My new hobby in lieu of visiting shawarma establishments… Japanese bakeries! They are everywhere, and I am happily becoming a customer of as many as I am able. Today marks number fifty one!
Recently, I started working a part time job as a dispatch teacher at Japanese kindergartens. I typically go to 3-4 different kindergartens every week which are spread all across the suburbs of Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. This has enabled my new hobby immensely, and I think I’ve probably visited about 10 new bakeries in the past 3 weeks alone…
Japanese bakeries almost always have a French name, and serve sweet and savory breads of varying varieties and authenticities. Common items include sweet red bean-filled buns and flaky pastries, and many mini “pizzas” — the most popular flavour is corn and mayonnaise, hence the quotes — and hot dogs baked into various types of breads. These items are not my preference.
Fortunately, there are many things that suit my pallette. Curry bread, a deep-fried bun filled with Japanese curry, and sandwiches with deep fried fish or chicken and tartar sauce are some of my go-to lunch items. Sweets come in all shapes and forms, however croissants and pain au chocolat are mainstays as you might expect. They are almost always very good, occasionally superb! I am also fond of the many cream filled sweet breads and puff pastries, many of which are mixed with a fruit flavour.
Patisseries are equally abundant, and I’ve decided to include them in my tally. However, they’re typically considerably more pricey than the bakeries I frequent, so while delicious, I don’t have many to report on yet. Cakes, puddings, tarts and creampuffs are common. The ones I’ve tried so far are delicious!
The other advantage of bakeries here is the price… Typically I can get a lunch of 2 savoury items and 1-2 sweet items for under $10!
Needless to say, I will have to make sure I keep up all my hiking to wear off the calories… I’m sure you’ll see plenty more updates in that regard.
Here’s some photos. Unfortunately, I’m not very good or entirely interested in taking photos of all the foods and places I experience, as much fun as it might be… I’ll continue to try to capture some of the more notable ones!
