A Halloween-themed high tea at the Mandarin Oriental

As I've mentioned before on City-Cost, I didn't really grow up with Halloween traditions – it wasn't really a thing in Australia when I was younger. It has been fun seeing how much Halloween has been embraced here in Japan, and over the past few years I've been seeing more and more events popping up dedicated to this autumnal holiday. 

If you're looking for a way to inject a little Halloween spirit into your October, might I suggest an afternoon tea event? I went to Tokyo recently to catch up with a friend, and we went to the Mandarin Oriental for their Halloween-themed event. It was every bit as fun and beautiful as I had hoped for!

Be warned – it is a LOT of food!

The afternoon tea event here was 6800 yen a head, so it's definitely not something I'd call easy on the budget. However, for an occasional splurge I think it's incredibly fun, and so, so memorable! The views we got from the Oriental Lounge were just as stunning as the food's presentation!

The menu lineup had both sweet and savory dishes on offer, but the sweets were the part that were really Halloween themed. A couple of the highlights were the Frankenstein inspired pistachio mousse with raspberry jelly, and the monster-topped Mont Blancs.

One of the best things about this afternoon tea was the attention to detail with the desserts on offer. My favorite was this pistachio & raspberry jelly mousse designed to look like Frankenstein!

A few things to keep in mind if you're going to visit here:

• Come hungry. There is so much food included in the price, and whilst all the individual components look cute and petite, it really is a LOT of stuff.
• At the Mandarin Oriental there is a dress code – they recommend smart casual. It's fun to dress up a little for the occasion anyway, especially since I don't often get to do that!
• Make a reservation. These afternoon teas aren't just something you can turn up for. It's easy to book via the Mandarin Oriental site, and I recommend doing that well in advance so that you don't miss out on the date and time you want!

Also, it's not just this hotel that offers afternoon teas. Many other destinations in Tokyo and beyond also serve up afternoon tea, and plenty of them are themed just like this Halloween one. If the Mandarin Oriental is booked for the date you want to visit, I recommend checking on other large hotel websites to see if they're offering anything that interests you.

An afternoon tea event is a lovely way to connect with a loved one, friend, or group of friends, over some delicious food and beverages. I hope that if you can schedule in a Halloween-themed one somewhere over the next couple of weeks that you'll enjoy yours as much as I did!