Japan loves to get on board with holiday celebrations, so much so that it's common to find cafes and stores with everchanging themed food and drinks. Christmas and Halloween bring about tons of cute themed treats, as does spring (we all know nobody can resist a cute sakura theme), and autumn - time to admire Japanese maple leaves and eat sweet potato and chestnuts til you drop!
For the best places to party on Halloween in Osaka, keep reading! I'll talk about the two best (and free!) places to enjoy Halloween towards the end of this blog post.
First, let's take a look at some of the cafes and stores I visited for Halloween sweets in Osaka this year.
Daily Dose Coffee, Umeda
Tell me this isn't the cutest dessert you've ever seen! Oh my, I felt guilty every time I stuck the spoon in for another bite of this cute dessert.
This ice-cream bear is flavoured with purple sweet potato, and has pieces of diced yellow sweet potato mixed in. The sweet potato flavour wasn't strong, so I think that everyone can enjoy this cute treat. Sprinkled on the plate is granola, and at the front is a chocolate dipped mashmallow. Hiding behind the bear is a small meringue ghost. Feel free to pour on raspberry sauce to your own taste.
Daily Dose Coffee kindly supplies some decorations for customers to use while taking photos - perfect for creating your own unique Instagram worthy photos. I chose two Halloween decorations, but there were dozens of other cute items to choose from.
There is plenty of seating available at this cafe, but you'll need to make a reservation for the Halloween plate. Available from September 9th until October 31st this year.
Daily Dose Coffee has cute treats on their menu all year, so I recommend a visit if cute desserts and latte art are your thing.
Suggested access: Umeda station, Osaka station.
Address in English: 〒530-0012 Osaka, Kita Ward, Shibata, 1 Chome−8−1, Kitano Hankyu Building, B1
Address in Japanese: 〒530-0012 大阪府大阪市北区芝田１丁目８−1, Kitano Hankyu Building, B1
Krispy Kreme Japan
Every year for the past few years, the famous donut shop Krispy Kreme has been releasing Halloween themed donuts. This year's donuts were almost a carbon copy of Krispy Kreme's 2021 Halloween donuts, but I love themed food, so off I went yet again for more donuts than I really need.
I bought this set of three on the day of release (September 18th), but the store also sold mini Halloween themed donuts with more basic designs and no filling.
You should be able to pick these up at any Krispy Kreme store in Japan while stocks last. Be sure to take a look if you're visiting Japan in October.
The names are in Japanese below, with a rough English translation and flavour information.
黒ネコ “チョコ” - Black Cat “Choco.” Chocolate cream filled donut.
パンプキン ジャック キャラメル - Pumpkin Jack Caramel. Donut filled with caramel cream.
スパイダー チョコ カスタード - Spider Chocolate Custard. Donut with classic custard filling.
Does Krispy Kreme release Halloween themed donuts in the country where you live? Are they similar to the ones in the photos above, or different?
Manneken Waffle
Manneken Waffle has three limited edition flavours available for Halloween this year. They are: Melon bread waffle with chocolate crust, sweet potato butter waffle, and pumpkin with purple sweet potato waffle. Melon bread or "melon pan" as it is called in Japanese is a popular baked sweet treat that you can find in convenience stores and bakeries across the country.
I'd have loved to have tried all three Halloween waffles, but I'd already been eating all day, and had made plans to go out for dinner that same evening, so unfortunately I had to limit myself to the one melon bread waffle. Which one would you have chosen?
For those who have never heard of Manneken Waffle, it's a popular take-out store in Japan that sells Belgian waffles. I visited the store in Hankyu San Ban Gai in Umeda where you can see the waffles being freshly made. You will often come across these stores in station areas, so keep an eye out when travelling if you're a waffle fan.
Looking for things to do in Osaka? Suggested reading: Visiting Universal Studios Japan (USJ) | Osaka, Japan BEST Places to See Cherry Blossoms in Osaka (advice from a local) | Japan |
Starbucks Coffee Japan
What a gorgeous Halloween themed frappuccino!
