We got the Bread Revolution?

As you already know, Japan has been a rice nation for many years. We have produced & consumed it as an indispensable staple. However, now we're becoming more bread-friendly!

If you actually come to Japan & walk down the streets, some might be surprised by the number of bakeries on the streets. Contrary to the image of "rice nation", you can easily locate both chain & non-chain bakeries, especially in major cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. 

One of the Japanese bakery chains, DONQ

In my opinion, when the popularity of bread became more recognizable here was in the early 2000s, when the huge malls started ruling the whole retail market driving a lot of smaller businesses into a corner. Due to their overwhelming presence, chain bakeries fiercely competed with one another to tenant in those large or mid-size malls across the nation.

Once including at least one or two bakeries inside of a mall became a standard, what happened next was pursuit of specialization. Most of those bakeries started showing off their originality & creativity, causing price hike in the market. But at this point, a variety of beautifully decorated & flavored bread had already reached the level of daily food hard to resist, so we started paying more for bread. 

Deep fried curry bread @ BOULANGERIE LA TERRE, JR Shinagawa station

Now, there are some Japanese who've even totally given up eating rice in order to have more bread. And of course, high-profile chefs or bakeries outside of Japan never miss this big wave to ride. 

Boulangerie Patisserie BRASSERIE VIRON, Shibuya

Tokyo has already become the "battlefield of bread" for bakeries, & at the same time, "bread heaven" for pastry & bread lovers! Why not come & try some?

from "Little Pie Factory" @ JR Shinagawa station

Thanks for reading.

Posted by 3e-Tokyo