At times, cities outside of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka don’t seem to offer much for tourists, minus a few historical sites dedicated to samurai or a few Shinto and Buddhist shrines. However, as more foreigners settle across Japan, major cities in each prefecture are pushing to develop better attractions with multi-language support to encourage tourism. With the 2020 Olympics happening is less than a year, Japan is shaping up for the mass influx of foreigners.
One such city in Miyagi prefecture is Sendai, home of famed samurai Date Masamune and fried cow tongue. Just like Tokyo, there are plenty of anime stores, cosplay shops, game arcades, art museums, capsule hotels, and onsen. One little contemporary treasure Sendai — as well as Sapporo — has that Tokyo doesn’t is the only Disney themed sweets buffet in the whole country! If you happen to be a huge Disney fan and find yourself up on the north end of the country then don’t miss your chance to tumble down the rabbit hole to & sweets! sweets! buffet! Alice.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdcPgV4nM8U/
The Sendai location that originally opened in 2016, & sweets! sweets! buffet! Alice is an all-you-can-eat buffet themed around the timeless fairy tale, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Walls are decorated from corner to corner with cell art from Walt’s Disney’s 1951 animated masterpiece, as well as John Tenniel’s illustrations for the original storybook. Giant clocks and empty picture frames hang from the ceiling as flamingos, rabbits, and other Wonderland residence crowd display stands along the buffet line. Two-way mirrors are set up around food displays that also open up like doors from the kitchen. This allows the staff to quickly replace dishes on the buffet table when trays are empty and have a little fun spooking guests. It’s madness!
If a mad tea party isn’t exactly your ideal theme for a Disney buffet— don’t worry! The decoration is pretty much where Wonderland’s likeness ends. During your time there, the cafe’s playlist is an endless shuffle of every Disney song you can think of — both the English and the Japanese versions. Of course, you’ll hear the classics and fan favorites such as When You Wish Upon a Star, Part of Your World, and Let it Go, but you can still expect the more dramatic numbers such as God Help the Outcasts, or even forgotten show tunes from the Silly Symphonies. The occasional piano or orchestral melody cover sneaks its way in from time to time as well.
You’d imagine with it being mostly about Alice in Wonderland that the most popular songs played would be from the original film, such as In a World of My Own or All in the Golden Afternoon. The song you’ll be guaranteed to hear most of all is Happy Birthday, Princess from Disney’s Steps to Reading education books. The buffet is a popular spot for birthday celebrations, and birthday guests receive a complimentary dessert platter which the staff redesign every few months. Be warned: anyone wanting to celebrate their birthday must make a reservation ahead of time. In order to avoid over-crowding, walk-in celebrations are not allowed. Even if it is not your birthday, any visit is still a perfect way to celebrate anyone’s unbirthday.
Also, for unknown reasons, Levi from Attack on Titan makes an appearance in the back corner at the Sendai location. Occasionally, the staff hangs Hawaiian flower necklaces around his neck.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUjY6pajh6y/
For 1,860 yen, guests can stay for two hours and dine on all the sweets they could wish for. Cakes, tarts, ice cream, jello, churros, cream puffs, self-made crepes, waffles, pancakes, and self serve cotton candy is on the menu. Everything that is pre-baked is arranged in small, bite-sized pieces. This is great as it allows not only for every guest to have a chance at their favorites, but also keeps one from getting full off just one or two sample platters. Finally, you say with confidence “I’ll have one of everything, thank you,” and have it all arranged on a Mickey Mouse plate, no less. Don’t forget to grab a few strawberries for the chocolate fountain next to the ice cream machine. Also, for a small additional fee, guests will be granted access to a private Häagen–Dazs ice cream bar with multiple flavors available.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Buuog6llALa/
What if you don’t want to spend two hours feasting on unlimited sugar? What if you want something more savory, meaty, and hot? Not to worry! Alice has a separate buffet that serves three different kinds of pizza, two kinds of pasta, curry, soup, chicken wings, french fries, fried okra, nuggets, and hash browns. Pizza, pasta, and soup flavors tended to cycle out every few days so no visit features the same food. There is also a salad bar with plenty of dressing options. It is all included for no additional fee. The drink bar includes an assortment of teas, juices, flavored waters, coffee, hot chocolate, and soft drinks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0U7sDehQt2/
While there is a selection of everyday food items on the menu, Alice loves to switch the menu up every few months with an array of themed goods. Pumpkin flavor can be expected during all of September and October. Powdered sugar and white chocolate are especially popular during Christmas time. Strawberry craze takes over for January and February. Flavors such as mint, matcha, honey, and pineapple are celebrated during spring and summer.
In recent developments, Alice has hopped on the hype of tapioca bubble tea in Japan and started making their own line of bubble tea drinks called THE CARROL, available for takeout. Each drink comes stylishly packaged in a glass bottle with a red ribbon, the cafe’s logo, and one of John Tenniel’s illustrations of the White Rabbit. All they are missing is a little tag that says “Drink Me.” Currently, there are five flavors: strawberry, coffee, mango, caramel, and matcha.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxwT5EhBAYO/
& sweets! sweets! buffet! Alice currently only has two locations, one in Sendai, and the other in Sapporo. For more information, check out their website.
