Category Archives: Food & Drink

Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma!

To celebrate the Happy Holiday Picnic Rilakkuma plushie featured yesterday, let’s take a look at another collaboration project: Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma!

Rilakkuma partnered with donut company Hara Donuts starting around November 2011. Hara Donuts uses a more minimalist approach to donuts, creating handmade donuts with all-natural ingredients. With their beginnings in a raw tofu shop in Kobe, their donuts use fresh, local tofu in their homemade recipes. Hara (はら) means “original” or “raw” in Japanese.

During the Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma campaign, they had a special Rilakkuma themed donut menu based on the Happy Holiday Picnic Series, and some great themed merchandise!

Hara Donuts - reference image

How cute is it that Rilakkuma brings donuts to a picnic?

Hara Donuts - donuts

Sweet & Sour Lemon Chocolate/White Chocolate Donuts

Hara Donuts - cell phone charm

Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma Cell Phone Charm

Cute! They also came out with a selection of coffee mugs and tote bags. I would’ve loved if they released a plushie so I could add him to my collection!

Rilakkuma Enherb Collaboration!

It’s been getting mildly chilly here (not objectively cold – it’s just Florida), so I was thinking about drinking hot tea regularly again.

As if on cue, San-X recently announced a new collaboration they have with Enherb for the holiday season. Enherb is an herb company that uses time-tested recipes and techniques to craft their soothing teas, fragrances, and skincare products. Their philosophy is that using the finest herbs regularly and drinking high quality herbal teas are essential to one’s well-being.

For this Rilakkuma Enherb collaboration, they released a special holiday tea and tea products (even a diffuser!). Ah, San-X – always aiming straight for my heart.

Enherb - Lemon Ginger

Limited Edition Holiday Release – Lemon Ginger Tea

Enherb - 3 teas

Other Rilakkuma-themed teas: Chamomile & Spearmint, Ginger Herbal, and Lavender & Rose

Ebherb - tumblers

Enherb Rilakkuma tea tumblers!

From what I understand, they even gave out a special holiday-themed Enherb Rilakkuma folder for customers who bought a tea package. This whole set seems so relaxing – a perfect fit for Rilakkuma!

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days!

In honor of Honey Bee Rilakkuma from yesterday, here’s a great moment in Rilakkuma history: Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days! Every so often (i.e. all the time), Rilakkuma will have collaboration projects with other companies. For this collaboration, Rilakkuma teamed up with Pancake Days, a Japanese pancake chain that likes to put happy faces (like Rilakkuma’s) on fancy pancakes, in 2011.

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days featured the Honey and Smile Series in their promotional campaign – they even had a special Rilakkuma-themed menu!

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days - 5 tier stack

5 Tier Pancake Stack

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days - chocolate and orange stack

Rilakkuma’s Chocolate & Orange Stack

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days - strawberry stack

Korilakkuma’s Strawberry Stack

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days - honey and sweet potato stack

Kiiroitori’s Honey & Sweet Potato Stack

Also, if you spent more than 1,000円 at the Rilakkuma Stores in Harajuku or Kichijoji, you would a receive a postcard that you could show at Pancake Days for a free take-home 7 cm Rilakkuma pancake. Looks delicious!

Rilakkuma Cheesecakes 2012!

San-X is bringing back the popular Rilakkuma-shaped cheesecakes from last year!

Rilakkuma cheesecakes 2012

Rilakkuma cheesecakes

Rilakkuma will be caramel crème brûlée flavored, and Korilakkuma will be blueberry mousse flavored! Looks yummy – apparently the cream cheese is from France haha. Too bad they don’t ship internationally! But maybe I would feel weird about eating Rilakkuma’s face?