Interesting news comes out from Japan for avid fans of Kirby, with a new cafe being opened in the country themed after the brave pink hero. According to reports, the new Kirby cafe will open in two main city locations and will serve customers with pastries and sweets designed after characters in the popular video game franchise.The recent years have seen a revival of the pink protagonist's franchise, especially with several Kirby titles already launched for the Nintendo Switch. What's more, fans who used to play the games on the GameBoy now have a chance to jump back into their old Kirby adventures, with the addition of emulation on the Switch's online subscription service. Given Kirby's popularity with fans around the world, and especially within its home country of Japan, it is no wonder that the team has decided to open another series of cafes themed after the character itself.On a newly opened account on Twitter, the announcement was made that two new Kirby cafes will be opened in Japan. A microsite with several details has also been developed, providing fans with a preview of what to expect when they visit the shops. According to the website and published press releases, the cafes will be named "Kirby Cafe PETIT" and they will open in two of the country's biggest cities, Tokyo and Osaka. Fans who are interested to visit will find them in the Tokyo Station and Tennoji-Mio main building. The opening date for the Tokyo location is April 13, 2023 while the Osaka spot opens on April 26, 2023.
According to the official website, the two cafes will mainly serve take-out pastries and sweets. Photos previewing what some of these snacks look like were also shared on the site, likely generating excitement for Kirby fans. Some will notice that one pastry is based on Kirby's car form from Kirby and the Forgotten Land, one of the newest titles in the franchise. Other desserts seem to be inspired by the different themes found across the video game series, including stars, clouds, pastel colorways, and the Waddle Dees.
Unfortunately, all the currently-opened Kirby cafes are only located within Japan. Avid fans will actually have to fly into the country to experience the new spots being opened in April. With many gamers likely enjoying the newly released remake Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, seeing the team behind the franchise opening physical stores is probably exciting. Hopefully Nintendo and HAL Laboratory will consider adding Kirby shops in western regions in the future.