Nezu No Pan Mugwort Bread with Red Beans: My friend purchased two different mini loafs from Nezu bakery Nezu No Pan, whose bread has a texture unlike any I've had before. The outside of the loaf is a normal thin crust, but the inside is stretch and chewy, a bit like mochi but definitely lighter (for example, you can easily break off a piece). This bread has a vivid green color and slightly bitter herbal flavor from mugwort, a plant used to flavor some Asian desserts (the only other time I had it was also in Japan, and it was used ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japanese nezu tokyo bakery nezunopan megwort bread red beans 4.5
Ginza Akebono Strawberry Daifuku: For the most part, I've been able to try all the major traditional Japanese confectionary treats in my time in Japan, so I generally haven't been going out of my way to visit particular shops. However, if I see that a shop has a line, I'll take a look, especially as there are essentially no tourists in Tokyo now and so any place with a line is a local favorite. I hadn't known about this small shop in Ginza that opened right after WWII (about 60 years old), but their ichigo (strawberry) dai... (read more) 4.0/5.0
exceptional tokyo mochi ginza japanese ginzaakebono strawberry daifuku 4.0
Sogetsu Kuromatsu Doriyaki: This doriyaki was an unexpected special gift from someone I met who knew about my snack blog. Because it was given to me, I didn't get to visit the shop directly, but the red bean pancake comes from Sogetsu, an almost 100-year-old brand whose shop in Kita-Ku attracts very long lines. The doriyaki has a marbled color, which is where its name Kuromatsu (black pine) comes from, as it resembles the bark of a tree. This coloring comes from a combination of brown sugar and honey used in the bat... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japanese tokyo redbean sogetsu kuromatsu doriyaki 4.5
あわしま堂 Mandarin Orange Daifuku: I've had surprisingly little mochi in Japan, even though it's one of my favorite snacks, but the orange-themed packaging of this individually-wrapped snack stood out to me, and since I had never tasted orange-flavored mochi before, I decided to give it a try. The mochi itself is dyed pale orange and is much more plump and pliable than any store-bought mochi I've had in the states. The filling is almost like an orange pulp, slightly stringy in texture, and is notably acidic, rather than tas... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended mochi tokyo daifuku mandarin orange 3.5
根津のたいやき Taiyaki: One thing I will sincerely miss when I leave Japan is the little mom & pop stands selling traditional Japanese treats like imagawayaki and taiyaki. This little stand in Nezu always seems to have a line, even in COVID times, and serves anko (red bean) filled fish-shaped pancakes. They cost just about $2 USD and they take care to snip off the burnt edges with scissors before placing your pancake in a to-go pouch, meant to be eaten quickly after it comes from the grill. Their red bean paste ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japan nezu anko redbean tokyo taiyaki 4.5
Le Cafe de Joel Robuchon Mediterranean Fougasse: Purchased at the Joel Robuchon cafe in Shinjuku, this twisted fougasse bread was deliciously savory, combining many flavors that I don't run into often here, including sundried tomatoes, olives, lemon, and anchovies. Those flavors could easily come off as salty but wasn't in this instance: it was impressively well balanced and made me really miss mediterranean food I could easily get in the states like hummus or falafel. The bread itself had a satisfying crust that was just chewy enough. 4.0/5.0
recommended tokyo shinjuku robuchon bakery lecafedejoelrobuchon mediterranean fougasse 4.0