha Latte (Hot) (990 yen)

A classic matcha hot latte (no added sugar) comes topped with a Hokusai design that’s randomly selected from three patterns.

In addition, if you order one of the above food or dessert items along with a drink, you’ll receive a washi (Japanese paper)-stylized sticker of a Hokusai artwork. If you order one of the three special sets listed below, you’ll receive two stickers.

Special sets:
● Hokusai ~Wave~: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa Soba & Colorful Daifuku (2 pieces) & Fuji Cream Soda
● Hokusai ~Indigo~: Hokusai Blue Omuraisu & Fuji at Sea Crepe & Fuji Cream Soda
● Ambassador Set: Geometric pattern rib chirashi & Colorful Daifuku (2 pieces) & Yuzu Sunflower Iced Tea

▼ Available stickers

While the Hokusai exhibition and cafe will only last for a little over two months at the Creative Museum Tokyo, you can enjoy–and even wear–Hokusai’s art for years to come in many other ways as well.

Cafe information
Everything was the Work of Hokusai Exhibition / HOKUSAI － ぜんぶ、北斎のしわざでした。展
Address: Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Kyobashi 1-7-1 Toda Building 6th floor, Creative Museum Tokyo
東京都中央区京橋 1-7-1 TODA BUILDING 6F, Creative Museum Tokyo
Duration: September 13-November 30
Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (Sunday-Thursday), 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (Friday-Saturday)
Website

Source, images: PR Times
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