Jiyūgaoka in Tokyo is recognized as the prefecture’s hotbed of sweets. Whether it is the Japanese traditional confectioneries or the Western sweets, there are several spots in the relaxing town that can satisfy your craving for sweets and desserts. If you don’t have time to try each of them out, here is our list of places to visit when we are after some delicately made confectioneries to bring home for friends and families or an elegant afternoon tea.
The Recommended Sweets Shops in Jiyūgaoka
- Kameya Mannendō (亀屋万年堂 総本店)
- Dalloyau Jiyūgaoka (ダロワイヨ 自由ヶ丘本店)
- Waraku Beniya (和楽紅屋 自由が丘本店)
- Tokyo Jiyugaoka Mont-Blanc (モンブラン 自由が丘)
- Magie du Chocolat (マジドゥショコラ)
- Jiyugaoka Rollya (自由が丘ロール屋)
- Mont St. Clair (モンサンクレール)
Important: Please note the shops mentioned in this article aren’t vegan-friendly. Eggs and white sugar are used in most of the products.
Kameya Mannendō (亀屋万年堂 総本店)
While there are few traces of traditional elements in Jiyūgaoka, a long-established Japanese confectionery shop is located there, offering a variety of popular traditional sweets. The sweets maker, founded in 1938, started in Jiyūgaoka and now has several branches in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. Many of its traditional sweets have been refined to match the customers’ evolving tastes. After their two shops combined into one in September 2024, its main store now has a new Japanese confectionery with a modern twist.
The newly introduced sweet is called Tokyo Navoron (東京ナボロン) and can only be purchased from their Jiyūgaoka Main Store. It Navona combines the best of both Western and Japanese sweets. What is sandwiched by a light dough made with egg whites is a slice of yōkan made using different dried fruits.
In addition to the limited-edition Tokyo Navoron, its Jiyūgaoka store also features a workshop that delivers freshly made and baked deliciousness. Through the glass wall, you can see how the confectioneries are made. So, instead of long-life cream, fresh cream is used to make the bouchée (Navona (ナボナ)) at the workshop. Other seasonal pastries baked in the store’s oven are also on offer.
Kameya Mannendō’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Kameya Mannendō Jiyūgaoka Main Store is open from 9 am to 8 pm.
- The shop is less than 1-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
Dalloyau Jiyūgaoka (ダロワイヨ 自由ヶ丘本店)
If you are from Europe, you might have heard of Dalloyau (ダロワイヨ), a long-established French royal purveyor. This is a place where you can not only enjoy sweets but also experience French food culture and history. The renowned patisserie traiteur with over 20 stores in Japan has its flagship store in Jiyūgaoka. While retaining the French food culture, techniques from making Japanese cuisine and confectionery are incorporated into the creation of sweets at Dalloyau. Moreover, Dallyau also offers light meals such as sandwiches and quiches.
For more information, refer to our article on Dalloyau!
Waraku Beniya (和楽紅屋 自由が丘本店)
After some delicious snacks to bring home? Waraku Beniya, a Japanese and Western fusion confectionery shop near Jiyūgaoka Station, is the best place to visit before taking the train back to your accommodation. It isn’t just another sweets shop Jiyūgaoka. The shop was opened by Tsujiguchi Hironobu (辻口博啓), the pastry chef and chocolatier who has represented Japan at several international confectionery competitions, including the Coupe du Monde, and won numerous championships.
What Waraku Beniya is known for is its Western sweets made using Japanese confectionery ingredients. The Waraku Beniya Cookie Can (和楽紅屋のクッキー缶) is a good example. It is like a beautiful garden in a cookie tin. The baked sweets carefully crafted by artisans with Japanese ingredients go beyond the five basic tastes. The gentle sweetness of Okinawan brown sugar, the rich red bean paste, the light texture of dough made from rice flour, and the beautiful colour and aroma of matcha and Ryukyu black tea make this a cookie tin that can be enjoyed with all five senses.
