Akihabara is a popular tourist spot that attracts many people as the mecca of anime. However, if you cross the Kanda River from Akihabara Station, you will find a row of traditional coffee shops, making it an area where you can feel the history of Tokyo.

Located about a 9-minute walk from HOTEL RESOL STAY AKIHABARA, Omiya Confectionery is a long-established confectionery store that has been in business for over 100 years. The store's policy is to provide affordable but not cheap confectionery, and it has been delivering high-quality confectionery that is accessible to many people. What has remained unchanged over the years? We spoke to the store's president, Yoshida Yoshiaki, about his commitment to confectionery and his thoughts on customers.

Aiming to create "ordinary" Western-style sweets that can be enjoyed by anyone at any time

Photo courtesy of: Omiya Confectionery Store Official Instagram

Omiya Western Confectionery was founded in 1884. When it first opened it started out selling bread, but as cakes became popular as a luxury item in Japan it transformed into a Western confectionery store focusing on cakes.

With over 100 years of history, Omiya Confectionery Shop has always maintained a consistent attitude of "being close to people's lives and continuing to provide what customers want."

Yoshida says, "Of course, I'm happy when people eat our cakes on special occasions like birthdays. But I also want them to be a part of everyday life, so I want people to eat our Western-style sweets as something to enrich their daily lives a little."

Western sweets are not something special, but rather "ordinary" sweets that can be eaten on a daily basis. Because of this, Omiya Confectionery offers a wide range of sweets that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders, from cakes and breads to baked goods and ice cream. People of all ages, from small children to the elderly, visit the store and enjoy choosing sweets.

Sweets that can fit in with all kinds of people and occasions. The constant search for ways to make them fit in may be the secret to the store's continued existence for over 100 years.

Using high-quality ingredients and fresh fruit, they offer food that is "affordable but not cheap."

This is the signature shortcake from Omiya Confectionery. I took it out and enjoyed it at home.

Omiya Confectionery's policy is to offer "affordable but not cheap" sweets. "Customers who come to Omiya don't want "cheap but low-quality sweets," but "affordable, high-quality sweets," so we try to deliver what they want," says Yoshida.

That's why even though their cakes are affordable, they are very particular about the ingredients they use, especially the fruits they use, and Yoshida goes to the market every day to find the best time to use the fruits in his Western-style sweets.

If you visit Omiya Confectionery for the first time, the first thing you should try is the shortcake. This sponge cake is made with simple ingredients such as eggs, sugar, and flour, and is topped with fresh cream that is not too sweet, giving it a simple yet nostalgic taste.

The shop also sells bread. The bean-jam buns, made with bean paste and a subtle sweetness, and the piroshki, made with soft and fluffy dough and filled with a generous amount of minced pork, are very filling and recommended for breakfast.

Creating moments that bring smiles through Western sweets

Photo courtesy of: Omiya Confectionery Store Official Instagram

Western sweets are not desserts for special occasions, but a little treat for every day. Omiya Confectionery has maintained this stance and still has many regular customers. Some customers have been brought to eat cakes at Omiya Confectionery by their parents since they were children, and are now mothers who visit the store with their daughters.

Yoshida says, "I think a pastry shop is the job that brings the smiles of customers the closest." Always thinking about what the customer wants, and doing everything they can to make them smile. With this simple attitude, Omiya Pastry Shop sincerely delivers moments that make customers smile in their daily lives.

Omiya Western Confectionery Shop
Address: 2-4 Kanda Awajicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Access: 9 minutes walk from Akihabara Station
HP: https://www.ohmiyayougashiten.co.jp/
SNS: https://www.instagram.com/omiyayougashiten/
*For details on business hours and holidays, please check the link above.