[Tokyo] Fan of Anpan, the famed Japanese red bean bun? Then you must put this somewhere in your travel itinerary.
Established in 1869, Ginza Kimuraya is a bakery and café serving French-inspired dishes, also regarded as the oldest and first Western style bakery in Japan.
Legend has it that this is the birthplace of Anpan, the bun (looking like a mini bagel) filled with azuki red bean paste.
The original sakadane anpan recipe uses sake yeast instead of traditional yeast, that’s why it has a unique aroma and taste.
Its signature bun, the Sakura Anpan, was once requested by and presented to the Emperor Meiji in 1875. Aside from the red bean paste filling, it has a salted cherry blossom in it.
The Anpan Red Bean Buns (¥600 for bag of 3, or SGD7.50) may be a lot smaller than what you have imagined; it has a almost chewy texture and not in the typical soft and fluffy way.
The red bean fillings encapsulated inside was slightly sweet and certainly what you would describe as good quality and smoothly creamy.
Today, more than a century later, Kimuraya is bustling with locals and tourists who want to try their various baked products such as kasha pan (filled breads), cakes, bread loaves and sandwiches.
The second floor houses a café where you can eat the bakery goods from the ground floor along with coffee or tea. The third floor has a grill restaurant serving Yoshohu (Western-style) dishes like beef stew, hamburger steak and croquettes.
If you want a fine dining meal, head to the fourth floor for some European style steaks and fish.
Ginza Kimuraya
4 Chome-5-7 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
+81 3-3561-0091
Opening Hours: 10am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
Ginza Kimuraya – Mitsukoshi Basement 2
4 Chome−6−16, Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo
Tel: +81 3-3535 9677
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 8pm (Mon – Sun)
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