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field affiliated with a shrine (the tax-exempt proceeds of its harvest going to pay for shrine operations)apple piecakefruit punchSouvenirs from Long-established Tokyo SouvenirsWestern confectioneryfruit cropStrawberry Sandwich ShortOmiya Confectionery

In this series of interviews, we ask celebrities from various fields to tell us about their favorite long-established gems. The second installment features Minori Kai, a writer who has written numerous books on souvenirs and is sought after by various media as a souvenir professional. In the second half of the interview, she introduces six of her favorite products from the Omiya Confectionary Shop, which she has been a fan of for 20 years.

Minori Kai

writer

We spoke with…

Born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1976. After graduating from Osaka University of Arts, she moved to Kyoto and then to Tokyo, where she published “Kyoto Odekakecho” (Kyoto Travel Guide) in 2005 (Shodensha). Since then, she has written many books on travel, walking, confectionery, architecture, and miscellaneous goods, including “Otome-miyage” (Shogakukan), “Local Bread Handbook” and “Sweets Wrapping Paper” (both published by Graphic, Inc.) Her new book “Local Bread throughout Japan” will be published at the end of March.InstagramBut we are sending out daily information on sweets, bread, coffee shops, travel, etc.

Fruit punch” from Omiya Confectionery Shop, a special feeling of giving and receiving.

She has published about 40 books to date. Minori Kai, a writer, has many fans for her writings from her particular point of view, such as warm souvenirs, lyrical walks, and classical architecture. For more than 20 years, Ms. Kai has been visiting the Omiya Confectionary Shop, which was established in 1884.

The interior of the restaurant, seen through the large glass doors, captures the modern Showa-era setup with its stone flooring and high blue ceiling that makes you look up, creating a nostalgic atmosphere. The moment he stepped into the store, Mr. Kai was greeted with a smile and a few words from the owner, Mr. Yoshida, who said, “Thank you for everything.

When I was in my 20s and still living in the Kansai region, I heard about Omiya Confectionery from a magazine and traveled all the way to Tokyo just to come here. The high-ceilinged, modern interior of the store is a wonderful architectural feature, and the picture-book-like confectionery and the adorable packaging depicting Parisian scenery made me fall in love with the store at first sight.

Since then, he has been visiting at least once a month at most, and at least once every couple of months. For this interview, we borrowed the interior of the Omiya Confectionary Shop to talk with Mr. Kai about his recommendations for souvenirs from Tokyo’s long-established confectionary shops. The first item he recommends is the “Fruit Punch” (3,240 yen / boxed 3,402 yen), which is one of Omiya’s signature products and has many fans.

Fruit punch is often given to me as a gift, and I get a kick out of the cute appearance of the transparent bottle filled with fruit. I also enjoy the “special” feeling that comes from the time and effort that went into making it. The fruit is purchased directly from the store, and the seasonal fruit is carefully cut and packed. The syrup is also delicious, so you can enjoy it in a variety of ways, such as by adding carbonated soda to make a fruit punch or by adding the syrup to yogurt. Just having “Fruit Punch” in the refrigerator at home puts me in a good mood (laughs).
Fruit punch,” Kai says lovingly, “used to be a luxury item that I couldn’t afford to buy myself when I was in my 20s,” he says. In the past few years, it has become even rarer as its popularity has grown. Over time, he says, he has been giving them as “special souvenirs” himself.
Nowadays, there are days when the showcases are sold out without even having time to go in, so I make reservations in advance before I go to buy them. But because I know how special it is that it is not always available, I am very grateful when I receive it, and I think it conveys my feelings when I give it as a gift.

Memories of Omiya Confectionery’s popular “Strawberry Sandwich Short” and “Apple Pie

In addition to “Fruit Punch,” Mr. Kai has many other products at Omiya Confectionery that he has a strong emotional attachment to. The eat-in shop is currently closed, but before the Corona disaster, eating cake at the coffee shop was one of his favorite pastries.

Before the Corona disaster, I used to have the strawberry sandwich shortcake (1,080 yen) every time I came here. My love for it grew so strong that when I was the organizer of a friend’s wedding party, I even custom-ordered a wedding cake for 100 people (laughs). The apple pie (486 yen for a cut, 4,104 yen for a whole) looks as if it came out of a picture book. The pie is crispy and delicious, and you can tell that it is made to maximize the natural sweetness and flavor of the fruit.

The specialty of the eat-in area at the Omiya Confectionary Shop was the drink bar, where you could drink not only coffee and tea, but also fresh, unlimited fresh juice. I used to come here not only by myself, but also for business meetings and with my father who was in Tokyo. It is a place filled with memories, and I would be more than happy as a fan of the Omiya Confectionary Shop if it were to reopen someday.

Ice cream is also popular at Omiya Confectionery. Of these, Kai recommends the soft-serve ice cream.
It is a product made for takeout, but it is rolled up and looks really cute and tasty,” he says. I sometimes bring it as a souvenir.