Special versions of the cookie tins are also available depending on the season. For example, the Halloween version comes with cute ghosts and pumpkins!
The WaRush (和ラスク) is another popular confectionery. Different from the usual rusk in Western flavors, the five flavors that Waraku Beniya offers are Wasanbon sugar (和三盆糖), Uji matcha (宇治抹茶), Red bean butter (あんバター), Yuzu pepper (柚子胡椒), and Strawberry (あまおう).
Cream puffs dotted with salt from the Noto Peninsula (珠洲の塩シュークリーム), chocolat yokan, and butter sandwiches (バターサンド) are also among Waraku Beniya’s delicious products.
Waraku Beniya’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Waraku Beniya Jiyugaoka is open from 10 am to 7 pm.
- The shop is a 3-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
Tokyo Jiyugaoka Mont-Blanc (モンブラン 自由が丘)
If you love chestnuts, Mont-Blanc is the confectionery shop you have to visit in Jiyūgaoka. The Western confectionery maker, which opened in 1933, is said to be the birthplace of the Japanese-made Mont Blanc. The product range features a wide variety of sweets made with chestnuts, including Mont Blanc and chestnut roll cakes. The shop also has a large cafe space where you can choose to enjoy the cakes on the spot.
When the first owner visited Europe, he was fascinated by the majestic beauty of Mont Blanc and immediately decided to create a Western-style confectionery that mimicked the mountain. The long-selling product, which uses the same recipe as when the company was founded, continues to be one of the top sellers at Mont-Blanc. His store was also named after the mountain.
The signatory sweet Mont Blanc resembles a cupcake topped with yellow cream made from candied chestnuts and fresh cream, evoking the snow on the peak of Mont Blanc. The sponge cake is filled with vanilla cream and a whole Japanese chestnut that has been carefully simmered in syrup. Even without the chestnut cream on top, the base is delicious by itself.
Other Must-Try Confectionery at Mont-Blanc
In addition to Mont Blanc, Tee Konfekt (ティーコンフェクト) is another popular product at Mont-Blanc. The cutely packaged box is filled with an assortment of cookies and baked goods. These original baked goods were created by a Swiss pastry chef in collaboration with Mont-Blanc’s second-generation owner. By using a special oven, the cookies are slowly baked to retain moisture and resulting in a moist and soft texture.
The best thing about Tea Confect is that the cookies, made with plenty of fresh butter, last for multiple days, making them the perfect souvenir to bring home!
If you like tarts, try their Chestnut and Vanilla Tart (栗とバニラのタルト). The vanilla crème brûlée-style tart features a lightly sweetened chestnut topping.
Apart from the chestnut-flavored cakes, the lineup also includes seasonal products, such as the ones using fresh strawberries.
Tokyo Jiyugaoka Mont-Blanc’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Tokyo Jiyugaoka Mont-Balnc is open from 11 am to 6:30 pm from Wednesday to Monday.
- The restaurant is a 4-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
Magie du Chocolat (マジドゥショコラ)
Magie du Chocolat is a must-go for chocolate lovers. The bean-to-bar chocolate shop that opened in 2016 also has a small cafe space for you to taste their finely made chocolate on the spot.
Magie du Chocolat means putting the magic into chocolate. Although the staff doesn’t have any special power, their carefully crafted chocolate has the ability to bring smiles to people’s faces.
Cacao is another fruit to the owner-chef Matsumoro Katsuumi (松室 和海). Cacao’s taste and quality change not only depending on the variety and place of origin but also on the weather conditions of the year. Thus, he travels to various cacao farms to find farmers who can implement cultivation, fermentation, and drying methods to his standard. Moreover, by sharing the know-how and directly trading with the locals, the farmers have a more stable life. So, not only can Magie du Chocolat bring happiness to its customers but also to everyone involved in the chocolate production process.
