Amour du Chocolat 2024 Report [When should I line up? What is the waiting time for popular brands? ] vol.2-Shopping edition-

Amour du Chocolat is a Valentine's Day event held at JR Nagoya Takashimaya.
I'm sure there are many people who are interested in events where not only are chocolates delicious, but they are also lined up with cute packaging and gorgeous, artistic chocolates.

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A post shared by Nagoya Takashimaya Amour du Chocolat ~I love chocolate~ (@amour_nagoya)

RonRon staff actually went to this festival, which boasts one of the largest sales in Japan♪

I decided what I wanted to buy in the advance preparation section , and was able to get the Audrey admission ticket without any trouble.
(Audrey also does not require an admission ticket if you enter after 11:00. The main area on the 10th floor also requires a ticket for priority admission before opening at 10:00, but after 10:00, admission is free.For details, see the advance preparation section. in)

This time, we will report on the day's shopping ♪ We will provide details on precautions and actual waiting times 🎀

How to enter Amour du Chocolat 2024? Where is the line? ? What time do you start lining up?

The date of this visit was a weekday in the latter half of January. I went into the day expecting that even though it was so crowded, it would still be relatively empty.

The admission ticket I got was the most popular Audrey's 10 o'clock admission ticket ( Click here for reservation method and precautions)

According to the official website , ticket holders will be given priority access if they line up by 9:40, so we decided to line up around 9:30.

We are finally heading to the Amour du Chocolat 2024 venue! What are the waiting times and sold out status for popular brands? ?

9:24 Arrived in front of Takashimaya! How many people are already in line? ?

When I arrived in front of Takashimaya at 9:24 and went to the designated line-up area (south entrance on the first floor), there were already about 100 people in line.

By the way, at the entrance of the central block on the first floor on the opposite side of the gold clock, there was a line of people with priority admission tickets to the main area before the store opened.

9:36 Audrey entrance line begins to move

The line started to move around 9:36, and we took the escalator from the first floor to the upper floor.

The main area where Audrey is located is on the 10th floor, but walk past it and go to the waiting area on the 11th floor.
The line continues to move forward, and we take the escalator down to the 10th floor and wait to enter.

10:08 Audrey entrance

I entered the sales floor around 10:08am (my admission ticket was collected just before I entered the sales floor).

If you wish to purchase fresh sweets, please obtain a numbered ticket from the staff at the entrance of the store.
I received a numbered ticket for ``Lonchanty Chocolate'' and ``Audrey Chocolate.''

Even if you get a numbered ticket, it doesn't guarantee that the item will be in stock, so if you go to the register late, it may end up being sold out.

As of 10:08, there were no sold out items at Audrey. Even if we run out of products, the staff will replenish them one after another.

There are several types of Glaceon in cans, and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to buy.

↑The most popular is the limited special can (L) containing 4 types of Glaceon. There were many products not listed in the catalog!

As a result of my hesitation, I added Nagoya limited can L (3,294 yen), strawberry chocolate (1,512 yen), and the standard Glacier Milk in a paper box to my basket.

The 2,860 yen green cooler bag (contains 8 pieces of Glaceon Milk) designed only in Nagoya was sold out by 10:30. There were still some when I went into the store, but around 10:15 it was announced that there were only 0 left, so if you're looking for one, hurry!

There seemed to be plenty of other items in stock.

10:15 Audrey Line up at the register

Once you have decided on your product, you will line up at the checkout line. Once you're in the checkout line, you can't go back to the sales floor.

There was a long line, but there were a lot of cashier staff (about 20 people), so it moved quickly.

I exchanged the fresh sweets on my numbered ticket at the cash register, finished Audrey, and headed to Maison Cacao next!

10:27 Line up at Maison Cacao

When you exit Audrey and go straight, Maison Cacao will be on your right.

We lined up in a circle around the booth. There are about 10 customer service staff behind the counter, and they're all very kind and friendly (the blue uniforms are stylish! And they're all cute!).
If you ask a question, they will answer carefully.

First of all, there is the aroma raw chocolate corner. When you ask for the MAISON (Muscat) 3,240 yen and HARMONY (mixed fruit) 3,240 yen, the staff will put them in your cart.
These two products are popular and often sell out.

Next to the aroma raw chocolate is the raw gateau chocolate corner. Add Gateau Chocoral Creche (Pear) 3,780 yen to your basket.
It is said to be delicious either as is or by heating it in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
The aromatic raw chocolate has a shelf life of approximately 20 days, and the raw gateau chocolate has a shelf life of approximately one week, and both require refrigeration.

Freshly baked raw gateau chocolat is also popular, but the expiration date for this is limited to that day.

Next is the chocolate coqueille (round truffle-like chocolate) and tart corners.
There are many different flavors, and I was particularly interested in the limited edition Amaou, but I ended up buying too much, so I held back. Amaou is often sold out.

