Afternoon tea shop from the Showa era！Tokyo’s ultra-dreamy strawberry cream cake

Text & Photos /Happy Cloud

This is a shop with a very old Tokyo vibe—not particularly delicious, but not bad either; however, it has a really interesting atmosphere. The joy of strolling around Tokyo is unexpectedly stumbling upon a Showa-era afternoon tea shop and unexpectedly tasting a strawberry cake that reminds you of your childhood.

Established in 1884 (Meiji 17), it has been around for over 130 years now; wow!! Without realizing it, here’s another century-old shop. While walking around Kanda, I unexpectedly discovered this Western confectionery shop with so much history. Hiding within a modern office building is such an old-style decorated shop—it feels quite contrasting. Rather than calling it just a shop, it feels more like a factory, as if it’s a multifunctional store that combines manufacturing, production, and sales all in one.

Once inside, the counter staff seemed to be quite elderly. After staying in the shop for a while, I noticed that the customers also seemed to be somewhat older. I guess this must be an old-time Tokyo flavor!!

The counter staff spoke Japanese that I couldn’t understand. Suddenly arriving here, I didn’t know what to order either. Seeing several cakes in the display case that combined cream and strawberries, I guessed these must be the ones!!

I ordered a slightly smaller strawberry cream cake. It looked quite retro—very different from the Western-style cakes we see nowadays—but it somehow reminded me of the strawberry cakes from my childhood. It was simple and straightforward!!

If I hadn’t just eaten a plate of curry rice and was still too full, I think I would’ve gone for a whole strawberry cake. It looked even more enticing. I’ll come back next time to try it.

Today I ordered a square, minimalist strawberry cream cake, along with a slice, which could be considered a strawberry cake. That cake, which looked incredibly simple, truly had the taste of the strawberry cakes from my childhood. Beneath the cream was a sponge cake, and it had clear layers with every bite—so simple it was almost moving. Hahaha, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a cake like this.

Another one had a layer of strawberry covered in jelly—this is very much like European cake styles—with cream and cake inside. It also had quite an old-fashioned flavor!!

Because I couldn’t understand Japanese and didn’t quite catch what the staff asked me, after ordering the cake, I also agreed to the staff’s question without realizing it, and ended up paying a bit more. The staff gave me a cup—it turned out to be an all-you-can-eat afternoon tea. Hahaha, it seemed a little too simple, but then I saw those bottles of juice that were unlimited refills!!

There was also coffee nearby, which was unlimited as well; and some hot drinks too. But because I had just eaten, I just went for a coffee and cake. [Japan, Tokyo Food] Tasty curry hidden in Jimbocho bookstore, Bondy curry (ボンディ 神保町本店)—that was already enough to satisfy me. But seeing the ladies next to me drinking juice and also getting soup, with pepper on the side to season themselves!!

Wow!!! These were also drinkable. At first, Yun thought that fee was for just one cup of coffee and thought it wasn’t very cheap!! But later I found out it was an all-you-can-drink price, which made it feel quite economical. Hahaha, this kind of afternoon tea experience is really fun.

A little adventure while getting lost—what an unforgettable experience!! Friends who come to Tokyo next time, don’t forget to come and experience this old-school afternoon tea. It might be different from what you expect, but the taste of the cake is really pure and classic, and you might accidentally fall into a time tunnel.

.......................................................... Eating, drinking, fun—there’s no end to it

Omoriya Western Confectionery Shop
Website:http://www.ohmiyayougashiten.co.jp/
Address: Japan 0101-0063 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Kanda-Adachi-cho 2-chome 4
Phone: +81 3-3251-1088
Business hours: 9:00–19:00 (Closed on Sundays)

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