Enjoy "Sweets Kingdom"

Japan has various types of western confectionery and it could be called “Sweets Kingdom”, even it might not be known well before. It has a plenty of stores such as convenience stores in which you can buy sweets for 24 hours and confectioner (patissier) store who won prizes in the world competition and its kinds. You might want to have a try them if you like sweets.



Today, we will introduce shops which you could easily purchase “to-go” sweets. Find out your favorites, take them as much as you want, and taste them like a sweets professional. (2008, Apr)

Purchasing at Sweets Chain Stores
Sweets chain stores let you have many kinds of western confectionery with reasonable price. There are some major sweets shops around terminal train station so you might want to have them on the way back to hotels and ryokans.

Fujiya
Fujiya mainly sell cakes and western confectioneries. Nakano branch and Ginza branch are easy-access in Tokyo district.
Website (Japanese Only)

Ginza Cozy Corner

Ginza Cozy Corner also sells cakes and western confectioneries and has more shops than Fujiya such as Shibuya, Tokyo, Ginza, Shinjuku, Nakano, and Ikebukuro.
Website (Japanese Only)

Hirota

Hirota is long standing cream puff store, established in 1924. It features the site location to have stores in train station for promoting cream puff as souvenirs. It has Ootemachi (subway), Akihabara (subway), Shinjuku (subway), and Ikebukuro (JR) in Tokyo main train stations.
Website (Japanese Only)

Purchasing at Convenience Stores
Talking about sweets which we purchase at convenience stores, it seems they sound convenient-to-purchase but not delicious, however, they focus on developing its sweets products and promoting for customers especially female customers in these years. Since most of convenience stores open for 24 hours, it is easy to purchase when you just get to eat at mid night.

Examples of Convenience Stores:

Seven Eleven

Lawson

am/pm

Family Mart

Sunkus

Mini Stop

Purchasing at Depa-Chika (Depa-Chika stands for Basement Level of Department Store. )
At basement level of department stores in Tokyo, you will see various sweets stores and sometimes world famous sweets shops. Comparing with chain stores and convenience stores, it offers sweets with valuable prices and more kinds to customers.

[Representative Department Stores focusing on sweets promotion]
Shinjuku Takashimaya (B1: Confectionery Section)
It has GRAMERCY NEWYORK, WITTAMER and others.
Website (English)

Isetan Shinjuku (B1: Confectionery Section) Recommended
   
It has JEAN-PAUL HEVIN, HENRI LE ROUX and others. You will see stores which are located only in Isetan Shinjuku.
Website (English)

Printemps-Ginza (Main BLDG 2F: Confectionery Section) Recommended
 
More than 20 sweets shops launched in Printemps-Ginza such as Le Jardin Gaulois and Patisserie ISOZAKI when it renewed at fall 2007.
Website (Japanese Only)

Daimaru Tokyo (1F : Confectionery Section)
It has Boissier, Les MIGNARDISES and others.
Website (English)

Notes for purchasing sweets
1)You will get refrigerants in the box for customers who take trains when purchasing sweets. Tell the crew how long it takes to get back to hotels and ryokans and they put appropriate refrigerants in the box for free.

2)After you bring them back to hotels, you might not find out plates and forks. If you don’t see any of them, purchase plastic forks and paper plates at convenience stores.

3)Your hotel may prohibit customers to bring any foods into it.