Asahikawa's Unique Dorayaki Vol.1

In the past years, Western confectionery popularity rose up due to the Instagram trend.
Dorayaki is attractive because it can be easily eaten with one hand and can even be purchased at convenience stores.


However, the dorayaki sold at convenience store is often a normal adzuki red bean filled one... Since you may be already tired of this standard taste, delicious and unusual dorayaki may be better, isn't it?

This is our first article about slightly unusual dorayaki available in Asahikawa.

The long-established store Tsuboya Sohonten was founded in 1945 and is famous for its "Kihana" and "Thicket".

Everyone in Asahikawa has eaten Tsuboya Sohonten’s sweets at least once.

Tsuboya Sohonten’s "Taisetsu Dorayaki (white azuki beans)" is a dorayaki made with a mellow dough and a white adzuki bean paste.
White adzuki beans are difficult to cultivate, expensive and thus, rare. It has a unique flavour and a light aftertaste. Making the white azuki beans into a fresh, moist bean paste while keeping the grains firm is a technique that can only be done by the long-established Tsuboya Sohonten.

Even though the amount of bean paste is large compared to the size of the dough, the dorayaki isn’t heavy and surprisingly easy to eat. This is probably thanks to the white adzuki beans.

Stores where you can buy "Taisetsu Dorayaki (white azuki beans)" in Asahikawa

Tsuboya Nae Hanamadokan
Address: Asahikawa-shi Chūwa 5-jō 6-chōme 5 - 3
Telephone: 0166-61-5282
Business hours: 9: 30-19: 00
Regular holidays: Open daily

Kibana no Mori
Address: Asahikawa-shi Minami 6-jōdori 19-chōme
Phone: 0166-39-1600
Business hours: 9: 30-19: 00
Regular holidays: Irregular holidays

Ito-Yokado Asahikawa Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi 6-jō 14-chōme
Phone: 0166-22-4441
Business hours: Same as Ito-Yokado Asahikawa store
Regular holidays: Same as Ito-Yokado Asahikawa store

Aeon Asahikawa Nagayama Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi Nagayama 3-jō 12-chōme 55 - 1
Telephone: 0166-47-3202
Business hours: Same as Aeon Asahikawa Nagayama store
Regular holidays: Same as Aeon Asahikawa Nagayama store

AEON Asahikawa Shunko Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi Shunkō-chō 10-banchi
Phone: 0166-54-2171
Business hours: Same as AEON Asahikawa Shunko store
Regular holidays: Same as AEON Asahikawa Shunko store

Lumine Toko Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi Toyooka 1-jō 5-chōme 324-banchi
Telephone: 0166-32-0017
Business hours: Same as Lumine Toko store
Regular holidays: Same as Lumine Toko store

Co-op Kagura Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi kagura 4-jō 5-chōme 419
Telephone: 0166-61-6690 /
Business hours: Same as Co-op Kagura store
Regular holidays: Same as Co-op Kagura store

Co-op Harumitsu Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi Suehiro 4-jō 1-chōme 452
Phone: 0166-73-3450
Business Hours: Same as Co-op Harumitsu Store
Regular Holidays: Same as Co-op Harumitsu Store

Founded in 1914.
"Umeya" famous for cream puffs

Anyone in Asahikawa had eaten “Umeya's cream puff at least once.

The "Asahikawa Butter Dorayaki" from "Umeya" is made from Asahikawa black soybean “Iwaikuro" whole grains.
It is mixed with a butter cream containing cheese and wrapped in a soft baked dough.
The combination of black soybeans and butter cream is a fusion of Japanese and Western sweets! This is a dorayaki for people who can’t decide between a traditional or a western dessert.

Stores where you can buy "Asahikawa Butter Dorayaki" in Asahikawa

Confectionery Umeya
Address: Asahikawa-shi Takasagodai 2-chōme 2 - 11
Phone: 0120-286-586
Business hours: 10: 00-17: 30
Regular holidays: None

Aeon Asahikawa Nagayama Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi Nagayama 3-jō 12-chōme 55 - 1
Telephone: 0166-47-3202
Business hours / Regular holidays: Same as Aeon Asahikawa Nagayama store

Founded in 1945, "Roba Kashitsukasa" is the top of those three brands: "The Sun Kurodo,” "L'hotel de Kitakurabu” and "Viva Donkey,” this is also why anyone in Asahikawa had eaten "Roba Kashitsukasa”’s snacks at least once.


"Hojogura" of "The Sun Kurodo" uses fresh eggs from Higashi-Asahikawa, the dough is plump but thin.

Even though the dough alone can be eaten deliciously, it is packed with red bean paste, accented with adzuki red beans and white kidney beans called “teboumame".
The red bean paste is filled to the edges.
However, our reporter recommends to eat this snack on an empty stomach as the sweet is packed with red bean paste to the edges and thus is somewhat heavy.

Stores where you can buy "Houjogura" in Asahikawa

The Sun Kurodo
Address: Asahikawa-shi Kaguraoka 8-jō 1-chōme
Telephone: 0120-30-3961
Business hours: 7: 00-19: 00
Regular holidays: Open daily

The Sun Kurodo Asahikawa Station
Address: Asahikawa-shi Miyamaedōrinishi 4153-banchi, opposite the East ticket gate of JR Asahikawa Station
Telephone: 0166-21-8822
Business hours: 7: 30-18: 30
Regular holidays: Open daily

The Sun Kurodo Daiichi Hanasaki Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi Shunkō 1-jō 8-chōme
Phone: 0166-46-7111
Business hours: 9: 00-20: 00
Regular holiday: Same as Daiichi Hanasaki store

The Sun Kurodo Daiichi Toko Store
Address: Asahikawa-shi Tōkō 12-jō 6-me
Telephone: 0166-35-4333
Business Hours: 9: 00-20: 00
Regular Holidays: Same as Daiichi Toko Store

Don’t worry, other dorayaki articles will keep on coming !
We introduced three different dorayaki from "Tsuboya Sohonten", "Umeya", and "The Sun Kurodo".

Dorayaki is a mainstream Japanese sweets, isn't it ?
Don’t you have times when you just want to eat dorayaki ?
Well, our writer have these times quite often.

There are still many delicious dorayaki in Asahikawa !

We will upload more articles about dorayaki so stay tuned !