Among Magie du Chocolat’s signature products, the one that stands out the most is the chocolate sandwich Magie du Cacao. The advanced version of the chocolate sandwich features two distinct textures that complement each other perfectly: the cookies, which are rich in flavor, and the chocolate that melts in your mouth. Besides the regular flavors, there is also a seasonal fruity flavor that uses seasonal fruits.
If you have time to dine in, try their bitter chocolate soft serve. The super dark chocolate soft serve allows you to enjoy cacao’s original flavor and aroma. The bitterness goes well with the slightly sweet chocolate-flavored cone.
Magie du Chocolat’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Magie du Chocolat is open from 10 am to 7 pm.
- The last order is taken at 6:30 pm.
- The bakery is a 5-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
Jiyugaoka Rollya (自由が丘ロール屋)
For dessert lovers, the must-visit cake shop in Jiyūgaoka is Jiyugaoka Rollya. What is so special about this roll cake shop? It is another confectionery shop opened by Tsujiguchi Hironobu (辻口博啓). As a roll cake specialist, its showcase is lined with a colorful selection of carefully made roll cakes made with high-quality, fresh domestic ingredients.
The shop’s most popular cake is the Jiyugaoka Roll (自由が丘ロール). It is an elegant roll cake with a modest sweetness. The cake features a fluffy and moist chiffon cake wrapped around a layer of fresh cream, with thick pastry cream in the middle. In addition to the wheat flour from Hokkaido, rice flour is added to perfect the cake recipe.
Besides the regular flavors, the product lineup changes with the seasons, so there are always a few new flavors on offer. For example, the citrus-flavored rolls are there when you need something refreshing on a hot summer day.
After its renewal in 2023, several baked goods and biscuits have been added to the product list. Each of them is freshly baked and brought to the customers one after another, making the shop always surrounded by the sweet scent of pastries.
Jiyugaoka Rollya’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Jiyugaoka Rollya is open from 11 am to 6 pm from Thursday to Tuesday. It also closes on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.
- The shop is an 8-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
Mont St. Clair (モンサンクレール)
Mont St. Clair, opened in 1998, is the first patisserie opened by Tsujiguchi Hironobu (辻口博啓). It is where you can try his signature cakes, including Célavy (セラヴィ). Most of its customers are amazed by Tsujiguchi-san’s art-like pastries. Many of them are made based on traditional French pastry techniques but incorporate Japanese ingredients and elements, so there is something new to discover every time you visit.
While the sweets shop isn’t close to Jiyūgaoka Station, expect a long queue when you get there. You are considered very lucky if there is no waiting time when you get there. As soon as you step inside the store, you can see into the kitchen where the pastry chefs carefully make cakes. A common theme among the cakes sold here is simplicity and elegance. Born into a Japanese confectionery-making family, Tsujiguchi-san’s cakes minimize any unnecessary elements. Although hard to tell, bits and pieces of Japanese elements are hidden in his cakes.
Because there are so many colorful cakes on the display fridge, go with Célavy if you are indecisive. The small hexagon-shaped cake is a masterpiece featuring an exquisite combination of smooth chocolate mousse, crispy feuilletine, and refreshing raspberry jelly. The cake, named This is Life, won Tsujiguchi-san his first championship.
Cakes and tarts made with seasonal fruits and Mont St. Clair original macarons are also good choices.
Tip: The queue at Mont St. Clair is often shorter in the morning on weekdays.
Mont St. Clair’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Mont St. Clair is open from 11 am to 6 pm from Thursday to Tuesday.
- The cake shop is a 10-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
What Else Can You Do in Jiyūgaoka
Besides sweets, Jiyūgaoka has much more to offer. The neighborhood named Liberty Hill has many unique cafes and stylish boutique shops. From places perfect for taking a break during a date, to photogenic places, and even solemn temples and shrines to pray for relationships, Jiyūgaoka is where you can have a taste of Japan’s capital without being pushed around!
For more information, refer to our article on What to Do and Where to Eat in Jiyūgaoka!
