Only a limited run of Christmas cakes and hotel-made gifts is available at JW Marriott Hotel Nara in Nara. The 2026 collection includes the blue Samarkand Eclat chocolate cake, a Kotoka strawberry shortcake, a Japanese chestnut Mont Blanc tart, and signature stollen.
The Christmas cake reservation period runs from September 18 through 5:00 p.m. on December 21, 2026, with pickup from December 17 to December 25. The hotel will end sales once its planned quantity has been reached, so advance reservations are recommended.
About the Christmas Collection
The collection also includes the Samarkand Cookie Tin at ¥3,564 and Pound Assortment at ¥3,942. Seasonal experiences include afternoon tea at ¥6,072 per person, the Samarkand Blue cocktail at ¥2,277, and special lunch and dinner courses priced at ¥7,590 and ¥16,192.
The collection takes its visual and culinary inspiration from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, known for its vivid blue tilework and historic role on the Silk Road. The hotel brings that theme together with ingredients and flavors associated with Nara, including local Kotoka strawberries, Japanese chestnuts, Nara pickles, Yamato botanicals, spices, and miso.
Highlights
- Samarkand Eclat chocolate cake, approximately 18 cm in diameter, priced at ¥7,884 (tax included)
- Kotoka Christmas Shortcake, approximately 14 cm by 14 cm, priced at ¥7,398 (tax included)
- Japanese Chestnut Mont Blanc Tart, approximately 18 cm in diameter, priced at ¥6,048 (tax included)
- Signature Stollen, approximately 13 cm by 5.5 cm, priced at ¥2,592 (tax included)
- Samarkand Cookie Tin with five hotel-made cookie varieties, priced at ¥3,564 (tax included)
- Pound Assortment with four flavors, priced at ¥3,942 (tax included)
- Samarkand Afternoon Tea includes four sweets, four savory items, scones, condiments, a welcome drink, and free-flow drinks
JW Marriott Hotel Nara — Menu and Event Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | JW Marriott Hotel Nara Christmas Cake Collection 2026 |
| Menu / items | Samarkand Eclat; Kotoka Christmas Shortcake; Japanese Chestnut Mont Blanc Tart; Signature Stollen; Samarkand Cookie Tin; Pound Assortment; Samarkand Afternoon Tea; Samarkand Blue cocktail; Christmas lunch and dinner courses |
| Period | Christmas cake reservations: September 18, 2026 – December 21, 2026, until 5:00 p.m.; cake pickup: December 17–25, 2026, 12:00–20:00; hotel-made gifts: November 11–December 25, 2026, 12:00–20:00; afternoon tea: November 1, 2026 – January 14, 2027; cocktail: November 1, 2026 – January 10, 2027; special courses: December 20–26, 2026 |
| Location | JW Marriott Hotel Nara, Silk Road Dining and Flying Stag |
| Address | 1-1-1 Sanjo-oji, Nara, Nara |
| Price | Samarkand Eclat: ¥7,884 (tax included); Kotoka Christmas Shortcake: ¥7,398 (tax included); Japanese Chestnut Mont Blanc Tart: ¥6,048 (tax included); Signature Stollen: ¥2,592 (tax included); Samarkand Cookie Tin: ¥3,564 (tax included); Pound Assortment: ¥3,942 (tax included); Samarkand Afternoon Tea: ¥6,072 per person; Samarkand Blue cocktail: ¥2,277; lunch course: ¥7,590; dinner course: ¥16,192 |
| Official website | JW Marriott Hotel Nara official website |
Before you buy
- When can I reserve the JW Marriott Hotel Nara Christmas cakes?
- Reservations are accepted from September 18, 2026, until 5:00 p.m. on December 21, 2026, or until the planned quantity is reached.
- When can I collect the Christmas cakes?
- Pickup is available from December 17 to December 25, 2026, between 12:00 and 20:00. Reservations must be made at least three days before collection.
- How much is the Samarkand Eclat cake?
- The approximately 18-cm cake costs ¥7,884 (tax included).
Samarkand Eclat is built with house-made hazelnut praline mousse, lemon and chocolate cream, chocolate biscuit, hazelnut biscuit, and crunchy crumble. A bitter chocolate mousse flavored with lemon and anise covers the cake, while its blue-and-white decoration evokes Samarkand’s architecture.
The Kotoka Christmas Shortcake uses Nara-grown Kotoka strawberries with the hotel’s original Chantilly cream. The Japanese Chestnut Mont Blanc Tart combines a baked almond tart base, custard cream, and chestnut cream made from whole Japanese chestnuts. These cakes cost ¥7,398 and ¥6,048 respectively, while the ¥2,592 Signature Stollen develops its flavor through slow maturation with butter, dried fruit, nuts, and spices.
For gifts, the ¥3,564 Samarkand Cookie Tin contains five flavors featuring ingredients such as miso, dried fruit, spices, matcha, and honey. The ¥3,942 Pound Assortment includes strawberry, nut and chocolate, matcha and black soybean, and blueberry pound cakes, each cut into shareable pieces.
At Flying Stag, the Samarkand Afternoon Tea pairs sweets such as blue curacao jelly, butterfly pea and mango mousse, and saffron apricot pistachio vol-au-vent with savory dishes including Samarkand-style naan with lamb bolognese and spice-roasted duck. The ¥6,072 experience is served for 120 minutes from noon to 5:00 p.m.
The ¥2,277 Samarkand Blue cocktail combines vodka and white chocolate liqueur with cloves, Yamato toki, Yamato tachibana, and kihada berries. At Silk Road Dining, the Christmas courses are available for ¥7,590 at lunch and ¥16,192 at dinner, including dishes such as bluefin tuna and striped jack carpaccio with Nara miso and tapenade.
