You might just walk past this rather nondescript bakery in Motomachi without a second glance. Don't: Uchiki Pan not only carries a whole lot of history, it's also damn tasty. Opened way back in 1888, they're considered one of the creators of 'shokupan', the white sandwich bread sold all across Japan these days. The original owner, Uchiki Hikotaro, learnt his trade from an Englishman named Clarke at the nearby Yokohama Bakery, and carried on baking after Clarke returned to Europe. Over 130 years later, the store is still going strong, churning out thousands of loaves, pastries and more every day.
Although their fluffy loaves – aptly named 'England', to highlight their foreign origin – are the main attraction, do check out their wealth of viennoiserie options too. We're fans of their kinoko 'pie', a thin pastry with a texture reminiscent of a quiche base but with a bit more crunch, filled with four different types of marinated mushrooms. If you want yours to be as fresh as possible, check out Uchiki Pan's website: they list the approximate times when the latest batch of their bestsellers pops out of the oven each day.