Western-Style Sweets

The term “Western sweets” (yōgashi) was coined in the early 1870s to refer to recipes inspired by American and European confectionery. It was meant to distinguish foreign imports from native sweets (wagashi), but several Japanese sweet makers began creating European- and American-style pastries. Fūgetsudō, a confectionery company founded in the mid-1700s, sold bonbons and cookies in Tokyo beginning in 1874; in 1896 it offered éclairs and was the first confectioner in Japan to sell cream puffs (shūkurīmu), an adaptation of the French choux à la crème. Other entrepreneurs saw the opportunity to specialize in Western desserts. Fujii Rin’emon (1885–1968) opened his store Fujiya in Yokohama in 1910; it was the first bakery to sell British-style fruitcake at Christmas. In 1912 Fujii traveled to the United States and spent a year working in the food industry in Los Angeles. As of 1922, in addition to selling shūkurīmu and éclairs, Fujiya was the first bakeshop in Japan to offer “shortcakes” (shōtokēki)—layered sponge cakes with whipped cream. Fujiya’s shortcakes decorated with strawberries became popular Christmas treats from the 1950s on. Bakery DONQ (pronounced donku) opened in 1905, introducing French bread and confectionery to Japanese consumers in Tokyo. Today, Fujiya and DONQ have outlets throughout Japan.