Chiikawa Bakery in Tokyo – Kawaii Bread and Delights in Harajuku!

Kawaii fans, did you know that there is a Chiikawa Bakery in Tokyo? 

It’s the most adorable pink patisserie where you can find mascots of your favourite characters inside!

They sell a variety of Chiikawa-shaped bread, sweet treats, and exclusive merchandise. It’s every Nagano fan’s dream come true. 

Here is how to visit the Chiikawa Bakery in Tokyo and what you can buy. 

What is the Chiikawa Bakery?

If you haven’t heard of Chiikawa (where have you been?), It’s an adorable animated series by the Japanese artist Nagano.

The main character, Chiikawa, is easily one of the most popular kawaii figures in Japan today, having taken the country by storm.

This whimsical illustrated world features other friends like Hachiware, Usagi, Momonga, and Rakko. My favourite is the crab bookworm Kani. 

Chiikawa is so famous that they have several flagship stores, a theme park and even a ramen restaurant.

There is also a permanent bakery selling inspired treats in Tokyo. It’s the cutest patisserie in the universe, and every Chiikawa fan must visit. 

Do you need a reservation for Chiikawa Bakery?

Yes, you need an advanced reservation to visit Chiikawa Bakery. This often runs on a lottery system via Lawson Ticket. 

They also offer a first-come, first-served advanced payment option, where you can buy a shopping voucher for ￥1000. 

Both offers are on rotation, so it’s worth checking the reservation requirements before you plan to go. 

I originally wasn’t intending to visit Chiikawa bakery for this reason, as I was too late to apply before my trip (oops).

But, as we were shopping in Harajuku, we decided to head there anyway to see what all the hype was about. 

As we got there so early on a weekday, there was no queue, so the staff told us we could visit without a reservation.

I was over the moon and took the opportunity with both hands! 

If you also don’t have a reservation and were hoping to go, I would visit as soon as they open in the morning (11 am). 

You may get lucky like us and get to go in straight away, but it’s never a guarantee.  

How to find the Chiikawa Bakery in Tokyo

The Chiikawa Bakery can be found in Harajuku, a popular shopping area of Tokyo.

You’ll need to enter Harajuku’s Tokyu Plaza, a shopping mall, and then take the escalators to the third floor. 

The closest metro stations are Meiji-jingumae ‘Harajuku’ Station (4 minutes walk) and Harajuku Station (6 minutes walk).

It’s open every day from 11 am – 8 pm. So, there’s plenty of time to visit on your trip.

Arriving at the pink bakery 

You’ll instantly know when you’ve arrived at the Chiikawa Bakery as it’s completely painted pink. 

It’s easily one of the cutest bakeries I’ve ever seen, with a Chiikawa-shaped entry door and neon signs.

The staff will greet you on entry to check your reservation (or not in our case) and welcome you inside.

They will hand you a set of instructions, and then you’ll enter a small queue to wait for your turn. 

I was so excited to start exploring this bakery. It was just so stinking cute. 

What is it like inside? 

This bakery is simply enchanting and is painted entirely pink with Chiikawa-shaped bread on the walls and ceiling. 

You’ll find the trio of Chiikawa, Hichaware and Usagi in the middle by the ovens, causing mischief. 

There is a makeshift shop with Shisa selling some Ramen-shaped bread. 

The underrated Chiikabu can be found near the bakery boxes, and Rakko is above him, holding bread buns.

You can find Kuri-Manjū sitting near the checkout with a “Shuwa” drink, and Kani is swinging in a basket above your head. 

There are so many adorable things to find in this kawaii store once you’re unleashed inside. 

But, before you can browse in full, the staff will usher you to their baked goods counter to select your sweet treats first.

What do they sell at Chiikawa Bakery?

The main offering of Chiikawa Bakery is all their delectable bread that is freshly baked each day.

They have every type of sweet bread you could think of, and they are all shaped and themed on Chiikawa characters.

The most popular is the Chiikawa Bread, which is a fluffy bun filled with custard cream. They also have a Usagi bun with caramel cream. 

We both ordered the Hachiware bread filled with chocolate cream, which was so tasty!

They also have cream cornets, Chiikawa milk bread, croquette burgers, a Kurimanju chestnut bun, Ro Ramen bread, Beetle waffles and financiers. 

Sometimes items are limited to one/two per person. So, don’t go too wild.

To wash down your treats, they also serve drinks like iced coffee and tea. They also have juice inspired by “Shuwa”, a drink in their world.

Chiikawa Bakery merchandise 

As well as kawaii baked goods, the bakery has a plethora of exclusive merchandise that you can buy to remember your visit. 

They had a range of Chiikawa crockery, mugs and baking gear, as you would expect. 

But, they also had badges, keyring and special blind boxes where you could get one of their unique Chiikawa bakery figurines.

I particularly loved their selection of plushies. They had all your favourite characters as bakers in the kitchen. 

I bought Chiikawa, and he had the cutest hat and apron with a mini version of his kawaii bread.

Plus, they sold plushie versions of all their baked goods to remember your visit! 

Honestly, I had to stop myself from buying everything. This place was really bad news for my wallet. 

How do you order and pay?

You’ll be given a map and a rulesheet in English explaining the shopping process for Chiikawa Bakery on entry (yes, really). But, it’s as follows;

1. Head to the bakery counter to browse the bread/treats
2. Order your food and drinks at the bakery counter 
3. Get a receipt and browse the gift shop
4. Head to the tills (opposite side) to pay for your bread and gifts
5. Receive another receipt 
6. Collect your food from the original bakery counter

To me, this was overly complicated, with a lot of back and forth going on. 

I understand why they do it for more sales, but as a customer, the user experience was jarring.  

But I had to remind myself that this is Japan, so setting complex rules for simple things comes with the territory. Just go with it.

Can you eat inside? 

No, the Chiikawa Bakery is a takeaway shop only, so there is no seating inside. 

You’ll be taking your bread away in their adorable Chiikawa Bakery boxes. 

But please refrain from opening it up and eating it straight away in the plaza. 

An unspoken rule in Japanese society is that it is rude to eat while walking. So, you should find a suitable place to sit and eat them.

We took our baked goods up to the sixth-floor outdoor seating area in the plaza, so we didn’t offend anyone. 

There were also handy trash cans to dispose of our rubbish. These are like finding a unicorn in Tokyo. 

Is the Chiikawa Bakery worth visiting?

Yes, if you’re a fan of Chiikawa or kawaii cartoon characters, the Chiikawa Bakery has to be on your bucket list.

Not only is this pink patisserie charming, but it serves up some tasty sweet treats shaped like your favourite Chiikawa characters. 

Although the reservation system can be complex and the bakery is often busy, the rewards are worth the effort.

Don’t skip the Chiikawa Bakery in Tokyo, it’s a whimsical experience you won’t forget.

The shop next door

If you didn’t happen to get a Chiikawa Bakery reservation and can’t go inside, they do have another shop right next door.

This sells most of the same merchandise that you can find in the Chiikawa Bakery. 

From my understanding, you can’t buy the Chiikawa bread from the bakery here. 

But it’s nice that you can still buy the merchandise any time you like without a reservation. 

Even more Chiikawa in Japan

If you love Chiikawa, then I have some good news for you: you’ll find shops and experiences all over Japan.

If you want to shop for Chiikawa merchandise, you’ll find Chiikawa Land stores in Shinjuku, Kyoto and Osaka.

By Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, you’ll also find the special Mogumogu Honpo Fushimi Store.

You can also visit Chiikawa Park at the Sunshine Mall in Ikebukuro. I booked this through Klook (no lottery required) and loved it!

It’s not a theme park, but you will walk through many adorable rooms to find scenes with your favourite characters.

There are endless photo opportunities and, at the end, you’ll get to meet Chiikawa. The gift shop is also huge with exclusive goodies.

There is also Chiikawa Ramen Buta, an adorable restaurant serving up tasty ramen dishes and merchandise. 

I went to the temporary one in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. The permanent one can be found in Ikebukuro near the park for a Chiikawa-themed day out. 

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