Three Star Wars-themed collaborations from a galaxy far, far away appeal to both longtime and newer fans of the franchise.

We’ve known about Japanese dessert chain Ginza Cozy Corner‘s penchant for mini cake sets for a while now. From home-grown cuties such as Pokémon to international collaborations like Marvel’s Avengers and Pixar films, it seems no characters are safe from getting the Cozy Corner cake treatment–which now includes iconic members of the Star Wars franchise.

In celebration of the simultaneous U.S. and Japanese premiere on May 22 of The Mandalorian and Grogu film, a direct sequel to the three seasons of the hit Disney+ live-action TV series The Mandalorian, three special Star Wars-themed items are currently available at Ginza Cozy Corner locations throughout Japan and on its online shop. The pièce de résistance is a Nine-Piece Mini Cake Set for 3,564 yen (US$22.49) that pays homage to classic heroes and villains that appear in Episodes I through IX of the core Star Wars film series, spanning over 40 years of film history.

▼ Star Wars Nine-Piece Mini Cake Set

Pictured below, the character contents and flavors are as follows:

● Chewbacca (top left): chocolate and caramel whipped cream cake
● Ahsoka Tano (top center): coffee sponge cake with a layer of caramel whipped cream
● BB-8 (top right): mango whipped cream and yogurt-flavored whipped cream roll cake
● Stormtrooper (middle left): cheese-flavored cream tart
● Darth Vader (middle center): cocoa sponge cake with a layer of chocolate whipped cream
● C-3PO (middle right): tropical mousse cake topped with orange and lemon-flavored jelly
● Darth Maul (bottom left): cake topped with raspberry jelly, berry jam, and mousse
● Yoda (bottom center): matcha whipped cream and matcha-an (sweet bean paste) tart
● R2-D2 with a Porg (bottom right): yogurt-flavored whipped cake with freshly whipped cream

▼ Darth Vader getting the kawaii treatment wasn’t on our bingo card, but we’ll take it.

Meanwhile, for viewers who have fallen in love with the more recent cast addition of Grogu, popularly dubbed “Baby Yoda,” a single serving-sized Grogu Chocolate Cake is available for 777 yen.

▼ Grogu Chocolate Cake

This treat is a fluffy cocoa sponge cake stuffed with a layer of chocolate flake-filled cream and chocolate cream adorning the top.

Finally, for those who want a keepsake once the dessert is gone, the Star Wars Sweets Box is the perfect grab for 1,320 yen. It contains eight individually packaged baked goods including two butter madeleines, three Earl Grey madeleines, and three cookies printed with an illustration of the Mandalorian and Grogu that come inside a metallic box designed to look like it was made from Beskar, aka Mandalorian iron.

▼ Star Wars Sweets Box

A stylish two-sided charm reflector keychain is a bonus souvenir.

The above items will be available for purchase through approximately June 25, so place your order before they vanish from this galaxy.

The anticipation for the new film coming out also has us hoping that the Star Wars kabuki play will make a comeback in due time…this time with Grogu.

Source: Ginza Cozy Corner via Entabe
Images: Ginza Cozy Corner
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This annual procession is the perfect stop for samurai buffs who enjoy traditional Japanese festivals with a warrior twist.

The streets of Sakai, Fukui Prefecture, are about to be packed when the city’s Mikuni Festival kicks off on May 19 for three days. Considered one of the Hokuriku region of Japan’s “three great festivals,” the annual festival spans approximately 300 years of tradition. This year, six newly crafted floats over six meters (6.6 yards) in height that depict historical samurai of legend as well as famous scenes from kabuki plays and historical battles will be paraded around different districts of the city.

▼ Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa (born 1069), as depicted in the play “Shibaraku,” one of the 18 Best Kabuki Plays

▼ Keiji Maeda (1543-1612)

The new floats were first unveiled to the public on 9 May. Festivities will officially begin at 6:30 p.m. on 19 May when the Maeda Keiji float will be showcased in the vicinity of Mikuni Shrine by the harbor. Then, at 1 p.m. on 20 May, all six floats will join in a procession around the city beginning at Mikuni Shrine. On this day, a special mikoshi portable shrine will also leave from the shrine, along with a procession of locals donning warrior-inspired garb.

▼ Magistrate Kinshiro Toyama (1793-1855)

▼ Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-1189)

In addition, this year’s festival marks a first as the newly assembled Sakai City Board of Education’s Mikuni Festival General Investigative Committee, comprised of 11 expert individuals from the municipality, will begin conducting a multi-year, comprehensive study of the festival. Their investigation will examine everything from the craftsmanship of the floats and how they’re pulled around, to the various musical accompaniments in different districts of the city. It will also seek to answer overarching questions such as why the floats came to include figures of samurai in the first place and why those are destroyed upon the conclusion of the festival every year. As the first study of its kind to be funded by governmental aid, a formal written report is expected to be published in 2029.

▼ Taira no Tomomori (1152-1185) with the anchor he used to drown himself upon losing the Sea Battle of Dan no Ura (1185)

▼ The assault of Naganori Asano (1667-1701) on Yoshinaka Kira (1641-1703) in the Pine Corridor of Edo Castle, the trigger that led to the legend of the 47 Ronin (1703)

Another new feature of this year’s festival is the creation of a special seated viewing area in the Echizen Railway’s Mikuni Station plaza. Between 4:30-6:30 p.m. on 20 May, spectators can view all six floats in succession as they approach the station and circle the intersection. 40 seats are available for purchase for 5,000 yen ($31.55) each in advance or for 6,000 yen on the day of the event. The viewing area will be split into four levels, with the highest one at 1.8 meters for prime viewing. Seats can be reserved by contacting the Mikuni Community Center at mikuni-cc@city.fukui-sakai.lg.jp or (+81) 0776-82-6400.

While you’re in town, you may also want to see what Fukui has to offer in the gastronomic delights department, such as the sasazuke preserved fish that’s popular among the locals.

Source, images: PR Times
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