You know what I like? Japan. Oh, wait, you already knew that? Okay, you know what else I like? Coffee. Oh… you knew that too? Well, what if I told you this Japan Envy post combines both of those things into one unprecedentedly awesome Chic Pixel update?! That was obvious from the title?? Okay, moving on…

Catbus and mini Totoros! (source)

Believe it or not, I don’t think I ever witnessed the standard heart or leaf drawn in a fresh frothy coffee drink until I went to Japan for the first time. That may be because I went to Japan for the first time when I was 14 and can’t imagine that I even drank coffee before that, but let’s pretend I come from the wilds of Vermont where we’re under the constant threat of being attacked by bears and barely have time to pour a cup of joe, let alone draw hearts and flowers in it.

Tonberry! (source)

Recently, I’ve been seeing more and more amazing “latte art” popping up on the internet, and let me tell you, the vast majority of it comes from Japan. Just one more reason for me to be envious of the land of the rising sun, I suppose. The pictures posted above are by my current two favorite latte artists, and I highly suggest following them on Twitter and Instagram if you can, as they update with new creations every day.

The first fellow, George (real name Kazuki Yamamoto), doesn’t use any color, but he crafts some amazing pieces that actually utilize the foam in some pretty crazy ways. He also does famous people along with anime, manga, game, and some Disney characters, which isn’t as common in the latte art I’ve seen.

Sugi, on the other hand, does mostly anime and game characters with a few cute mascot characters and other designs thrown in. Unlike George, she actually uses color, which really makes her pieces stand out (all edible, too!). She has her own YouTube channel where she’s recently started uploading videos of her making some of her creations, and it’s really amazing to see how she makes them. Check out this amazing Card Captor Sakura one, which took 15 minutes for her to make:

Now, join me in drooling over these awesome designs: 

Cobra by Sugi

Goldeen by George

Little green man by George

Sailor Venus by Sugi

Such talent! Now I’m inspired to make latte art of my own… But I’d have to learn how to make a proper latte first! 

Have you ever heard of Gaspard and Lisa? The children’s book series chronicling two inseparable animal pals’ misadventures in Paris has taken Japan… and, well, maybe the rest of the world, by storm. In all honesty, I’d never heard of Gaspard and Lisa before going to Japan, but after becoming enamored with the adorable duo I saw plastered on everything from notebooks to aprons, I learned that they came from a children’s book series called The Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa by Anne Gutman. They’re popular enough in the west to have garnered an animated series that has been broadcasted worldwide, and, as with many cute, albiet random, children’s mascot characters, the duo almost appears to be more popular in Japan than they are in English-speaking countries! Granted, I can’t profess to really know how popular Gaspard and Lisa are internationally, but where can you expect to find a themed café in their honor?

Le Café de Gaspard et Lisa is located in Numazu City, Shizuoka prefecture, and as you can see from the little mountain depicted directly below the words “Gaspard et Lisa” in the logo above, Mt. Fuji is visible in Numazu on clear days (other interesting, but useless, Numazu tidbit: the city produces more dried horse mackerel than any other region of Japan).

From what I understand, the area is a fairly popular tourist spot for its hot springs and Mt. Fuji views, but it’s still a little surprising that the café isn’t located in the heart of a big city such as Tokyo. Unfortunately that probably means I’ll never make it to the café myself… So instead I’ll spend the rest of this post drooling over its gorgeous food and decor!

I love how they’ve made literally everything Gaspard and Lisa-themed, all the way down to the presentation of the food!

Funnily enough, today is actually the 1 year anniversary of the café. To honor the event, they’re currently having a Gaspard and Lisa cheesecake campaign…

Too cute! It’s neat to see the Gaspard and Lisa versions so different from one another. I’ll take both!

All images are from the official Le Café de Gaspard et Lisa website, which I highly suggest checking out, as they have far more images of the café and food than I have space to share here. Don’t forget to head over to their blog, too, where you’ll be able to see more pictures of limited edition merchandise, special food items, and the area where the café is located!

Bonus Lisa curry:

Anyone remember the Touch Detective series for the Nintendo DS? No? Well, if you don’t, don’t feel bad, as they pretty much went unnoticed by most of the gaming populace. Funnily enough, however, the cute mushroom “mascot” of the game, Funghi, or Nameko in Japanese, has recently taken the nation by storm, and I highly doubt most of the people consuming the plethora of character merchandise actually know where it came from.

Funghi’s gotten so popular, in fact, that he’s spawned a strangely calming little mushroom cultivation app for mobile devices, as well as a match-three-esque puzzle game that you can play a sample of online here. Very soon, fans will even get to play the puzzle game on their 3DS’s! So, while Touch Detective drifts into the unknown, Funghi’s superstar status continues to propel him forward. It’s funny how some things take off unexpectedly, isn’t it?

