GingerGarden AOYAMA (Hello Kitty Collaboration Afternoon Tea)

#EmotionalCafe Ginger Garden, a Japanese cafe chain specializing in limited-time collaboration afternoon teas, is offering a Hello Kitty collaboration afternoon tea at its Aoyama branch this season. I visited this place with a friend who lives in Japan, whom I met on Instagram. We've become Instagram friends, and we often go for afternoon tea together in Korea and Japan. This place only accepts reservations for two or more people, so I'm so grateful to have my Kitty friend. So, when reservations open around the end of September, I book in advance for my trip. I'm even better at booking Japanese websites than my Japanese friend. 🤣 We met at Omotesando Station that day and headed to this place, located about five minutes away. From the outside, it looks like a cozy, independent cafe. It's a small cafe, with two tables by the window and less than ten seats inside. Currently, Kitty Afternoon Tea is being offered at all tables. There are four sessions per day, with only about eight tables per session offering Kitty. We arrived at the first session at 11 a.m. As the time approached, the area was filled with Kitty-clad enthusiasts. Some came dressed in Kitty cosplay, while others were decked out in Kitty nail polish and various accessories. Some even brought their own dolls. Everyone was avid Kitty enthusiast, their mouths hanging open. We started taking photos of the building while waiting outside. We were guided to our assigned table at the appointed time. While there were no windows on our side, the lighting was beautiful, making for some truly stunning photos. There were only two tables, but one of them arrived about 15 minutes late, allowing us to take some relaxing photos before they left. This was a great experience. We also added the option of a Kitty parfait and a Kitty drink to enjoy the full course meal. After about 15 minutes of photo time, and once you start eating, they take away the decorations, including the Kitty doll and Kitty basket. 🤣 Although it's all-you-can-eat, only the first cup of tea is provided, and refills are only provided for the first teapot and cup. Since you get two cups—one for coffee and one for tea—it feels like you're constantly adding more to each cup. The visuals are all Kitty, so it's definitely nice, but the menu is mostly desserts. They taste better than I expected, so I ended up eating them all. The teas were just average. The optional parfaits and drinks were decent. Since we entered at 11:00 and were seated for two hours, we were asked to leave about 10 minutes before 1:00 PM, and we were asked to leave in a round of rallies. Nevertheless, we were able to take plenty of pictures at Kitty Paradise. The lighting, while somewhat artificial, was beautiful in the photos, and everyone was a fan, so we enjoyed the natural atmosphere. Two hours flew by like a flash, and I came away with a smile on my face from beginning to end, happily cherishing every moment. My friends and I both said it was even better than we expected. Thank you.