Japanese milk bread is a big trend in Tokyo. So what makes it so popular – and where you can buy it
Soft, fluffy and light as a cloud, Japanese milk bread – or shokupan – is a big deal on Tokyo's bakery scene. It may look like your average loaf of bread but there's a clear difference in taste and texture.
Explore Tokyo these days and you'll find many cafés and bakeries dedicated to turning out hundreds of these fluffy white loaves daily. Tokyoites are enjoying shokupan in a variety of ways, too, both savoury and sweet: eating it plain, toasted or as a sandwich. Here, we take a closer look at what makes shokupan so popular and list some of our favourite café-bakeries for full- and half-loaves as well as slices.
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Sourdough and wholewheat-loving bread snobs often sneer at white bread but shokupan is the king of the loaves here in Japan. Also known as milk bread, it’s a rectangular block of white bread revered for its soft, cloud-like fluffiness and milky sweetness.
Sort of, but baked with an unusual process. The secret lies in the water-roux technique known as the tangzhong method, in which a small amount of flour is cooked with water or milk to create a base. After that, a simple combination of basic ingredients – flour, milk, butter, yeast, salt, sugar and sometimes eggs – results in a sweet loaf with a delicate crumb, chewy mochi mochi bite, and thin, crisp exterior.
You’re right: just like a bowl of plain rice, shokupan is the perfect canvas for layering on different flavours and textures. However, prized loaves are best savoured in extra-thick slices to appreciate their texture and taste. While shokupan is often sold whole in big loaves, here are a few places where you can indulge in a dreamy slice or three.
At this Ginza bakery and restaurant, eager fans have been known to line up an hour before opening just to get one of its coveted shokupan loaves. You have three choices including a British-style bread made with a strong, dense flour that’s ideal for toasting, and another made with two types of domestic Japanese flour that is best eaten untoasted.
The café menu set lets you try all three bread types, accompanied by an assortment of butters, jams and spreads. You can even pick your own toaster, allowing you to toast your bread to your liking right at the table. Sandwiches are also on offer, as well as shokupan toast topped with melted cheese right off a raclette.
This rustic bakery is so discreet, you might miss it if you’re not looking hard enough. However, it’s been in business for about 25 years and has amassed a loyal following, especially in the surrounding ‘hood. To give it even more credit, the bakery was even listed as one of the 100 best bakeries in Tokyo by restaurant guide Tabelog in 2022.
Shigekuniya functions as a takeaway bakery with fresh bread displayed out front. Some of it's most popular items are the shokupan loaves made with different types of domestic flour. To accompany your bread, you can also pick up jars of seasonal fruit preserves.
If conventional square shokupan doesn't get you excited, this adorable cat-shaped version might just change your mind. The kawaii loaves are made from a mixture of domestic wheat flour, cream, honey and plenty of fresh milk, which makes this bread so moist and fluffy.
There are four types of shokupan loaves to choose from: plain, chocolate, azuki (red bean) and cheese, plus additional seasonal flavours. You can now order these kawaii loaves online for delivery right to your door.
If you can’t get enough of Japan’s fluffy shokupan, you'll want to pick up a fresh loaf from this speciality bread shop near Kiyose Station. Made from premium ingredients, these quality loaves are so delicate they melt in your mouth. Pick from two different types: a plain version called ‘Tamashii Shikomi’ and another with raisins called ‘Hoseki Bako’. Our tip: best eaten fresh from the oven.
As its name suggests, this store has a particular niche – it’s all about bread baked using steam. And these are some of the fluffiest shokupan loaves you’ll find in Tokyo. The dough is left to rise at a low temperature for a long time, making it especially sweet, and the long steaming process gives it a moist and mellow texture.
To make its decadent treats, the store uses 100-percent Japanese wheat, along with cream, condensed milk, cream cheese, and pure honey. In addition, all the ingredients are free of emulsifiers, artificial fragrances, colours and preservatives.
There’s still plenty to eat at the bustling Tsukiji: tamagoyaki omelette sandwiches, taiyaki, grilled scallops and more
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