With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, many of Japan’s wonderful cafes and kissa are coming out with their Valentine’s Day specials. Shiseido, one of Japan’s most prominent cosmetics manufacturers, is setting a high bar with its two pretty – and pricey – Valentine’s parfaits at its cafes in Ginza and Kawasaki.
Valentine’s Day in Japan is largely a matter of women giving chocolates – either out of love or a sense of duty – to the men in their lives. (White Day reverses that equation.) However, it’s also become a prime date day for couples. A survey in 2022 found that over 63% of men would look forward to a Valentine’s Day date.
That’s leading cafes across Japan, both small and large, to roll out Valentine’s Day specials for couples or girlfriends looking for an Instagrammable experience. Shiseido Parlour (English website), the cosmetic company’s cafe and restaurant, already has a reputation for its beautiful seasonal parfaits. But as it always does every year, it’s upping the ante for Valentine’s Day.
The company is offering two parfaits available at two different locations of its company’s Salon de Cafe stores. The first, available at the Salon de Cafe in Ginza (where Shiseido was founded in 1872), is a berry and chocolate parfait (2,800 yen; USD $17.70) made with raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry. The parfait is paired with a bitter chocolate and a tart raspberry sorbet. It’s available starting on January 21st until Valentine’s Day.
The next creation, the captivating White Swan Parfait, is available at the Kawasaki Salon de Cafe location (2,600 yen; USD $16.50). Made with Belcolade Belgian chocolate, the white parfait comes topped with a white chocolate-sculpted swan. The White Swan is available from now until Valentine’s Day.
Besides desserts, you can also order lunch at Salon de Cafe. Dishes are mainly Western-style Japanse dishes (yoshoku), including beef curry rice, meat croquettes, and omuraisu.
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So bring your appetite – but also bring some patience. Neither cafe takes reservations, which means you might be waiting a while for a seat – especially the closer you get to Valentine’s Day.
Ginza location: Tokyo, Ginza 8-8-3, 3rd Floor. Open 11am to 9pm Friday and Satruday, and Sunday-Thursday from 11am to 8pm.
Kawasaki location: Kanagawa Prefecture, Kawasaki, Saiwai-ku, Horikawa-cho 72-1, LAZONA Kawasaki Plaza, 2nd floor (40 minutes by train from Shibuya Station in Tokyo). Open 10am to 9pm daily (only drinks and desserts available from 10am to 11am)
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