“Let’s take a break from our busy daily lives,
Find sweet desserts filled with the personality and sincerity of the store owners.
“How about we take a different path for a moment?”

Schwashwa, fluffy, bouncy
A taste at Tokyo's retro cafe Kitsaten
A journey with happy desserts

At 3 p.m., whenever I need a quick break, I inevitably crave a cup of coffee and a sweet dessert.
This book, "Sweetly, Tokyo's Kitsaten," is a book that contains stories of thirty retro cafes called "Kitsaten" in Tokyo that opened during the Showa period from 1926 to 1989, and the six desserts you can taste there.
Kitsaten is a shop that serves desserts or light meals with coffee, and has long been a part of people's daily lives as a salon for cultural figures and an oasis in the neighborhood.
The book is divided into six chapters centered around six desserts: parfaits, hotcakes, pudding a la mode, fruit sandwiches, cakes, and drinks. It covers desserts that always create happy moments in an interesting and in-depth way, along with the stories of the Kitsatens.
At the end of the book, there is a story about the nostalgic Kitsaten that existed when the book was first published in Japan, but can now be tasted only in memories.
Additionally, at the end of each chapter, various information related to Kitsaten is introduced, such as famous desserts that only I want to know about, the interior of Kitsaten, matchboxes, and the feelings of the masters who own the store towards Kitsaten.


"Sweetly, Tokyo's Kitsaten" is not just a simple cafe guide. It explores the stories of coffee and desserts, shops and customers, and the history and culture unique to Kitsaten, leaving readers with a warm feeling and nostalgia.
In an age where everything changes so rapidly, isn't it the belief that a store that quietly stands in its place that brings comfort?
Discover your own unique kissaten through this book, a small and precious taste map for coffee and dessert lovers by Rina Namba, the self-proclaimed director of the Tokyo Kissaten Research Institute, who has visited and introduced over 1,700 kissaten across Japan. Discover a special experience that fills your heart with sweetness and warmth through stories of kissaten and desserts, both old and new.

Filled with a nostalgic and nostalgic atmosphere, Kitsaten allows you to spend leisurely time in a familiar space, providing a small escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
It's filled with delicious temptations like pudding a la mode, fruit parfaits, cream sodas, and pancakes, all served with fragrant coffee.
--- p.5, from “Space, People, Time, and Sweet Desserts”

The store, built by parents and children together, saw an increase in customers as new menu items were added.
People who come to enjoy the lunch menu, and people who want to take a break and drink coffee, tea, etc.
Even when the store is bustling with customers, you can spend a leisurely time in Yuraku, which feels like a different world from reality.
The hazy atmosphere of the past remains the same, but a new wind blows every day.
Keeping the store's lights on.
This may be Yuraku's best menu, called 'Ideal Comfort'.
--- p.20, from "Fruit Parfait Yuraku"

The fruit parfait is so gorgeous that it draws attention when it is brought to the table, and it is indeed more than the rumors say.
The bottom of the glass is filled with melon syrup (sometimes strawberry syrup), topped with ice cream and whipped cream, and topped with cornflakes to create a solid base. Then, it is topped generously with seasonal fruits such as apples, pears, oranges, melons, kiwis, peaches, tangerines, bananas, and pineapples.
Here, raspberries, long strawberry cookies, and a cone of ice cream that looks like it's about to fall off the floor are boldly placed.
Whether you look at it from the side or from above, it looks like a flower arrangement, and it is so beautiful that it is almost a shame to eat it when you take a picture.

--- pp.36-37, from "Fruit Parfait Coffee Seibu"

“Puding tastes like mother’s.
Even men who are reluctant to order sweets from outside really like it.
So, I hope that when you taste our food, you will be reminded of your mother's taste.
I make each pudding while muttering to myself, “It’s shiny and glossy.” “Oh my, it’s cute.”
“He speaks so gently, as if he were talking to a baby.” Customers flock to taste Master Mori’s puddings, the threshold of which is worn down.
“Regular customers are not determined by the number of times they visit a store.
For example, if you come once or twice a year solely for the purpose of Hekkerun, I would consider you a regular.
“That feeling of connection, where you feel naturally grateful when someone says it was really delicious, is life.”
--- pp.79-80, from "Puding a la mode Heckern"

With the desire to satisfy our customers' needs as much as possible by carefully selecting seasonal fruits, we have acquired skilled techniques to create a variety of menus.
Among them, the most popular menu is the ‘fruit sandwich.’
The whipped cream is whipped to order and the sweetness is reduced to emphasize the fruit flavor.
The appeal is that you can taste eighteen different types of fruit, cut into small pieces and placed like jewels, all at once.
It's made with four slices of bread, so it's a lot, but you can eat it all without feeling guilty.
--- pp.144-145, from “Fruit Sandwich Petit Monde”

“I love seeing the surprised look on the guests’ faces when I bring them food.
So I wanted to create a menu that had an interesting shape and appearance.” With this in mind, ‘Melon Pancake’ was born.
It is said that even if they know what the menu is, most customers cheer the moment it is brought to the table.
The surface is covered in light green cream and has a net pattern of whipped cream.
Inside, three chewy pancakes are stacked on top of each other, still steaming hot, and between the breads, thick melon juice, homemade melon sauce, and ice cream overflow.
--- pp.167-168, from "Cake Bridge"

Even while battling illness, the master stood in the shop until the very end, and the inside of the shop is overflowing with the things he left behind.
One of them is 'Vienna Coffee'.
The bottom layer of the tall, thin glass is filled with coarse sugar, the middle layer is filled with Brazilian coffee, and the top layer is filled with whipped cream, creating a beautiful three-layer cocktail.
The first bite is cold whipped cream, the next is strong warm coffee, and the last is thick sweetness.
Some regulars pour hot water over any sugar leftover and drink it.
The master
It is said that he was a very mischievous person and would often make jokes with customers who ordered iced cocoa, such as "I love you ice cocoa."
--- p.212, from "Beverage Heikinritsu"

One of the most confident sweets is the 'Swan Cream Puff'.
The face of the swan-shaped choux cream is made with a thin metal mold using leftover dough, and the neck part is said to be the most difficult.
“It’s not an easy task, but if you do it sloppily, you’re not a professional.
“My job is to figure out how we can make a lot of cakes deliciously and efficiently,” says Ota.
Because they are handmade, each swan's expression is different, which is what makes them so lovely.
Not only does it look unique, but its taste is also unique, as it contains chestnuts in the whipped cream.

--- pp.275-276, from "The Alps, the Store in My Memory"