Popular bread menu of Omiya Confectionery, originally a bakery

With a history that began with the sale of bread in its early days, Omiya Confectionary Shop’s homemade bread is also popular. Among them, Mr. Kai says, “One of the most memorable” is the “French toast” with a half-boiled fried egg on top of a piece of bread. Even now, when he has a photo shoot or other work at a nearby publishing company, he goes there in the morning.1The routine is to stop by the store at number 2, buy some “French toast” and eat it.

When you enter the entrance, there is a showcase of western-style confectionery on the right and a bread corner on the left. There are many freshly baked breads lined up every morning, but they are usually sold out before noon, so it is not surprising that they are not well known. Originally, “Omiya Confectionery” was founded as a bakery, and the second generation studied western confectionery overseas, which was rare at the time, and returned to Japan. ……, so it has a really deep history.”

6 Souvenirs to Buy at Tokyo’s Long-established Souvenirs

Mr. Kai has commented in many magazines and other media as a “professional in selecting souvenirs. We asked Mr. Kai to introduce six of his favorites among Tokyo’s long-established confectionery stores that he is particularly attached to, along with Omiya Confectionery Shop.

Kimuraya Fuhon’s “Sake-kind Anpan 5 colors 5-pack”.

Founded in 1869, Kimuraya Sohonten is a pioneer of bread in Japan. When I was a child living in Shizuoka, my grandfather commuted to Tokyo for work every day and sometimes bought me Kimuraya Sohonten’s “Sake Bread Anpan” as a souvenir. Whenever my family went to Tokyo, I always bought anpan from Kimuraya Sohonten as a souvenir, so for me, it is a true “taste of Tokyo. It’s also a charm.”
Sake-type bean-jam buns, five colors, 5-pack, 1,112 yen

Banana Cake” at Tamuracho Kimuraya

Tamuracho Kimuraya” in Shimbashi was founded in 1900. Since there are many TV stations and theaters nearby, the “banana cake” has been loved by many cultural figures as a backstage souvenir. Even though it is called a cake, it looks like a soft and fluffy banana crepe, and its filling is so filling that I often give it to people to eat on stage or between jobs. Personally, I also love banana snacks, so I don’t forget to buy some for myself as well (laughs).”
Banana cake 302 yen

Special Cookies” at Izumiya Tokyo Store Kojimachi Honten

The company was founded in 1927, and records show that it was already baking Japan’s first “cookies” in the early Taisho period (1912-1926). When I was a child, my parents used to give me everything from stationery to sewing supplies in those navy blue and white tins, and I remember them as “Tokyo souvenirs. I was familiar with the “Special Cookies” from my childhood because they had a pleasant “crunch” characteristic of “Special Cookies,” and I had the impression that they had an honest and serious taste. When I bring souvenirs from Tokyo to other parts of Japan, I often bring them as my own personal Tokyo souvenirs.
Special Cookies 1,296 yen and up

Kotobukido’s “golden sweet potato

Founded in 1884, Kotobukido in Ningyocho has a lovely Japanese-style storefront with a long-established feel. The specialty is “Kogane imo” (* golden sweet potato), a unique Japanese confectionery that looks like a baked sweet potato, with cinnamon powder sprinkled on top of the yellow bean paste wrapped in a skin that looks like a baked potato. I like the unexpected combination of red bean paste and cinnamon, and I also like the ribbon made of paper string and the modern design of the wrapping paper, which are characteristic of Japanese sweets.
Koganeimo is an invention of Kotobukido.
230 yen per piece / 10 pieces in a box, 2,430 yen (top photo)

Shiseido Parlor’s Hanatsubaki Chocolat (limited to the main Ginza store)

The “Shiseido Parlor,” founded in 1902, has always been fond of its classic cookie tins, and I use those beautiful tins to put postage stamps and other items in. The “Hanatsubaki Chocolat,” which was released only for the Ginza flagship store to celebrate its renovation a while ago, is a gorgeous Tokyo souvenir that is much appreciated. The colors are as vivid as a makeup palette, and the shape and form are truly beautiful.
*Some flavors change depending on the season. *Some flavors change depending on the season.
Hanatsubaki chocolates (limited to the Ginza main store store): 270 yen each

Tachibana’s “Karinto (koro) round can small

Tachibana” was established in 1980 and is famous as a long-established karinto shop in Ginza. In the past, we used to give them to people who were a little older, such as my mother’s generation, but now when we give them to younger people who have never had karinto, they say, “I’m glad I never bought it myself,” and it gives them a chance to know how delicious it is. The appearance of the vermilion can is also wonderful, and it even has a dignity not found in cans from other stores, making it a very pleasant product to receive.
Karinto (koro) round can, small, 1,800 yen

Kai says that “long-established stores” have many stories to tell, and that there is more to them than just words like “cute” and “delicious. When purchasing souvenirs, be sure to research the history of the shop and listen to its stories, so that you can give it to the customer with a story to make him or her even more pleased.
Interview and text by Zonki Fujii
Photo: Ikuko Takahashi

Stores visited by Minori KaiVisit