I have introduced many unique foods from Japan, but there are a lot more that you still don’t know yet. You may think most of Japanese traditional foods are steamed rice, sushi, or udon noodles. Breads are also eaten in Japan since long ago.

Back in 1875, during the Meiji period, a samurai called Yasube Kimura invented bread called “Anpan”. It is essentially a combination of western-style bread and the Japanese traditional sweet bean called “Anko.”

He started a bakery called “Kimuraya” in Ginza, and it still remains popular till today.



At the time, breads in Japan was only salty and sour-tasting. Yasube wanted to make bread that was more familiar to the Japanese original taste. So he put bread and sweet beans together and it made a huge hit and there are even times where people had to wait in line for long periods of time.

He also used malted rice, which is a main ingredient for making Sake, to make yeast.
So when you smell the bun you can slightly smell a hint of sake.



All the Anpans are displayed in boxes just like how they used to be back then.



Besides regular sweet beans, Anpan has a lot of various flavors such as “Zunda” which is sweet paste made from edamame. And also cherry blossom sweet An bean paste called “Sakura.”

Anpan is so popular now that you can find it at almost every bakery shop in Japan.

KIMURAYA
ADDRESS: 4-5-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
PHONE: 03-3561-0091
OPEN: 10:00AM-9:30PM

Map: