Planning a trip to Japan and wondering where to get the best desserts in Tokyo? From fluffy sponge cakes to creamy Hokkaido soft serves, Tokyo is a paradise for anyone with a sweet tooth. Whether you love matcha, strawberries, or caramelized custards, there’s a dessert here with your name on it.
Here’s my personal dessert trail across Tokyo — featuring 9 unforgettable treats you absolutely have to try. These are not just delicious, they’re an experience. Ready to dig in?
🍯 1. Honeycomb Pudding – St. Saiwai Orion’s, Nakameguro
Let’s start with a dessert that’s almost too pretty to eat. This silky Japanese-style pudding is smooth and rich, but what takes it over the top is the honeycomb-shaped caramel tuile perched on top. It’s delicate, slightly crisp, and gives the pudding a fancy crunch in every bite.
Pro tip: Grab this one in the cozy neighborhood of Nakameguro — it’s the perfect mid-walk treat!
🍦 2. Shortbread Cone with Choco-Vanilla Ice Cream – Cremia, Asakusa
There’s soft serve… and then there’s Cremia. Made with premium Hokkaido milk, this choco-vanilla twist is next-level creamy — and it comes served in a buttery, crisp shortbread cone that’s almost better than a cookie.
This ice cream melts like silk on your tongue. It’s rich, indulgent, and one of the best soft serves you’ll find in Tokyo.
🍓 3. Strawberry Kakigori – Azuki Tokouri, Meguro
This isn’t your average shaved ice. Kakigori is a beloved Japanese dessert, and Azuki Tokouri elevates it into something magical. Their Strawberry Kakigori is a layered dream: strawberry syrup, jelly, fresh cream, and topped with a caramelized brûléed meringue dome.
It’s icy, fruity, and fluffy with every spoonful — like a strawberry cloud kissed by fire.
🍵 4. Matcha Cone – Chacha Futatsume, Harajuku
Matcha lovers, this one’s for you! This dessert features a tall swirl of matcha “noodles” sitting on soft serve and served in a crunchy waffle cone. It looks like a mini mountain — and tastes like matcha heaven.
The matcha is earthy and intense, perfectly balanced by the sweet creaminess of the ice cream. It’s not just dessert — it’s a moment.
🍰 5. Fluffy Sponge Cakes with Custard – Kinefuku, Asakusa
These Japanese sponge cakes are cute, tiny, and impossibly soft. Filled with warm custard, they’re light-as-air bites of joy that quite literally melt in your mouth.
You’ll find them freshly made near the Sensoji Temple — perfect for a quick, sweet bite between sightseeing.
🍡 6. Strawberry Daifuku – Outside Sensoji Temple, Asakusa
Imagine biting into a soft, chewy mochi outer layer filled with a floral cherry blossom bean paste, and topped with a juicy red strawberry. That’s Strawberry Daifuku — a Japanese classic.
It’s refreshing, chewy, and slightly floral — the kind of street snack that tastes like spring.
🍦 7. Strawberry Soft Serve – Tsukiji Fish Market
Yes, even Tsukiji Market, famous for sushi and seafood, has killer desserts. This vanilla-strawberry soft serve swirl is light, rich, and served in a crispy waffle cone with a strawberry on top. Simple? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely.
Grab one after your sushi breakfast — dessert before noon is totally allowed in Tokyo!
🍠 8. Sweet Potato Brûlée – Imo Pippi, Asakusa
This is comfort food turned into dessert art. A freshly roasted Japanese sweet potato is sliced open, filled with a creamy custard-like topping, and brûléed to golden caramelized perfection.
It’s warm, sweet, creamy, and a little smoky. Perfect for chilly evenings or a post-temple treat.
🍓 9. Fruit Cream Sandwiches – Age.3, Ginza
These aren’t your typical sandwiches. At Age.3, thick slices of lightly fried bread are filled with whipped cream and seasonal fresh fruit — from strawberries and melons to mangoes and kiwi.
It’s a crunchy, fruity, creamy combo that’s as fun to eat as it is to photograph. Honestly, who knew sandwiches could be this pretty?
From traditional treats to modern marvels, Tokyo’s dessert scene is full of surprises. Whether you’re team soft serve or a mochi fan for life, these 9 must-try desserts will leave you sweetly satisfied.
📌 Save this blog post for your next Tokyo trip, and make sure to go on your own dessert adventure. Just don’t forget to pack stretchy pants — trust me on this one.
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