This is the Purple Monochrome Halloween Frappuccino (パープルハロウィンフラペチーノ) from Starbucks for Halloween 2022.
Starbucks Japan's Halloween Frappuccino was released on October 19th, and only available for an extremely limited time.
The color of this drink was simply stunning - a beautiful deep purple, sprinkled with purple glitter. Can you guess the flavour? I'll give you a hint... it's not grape! This drink is actually purple sweet potato flavour! The taste of the sweet potato wasn't overwhelming at all, but definitely present in the drink. Definitely my most favourite frappuccino ever in terms of aesthetics, and I certainly wasn't mad about the flavour either!
I don't seem to recall Starbucks releasing Halloween themed drinks in Japan in the past, but someone please kindly correct me if I'm wrong.
I've actually been documenting some of the limited edition drinks I've tried at Starbucks Japan, so be sure to take a look if you're interested in seeing what other flavour combinations Starbucks has released in Japan.
Bonus: Drip Classic
This technically isn't a Halloween themed drink, but I felt that the dark interior of the cafe, and bright green color of the matcha latte fit well with the Halloween theme.
Drip Classic opened earlier this year and is one that I'd walked past a couple of times, but never had the chance to stop for a drink at.
I should mention that there is no English spoken at this cafe, but there is a very helpful picture menu. There are plenty of drinks on offer, as well as some small sweets. The cafe opens around midday and closes late, so be sure to add it to your list if you're in the area and in need of a pick-me-up in the late afternoon.
Suggested access: Sakaisuji-Hommachi station
Address in English: 2 Chome-5番18号 Kyutaromachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 541-0056
Name in Japanese: ドリップクラシック 本町店 カフェ バー
Address in Japanese: 〒541-0056 大阪府大阪市中央区久太郎町２丁目5番18号
Where can I party in Osaka on Halloween?
Halloween in Osaka is celebrated by most people on the Saturday closest to the 31st of October, although you can also expect a crowd out celebrating on Halloween night.
By far the best places to go for Halloween hijinks in Osaka are Amemura (also called America Mura) - specifically Triangle Park (Sankaku Koen), and Ebisu Bridge (the large bridge in the Dotonbori area). You can expect to see thousands of people dressed in costumes celebrating Halloween at both of these locations. There is no planned event in these areas as such, but these are the two places people have been gathering to celebrate Halloween for years.
Bars and clubs will also hold Halloween events on Halloween, although they have nothing on the outdoor events. Universal Studios Japan (USJ) also has a Halloween event called Halloween Horror Nights where characters will be dressed in Halloween costumes. The USJ event usually runs for a little over a month, so you have plenty of time to check it out.
Why don't you come and join in on the fun? For last minute Halloween costumes I recommend checking out the variety goods store, Don Quijote. Although costumes aren't necessary, it makes the event much more fun!
Wondering where to have lunch in Osaka? Suggested reading: Spectacular Seafood Curry at Ganesh m | Kitahama, Osaka Osaka's Most Instagrammable Brunch | Northshore | Kitahama, Osaka | Japan Fishball Noodle Soup | Singapore Cuisine Ryanarou in Namba, Osaka |
Have your say...
Do you know of any other cities that have great themed food for Halloween or other holiday events? How do you celebrate your Halloween? Tell us about it in the comments below. Otherwise, let us know which of the above Halloween sweets you'd love to try during your stay in Osaka!
If you're looking for more themed food, I suggest checking out my post about Christmas themed sweets in Osaka.
Have a spooky one!
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Visiting the US soon? Check out spooky the tours available in Salem, Massachusetts - the home of Halloween!
The Halloween ice cream bear is hysterical. Love all the fun treats. Thanks so much for sharing!
Those Halloween drinks look so cool! Makes me want to try them.
Ohh these look delicious. Love the doighnut. yum!
Wow, these Halloween treats are super cute 😍 🎃 I'd love to try the black cat donut and a waffle 😋 I plan to visit Osaka in April, and will definitely check some of these out!
I want to buy that chocolate icing cat donut to celebrate Halloween. It is too cute!