Asanoya Boulangerie (Queen Street)

Asanoya's story begins in the year 1933, where it served as a store catering to foreign embassies and diplomats of various countries. The Karuizawa shop was very well-received and soon grew to be a favourite destination for the noble class. With the increased demand for European-type hard breads, Asanoya began to improve their baking skills, techniques and facilities, thus successfully integrating bread into the diversity of Japanese food culture.

Asanoya was also the first in Japan to install a Spanish-made stone oven, which gave them a huge advantage over their competitors. In addition, a dine-in area was introduced within the shop, making it the first bakery to do so, giving discerning customers the chance to eat bread that was truly freshly made. Asanoya expanded their operations in many other Japanese cities, eventually opening their famous outlet in Tokyo Midtown, which started to create unique bread products for the Roppongi customers.

Today, Asanoya continues to make breads that customers love. Asanoya's well-kept recipes have remained unchanged over the years, and, together with the hard work of the baking and service teams, form the authentic tasty essence that can be found in every slice of Asanoya bread.