Skip to main content

Totoro Treats! | Shiro-Hige's Cream Puff Factory | Tokyo

Japan is  well known for its cute characters, delicious treats and famous anime. There's one bakery that combines all these things together to create perhaps the most Japanese snack ever: The Totoro Cream puff.

Totoro is one of Studio Ghibli's most famous characters. He first appeared in the 1988 film 'My Neighbour Totoro' and charmed the world with his cuteness. The owner of Shiro-Hige's Cream Puff Factory is actually the sister in law of the director of the movie, Miyazaki Hayao.

This charming little Tokyo bakery has a whimsical feel, partially hidden away down a small road and surrounded by lots of trees. The interior design is full of wood and warm colours, so its a lovely and cozy place to enjoy some treats.


The stars of the show are of course the cream puffs. The flavours change depending on the month, so you can check what they'll be serving when you visit here.  We tried a chocolate cream and a caramel banana cream flavoured Totoro. You can tell what flavour they are by looking at the colours of their little hats. Although you feel a bit cruel cutting into Totoro's cute little head, I have to say both flavours were absolutely delicious! I will definitely have to come back at other times of year to try them all!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tea with a ghost? | Tiny Tim's Tearoom | Canterbury

Canterbury is such a historic city so I was looking for a traditional place for afternoon tea. Tiny Tim's Tearoom was the perfect place. Housed in a gorgeous 17th century building, this tearoom is particularly inviting with its baked goods displayed in the shop windows. Inside, Glen Miller was playing softly in the background, giving the place a nostalgic, vintage feel. Many British favourites were on offer, such as, crumpets, scones and hearty sponge cakes. I had an excellent coffee and walnut cake which had a wonderfully potent coffee flavour unlike many shop-bought ones. Served with a dollop of cream, ice cream or custard, these cakes are the ultimate comfort food. Tea is also in abundance. I tried Keemun Orchid which was a black tea that had notes of plum, orchid, sesame and pine. There are also more traditional blends for those who prefer more conventional tea. I attended this tearoom alone after a pleasant morning visiting Canterbury Cathedral. However, was I t...

Gruesome Marshmallow Eyeballs | Halloween

Marshmallow eyeballs make a fun treat for Halloween next week. They are super easy to make as there is no cooking involved. I made a whole load while watching TV! Ingredients 1 packet of Marshmallows 1 packet of Maltesers  Red and green writing icing  Method 1. Use a chopstick to make a hole in the marshmallow. 2. Widen the hole with your fingers and add in a malteser. 3. Ice a dot in the middle of the malteser for the eye's iris and use red icing on the marshmallows to look like veins. It really is that easy!

Fried Chicken Parfait? | Karafuneya Coffee, Kyoto

We've been around the world and tried many strange ice creams, from the tomato flavoured ice cream of Nice to the salt ice cream of Dublin . However, nothing quite matches the crazy ice creams available at Karafuneya Coffee in Kyoto. As soon as you enter this lovely cafe in the Sanjo area of Kyoto, you are greeted by an enormous number of plastic models representing the amazing desserts. The best thing about Karafuneya is the sheer range of sundaes. We were equally thrilled by the classic chocolate and strawberry parfaits and the slightly more unusual Japanese flavours, such as macha and black sesame. There were even enormous sundaes (about 2 feet tall) that you can share with all your friends. However, the real eye catchers are the more outlandish ice cream combinations. We spotted a model for a French fries parfait, a deep fried chicken parfait and an American hot dog parfait. The models actually looked surprisingly delicious, but we weren't feeling too adventurous. So ...