HIGASHIYA shops are all over the city, but the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hole in the wall HIGASHIYA Man is worth finding. The size of some walk-in closets, here you’ll find some of the city’s most delicious Japanese sweets. Fresh ManjÅ« (steamed buns filled with bean jam) are the headliner taking center stage as they’re freshly steamed in a traditional copper steamer in the shop window. The supporting cast is pretty outstanding, too. Monaka (rice wafers with bean jam), the colorful, jewel tone hitokuchi (one-bite wagashi) and lighter than air castella (sponge cake) are all displayed behind glass cases like high end jewelry.

HIGASHIYA has been perfecting the art of wagashi, Japanese sweets, since 2003 and aims to modernize the traditional wagashi shop experience. Its popularity (especially around the Holidays) is well deserved; the confections here are of the highest quality. Unlike American cakes and candies, the Japanese favor a more nuanced and delicate flavor profile, with just a whisper of sweetness. Perfect for ending a meal, or as a special midday treat.

Maybe more impressive than the flavor, is the packaging. In true Japanese fashion, the decorative wrapping paper and handmade boxes are all a part of the experience at HIGASHIYA. Their famous senbei, stamped rice crackers, come in a sleek wooden box and make excellent gifts, if you can resist eating them on the way home.

3-17-14 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 Japan
+81 3-5414-3881
Website

Shinichiro Ogata, creative director and founder of Simplicity, the design company that conceived and built HIGASHIYA recently released a beautifully illustrated book documenting the creation of HIGASHIYA. For more information or to purchase a copy, go to Amazon.

Dulci is an art director and recent West Coast transplant after 11 years in New York City. She’s equally happy fly-fishing in the pampas of Patagonia or eating pan tomate around midnight in Madrid. She documents it all on Instagram and her travel site. Her dream is to live in Tokyo.

(All photos courtesy of Simplicity.co.jp)

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