Funny how a game based solely on the popularity of a minor character is celebrating developer Success’ 35th anniversary

Of course, any cute character that’s anyone gets a Hello Kitty crossover at some point or another, and Funghi is no exception. Spurred on by my recent acquisition of a copy of the December 2012 issue of the Japanese version of Seventeen magazine, I thought I’d share some of the weirdly adorable Hello Kitty designs featured in its pages. I think it’s pretty obvious by the two page spread and the fact that the free pouch that came with the issue is plastered with Hello Kitty x Funghi that the collaboration has proben to be quite popular with the young female crowd!

Even the bag the freebie comes in is cute! I wonder what the significance of apples is, though… (you’ll see more of them later)

Side A of freebie pouch

I always found it a little creepy that the sound Funghi makes is “nnf nnf”…

Side B of freebie pouch

Closeup of the decal on the front. Apparently this marks the first time Hello Kitty has appeared without any clothes on. And what on earth is that thing in the middle?

Two page spread featuring Funghi x Hello Kitty merchandise. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version!

My favorite thing about the Funghi phenomenon is all the different Funghi varieties there are! I especially like the fuzzy purple Funghi-wearing Hello Kitty shown above.

I should probably actually read the descriptions surrounding all of these illustrations, because I have absolutely no idea what apples and pharaohs have to do with Funghi. Either way, it’s pretty cute!

Finally, here’s but a small sample of the Funghi x Hello Kitty merchandise available in Japan.

Food for thought/Additional information: 

• Success, the developers of Touch Detective and Touch Detective 2 1/2, did Zoo Keeper and Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja for the DS! 
• Not only can you buy Touch Detective and Touch Detective 2 1/2 in English on iOS devices, but Mushroom Garden/Funghi Gardening Kit and Mushroom Garden: European Winter are available for both iOS and Android devices for free! Go check them out! They’ve taken Japan by storm, and I, too, have been sucked in by the charm of Mushroom Garden: European Winter (I think it has something to do with the snow)
• The Funghi mobile games are done by a company called Beeworks Games, who also happen to have a Facebook page where they post far too many cute Funghi pictures
• Alternatively, you could go to the main Funghi website (Japanese only) if you wish to truly understand the reach this weird little mushroom character has

With the Japanese release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf rapidly approaching, I’m finding my head full of cute, colorful animals and visions of collecting everything from fish to furniture. In honor of its impending release, I decided to round up some of my favorite Animal Crossing: New Leaf merchandise… plus a bonus Style Savvy: Trendsetters crossover! Keep in mind this isn’t an exhaustive list, as there are a ton of newly-added Animal Crossing: New Leaf items on Amazon Japan, so click that link and browse yourself if you can’t get enough from my picks below.

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These 3DS LL covers are drop dead adorable, if you ask me! Unfortunately they won’t go on sale until December 31st, but they may be worth holding out for if you’ve recently picked up (or are planning on getting) a new 3DS XL/LL! There are a couple of other designs available, but the above two are definitely my favorites.

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And of course, you’ll also need a pouch to carry that 3DS LL in, right? Once again, Nintendo’s got you covered! I’m not sure I’m completely sold on the bright yellow, as it doesn’t quite go with the more muted colors of the other accessories, but I do like the pattern on this one.

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Might as well get the whole set, right? You’ll be needing a card case to keep those games in! This one holds 12 3DS cartridges. I really like the rainbow and balloon backdrop!

Finally, Animal Crossing: New Leaf styluses! I wish I had a source for this image, but I believe it’s a scan from an issue of Famitsu? Someone more knowledgeable please correct me if I’m wrong. Anyway, I’m a huge fan of the new alpaca duo, so I’d probably pick that one, or perhaps the stylus with one of the Able Sisters on it. They’re too adorable, but perhaps they’d be a bit clunky to use?

Well, that may be it for physical merchandise, but there’s one more Animal Crossing: New Leaf-related thing I’d like to mention… The Style Savvy: Trendsetters crossover clothing! That’s right, owners of the Japanese version of Style Savvy: Trendsetters will be privy to a KK Slider-themed t-shirt (for free), along with a whole outfit coordinate designed after Gracie from Animal Crossing:

I’m such a sucker for these kinds of things! I love the Gracie outfit, in particular. Would you think I was crazy if I told you I was considering buying a Japanese copy of Style Savvy: Trendsetters just for these exclusives? Okay, you’re right, that is totally crazy. Don’t worry –– I have a feeling I’ll be getting a copy of the English version in the near future, and I’m not so bad as to buy a second copy just for two in-game outfits. Promise!

Only two more days!