Traveling to Japan? Don’t Miss These 8 Incredible Dessert Stops
One of my favorite things to do when traveling is trying desserts and bakery items. I am a sucker for these and I must say the Japan bakeries just slay!
It is one of the things I miss most when I have to go back home. I think Japan has perfected desserts because they are able to make something truly delicious with out being overly sweet unlike the US where, to me, all the desserts taste like you are eating pure sugar.
I want to share a few of my favorite places that you absolutely must add to your Japan itinerary for your next trip. When trying to find new places, I do some research but I know that the best places usually tend to be the ones I find just wandering around with no knowledge. I would love to showcase those but as I have come to realize I am so bad at taking notes and photos of places on my trip (insert head slap emoji) so I’ll share the ones I have taken notes and photos at.
Make sure you read until the end we are saving the best for last.
DESSERT PLACES YOU MUST VISIT IN JAPAN
Cohachi
Located in Osaka is this cute little donut shop. This shop only offer take out with no indoor seating and is located in a small vestibule. You’ll place your order at a window and take away your treats. We discovered this shop unexpectedly, we were leaving our hotel one morning and saw their sign right next door so the following day we made sure to try them out and all I can say is I’m glad we did. The dounts were so good! My favorites were the Earl Grey and Strawberry definitely recommend trying. If memory serves we used cash for payment and are unsure if they accept credit card or Sucia. Take cash just to be sure.
Location: 6-10 Minamikyuhojimachi 2-Chōme, Osaka, Japan, 541-0058
Mister Donuts
If you’re looking for a quick fix Mister Donut is the stop for you. This is a chain restaurant and you can pretty much find them everywhere. We often found them in train stations. I stop here every time we visit Japan, I’ve never been disappointed and in addition to donuts they also offer beverages and savory options as well. Some of my favorites are the Pokemon specials, and the savory items.
Location: Multiple locations, check train stations as they are frequently found there
Sandwich House Marchen
We stumbled onto this shop on our first visit to Japan after exiting the shinkansen in Yokohama, but this is also a chain and easyish to find.
This is to take out only. You order at a counter where you can choose from so many options from sweet to savory. I usually order the fruit sandwiches and I end up trying something new each time. When you take it to go depending on how many you order you’ll either get it in a bag or a box and they always put a little ice pack with it. So adorable.
Location: various locations, we’ve found them in train station and food halls
Cobato
This shop was a social media find and let me tell you it wasn’t a fail! This little area has many places to visit but I went to the Cobatopan factory. It is a tiny building so be prepared, maybe 3 people could fit in there at once. There’s a small cooler with lots of options as well as items on some shelves to choose from. They also have drinks you can order but I didn’t try any.
Everything we ordered was delicious and would definitely buy it all again. I recommend getting the cheesecake sandwich, I’m mad at myself for not getting a couple. They offer both sweet and savory options here. If you are in the Osaka area I recommend detouring to this bakery.
Location: 3 Chome-4-22 Tenma, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0043, Japan
Fun Fact: They ship worldwide…just sayin’
Foundry
This was a fun and unexpected find! Foundry offers seasonal cakes by the slice or a whole. I’ve had the strawberry and peach cake. but there are so many delicious looking options it was hard to choose.
Location: Various locations, we found this one in a food hall.
La Collina
La Collina is such a fun experience. There is so much to see and do when you visit. In the center of the grounds there is a central location with a panoramic view of La Collina, an Earth Tower created by Terunobu Fujimori, Rice Terraces, and 3 buildings to explore.
All the buildings have so many baked goods to try and a couple of the buildings have a cafe/restaurant. You can also watch them make the baumkuchen, which is fun to see the process.
I’ve tried multiple items from here but a couple that stand out are the baumkuchen and pizza (individual slices) which are found in the building with the London double decker bus.
Location: 615-1 Kitanoshocho, Omihachiman, Shiga 523-8533, Japan. From the train station this is an easy bus or taxi ride.
* Bonus located not too far away there is a ropeway called hachimanyama ropeway that will take you to Hachimanyama Observation and Hachimanyama Castle Ruins.
Swan Cafe & Bakery
This bakery was a fun discovery I honestly opened up my Google map and looked for a bakery near me and this one was down the road from the hotel we were staying at. They had a good selection of baked items as well as coffee for take out or dine in. They also offer lunch and dinner.
Location: 11-1 Haneda Asahicho, Ota-ku, Tokyo 144-0042
Rau
If you love desserts, you need to add this stop to your Kyoto itinerary immediately. You’ll find Rau on the third floor of a sleek, modern building called Good Nature Station. Deb & I each chose a different dessert to try and when our desserts arrived, they were accompanied by a small backstory card that explained its inspiration.
The desserts were perfection, layers of flavor that unfolded slowly and a mix of textures that kept each bite interesting with the sweetness balanced enough to keep you going back for more. I highly recommend adding this to your bucket list as it is, by far, our favorite dessert shop, to date, in all of Kyoto.
Location: Japan, 〒600-8022 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Inaricho, 318番6 GOOD NATURE STATION 3階