The sales floor is one-way, so you can't go back, but if you say to the staff, ``I really want that,'' they will bring it to you.

Once you have walked around the booth and selected your items, wait for the cash register.

There are over 10 cashier staff and about 5 cash registers, so everything goes smoothly.

Mr. Ishihara, the founder and cacao director, was waiting at the register. As he guided the cashier and greeted people, he was humble and gave a good impression ♡

Maison Cacao shopping ends around 10:48!

The kind and cute customer service staff will talk to you about various things, so you won't have to worry about waiting time, and the checkout process is smooth, so it's surprisingly quick even if there's a long line!
The staff are very kind and good at explaining things, so it's easy to end up buying too much, so be careful!

10:50 Line up at Ash Chocolate World

Next, we went to Ash Chocolate World.
When you try to line up at the ``Ash Chocolate World - last place is here'' line, a staff member will show you a catalog and ask, ``Are you planning to purchase this product?''

It seems that they are checking because the arrangement is different depending on the product.

If you want to buy chocolate in general, you need to line up at ``Ash Chocolate World - Last place here'', and if you want to buy fresh truffles or canelés, you need to line up at ``Fortissimo Ash - last place here''.
I lined up for chocolate in general.

It gets quite crowded around this time of day, with people lining up in the narrow aisles, people lining up at the store across the street, and people passing between...

After shopping at the two stores, I had a lot of luggage (especially the limited edition Audrey cans, which were bulky), so it was quite difficult to stand in line with my luggage without bumping into people passing by💦

In the general chocolate section, there were no sold out items at this time, including limited edition items. There was an announcement that there were only 2 cream puffs left.

Similar to Maison Cacao, customers line up in front of the counter to select their products. The number of people in line is smaller than at Audrey and Maison Cacao, but since there are only two cash registers, things move slowly... (The line for chocolates in general was better than the one I lined up for, but the line for things like fresh truffles was better.) It seems to be progressing more slowly)

It's getting hotter and hotter because there are so many people (I can't take off my coat because I have a lot of luggage), and there are so many people walking around that I start to get tired...

I bought 8 premium boxes and truffles & strawberries, and finished shopping at Ash Chocolate World at 11:20.

Of the three stores, shopping at Ash Chocolate World may have been the most difficult 💦The customer service staff are kind and have a good impression, but there are too few cash registers and the store is crowded with people. It was the location.

11:25 Leaving the venue

I wanted to buy Club Harie, Seiichiro, and Nishizono if possible, but there were quite a lot of lines for both, and I had plans for later, so I ended here.

Club Harie was especially crowded, with lines forming in front of the elevators.

Other restaurants with long lines were Cafe Tanaka, Chocolate Bank, and Michel Blanc.

The interim results of the popularity vote were posted at the venue.

It's the same as 2022 and 2023 with 1st place Audrey, 2nd place Maison Cacao, and 3rd place Club Harrier!

I arrived at 9:25am and purchased 10 products from 3 brands in about 2 hours🎀

Click here for an introduction to purchased items

Waiting time summary

9:24 Start lining up at the 1st floor entrance
10:08 Admission to Audrey sales floor
10:15 Audrey Line up at the register
10:25 Audrey cash register ends
10:27 Maison cacao lined up
10:48 Maison Kakao cash register ends
10:50 Ash Chocolate World lined up
11:20 Ash Chocolate World cash register closes

The longest time was from lining up at the first entrance to entering the Audrey department, but the line was moving and there was a lot of time to move around, so it wasn't that bad.

The wait time at Ash Chocolate World was a combination of 1) a lot of luggage, 2) the heat, 3) a crowded place, and 4) slow cash registers, which made it difficult.
① and ② are my own problems, but I hope ③ and ④ will be improved next year!

Points to note when visiting Amour du Chocolat 2024

Here are the things I noticed and things to keep in mind when I actually went there this time.

• Buy bulky items later if possible.
• Minimize your luggage with a small shoulder bag etc.
• It's very crowded, so check what you want to buy in advance and decide your priorities.
• Even though there are many lines at Audrey and Maison Cacao, the waiting time is surprisingly short.
• Audrey requires a 10am admission ticket if you want to buy a limited edition cold bag.
• There are so many high-quality chocolates that my financial sense is paralyzed! If it's 1080 yen, it feels cheap and you end up buying it...it's dangerous if you don't decide on a budget in advance!

There was a unique sense of elation at the venue, and it was a lot of fun as it lifted my mood💓

Click here for advance preparation version

↓ Click here for an introduction video of purchased products

↓RonRon staff recommended! For those who can't go to Amour du Chocolat or don't like the crowds, check out this video for [5 Reward Chocolates You Can Buy Without Waiting in Line, Depending on Your Budget]

↓ 9 recommended outfits to wear on Valentine's Day