It was a short trip, but I found a gap in the schedule and went back to Echire, the butter pastry shop. It’s been open for quite a while now, yet it’s still popular enough that you have to queue on weekends. I really hope it stays one of Tokyo’s great shops for years to come.
The front entrance.
I think I got there about 10 minutes after opening, and still queued for around 30 minutes to get in. Weekdays don’t seem too bad, but weekends are as busy as ever. After waiting 30 minutes, some items were already sold out and I couldn’t buy them, sadly. Looks like I’ll have to come back on a weekday..
Pain au chocolat
I’d already tried all the croissants, so this time I bought a few different variations. Not that there are many kinds, so you run out of new things fast. But this one is really delicious. It was a bit of a shame that the bread was rather big compared to the chocolate in the middle, but taking a big bite solved that, so no real problem..
Chausson aux pommes
It looked so good I just couldn’t not buy it. Even looking at it again now, my mouth is watering..
Inside
It was filled with stewed apple. As for the taste, it’s every bit as excellent as it looks. The plain croissant is delicious too, but variations like this were fun. It’s a little pricey, but I’d like to try it again next time I go.
View from the shinkansen
I took the shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Karuizawa. It only took an hour, but I still got to soak up that travel feeling.