Japanese Crepes

Japanese crepes are a popular dessert item in Japan, especially among young Japanese women. Japanese love this traditional French dessert, as evident by the many crepe shops and stands that can be found all over Japan serving up an amazing variety of sinfully sweet and fruity flavor combinations.

Overview of Japanese-style Crepes

Japanese-style crepes are quite similar to French Crepes. Like Japanese cake and Japanese bread, crepes in Japan are the product of an importing of European food culture into Japan. Of course, like most foods imported into Japan from abroad, crepes in Japan have been tailored to suit local tastes, and the result is predictably delicious!

Japan crepes are made by spreading a thin pancake batter over a flat round grill, folding them in half and adding yummy ingredients like chocolate, fruit, and whipped cream, and then folding them again into a cone for a delicious, sweet snack.

Varieties of Japanese-style Crepes

Unlike French crepes, where sweet and savory crepes are equally popular, in Japan, most crepes are sweet. Popular flavor combinations include chocolate and banana, cinnamon apple, strawberry with chocolate and whipped cream, blueberry jam and cream cheese, and even crepes with scoops of ice cream!

Although less common than sweet crepes, some Japanese crepe shops do offer savory crepes with fillings like tuna, cheese, spinach, and even curry!

Where to Buy Crepes in Japan

Japanese-style crepe shops can be found throughout major cities like Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, and even in Japan’s countryside. Crepes are also a popular Japanese festival food.

Japanese-style crepe shops in Tokyo are particularly concentrated in areas popular among youth and young women like Shibuya near Shibuya station, along Takeshita Doori in Harajuku, and Omotesando.

One of the most popular crepe shops in Japan is Marion Crepes, a chain with dozens of locations throughout Japan, including over 20 in the greater Tokyo area alone, including a location along Harajuku’s famous Takeshita Doori.

Also keep an eye out for small crepe stands and even mobile vendors selling crepes out of the back of their trucks, like this cool mobile crepe vendor who sells crepes out of the back of his orange Volkswagen Bus on the weekends on Cat Street (Kyu Shibuya-gawa Promenade), a narrow, winding funky pedestrian street that connects Shibuya and Harajuku.

Although French in origin, Japanese crepes are an established and delicious Japanese dessert treat that you must try while in Japan!