Japan has a sort of fascination with Europe. It's often viewed in a similar way to how the West views Japan – exotic, different. Sometimes the separate countries are ignored to conjure a general image of Europe filled with green spaces and cottages. However, France seems to have its own identity - going from the number of businesses with French names I see in Japan, it's associated with fashion and pastries.
One store that follows this line of thought is Chisana Kuri. On the shop sign is the French translation of its name – Petit Marron (which in English is Little Chestnut). Being Japan, there is a certain amount of localisation, but there are hints that someone in the store has trained or lived in France.
Firstly, I should explain that the store is half-bakery, half-cafe. Near the entrance is an array of buns, pastries, cakes and cookies, both packaged and unpackaged, mainly for taking away. A refrigerated cabinet contains more elaborate cakes, like roll cakes filled with cream. By the cash register is a small menu with sandwiches, drinks and ice-cream.
The take away pastries are beautifully arranged in baskets, on wooden boards or, in one case, bricks (it took me a moment to realize that bricks are quite unusual in Japan and therefore have decorative use). There are both recreations of European sweets, like English Chelsea buns and Spanish polvorones, and savory buns with Japanese flavors like burdock root, or mixtures of sausage and cheese. These pastries tend to be cheaper than the cakes in the cabinet, with the packaged sweets that are designed to be gifts somewhere in middle.
If you order something to eat in, it's a wonderful place to sit and relax. When the weather is good, the view out of the window is beautiful. I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and maple and cinnamon ice-cream. The sandwich was clearly made with quality ingredients, and came inside pieces of crusty baguette. Personally I wouldn't put lettuce with cheese, but it wasn't an unwelcome addition in this case. The ice-cream was beautifully presented, with a generous drizzle of maple syrup, decent sprinkling of cinnamon and a crunchy rusk to finish it off.
It's a very decent store, which although not worth a special visit; if you're already in the area I would recommend it. Its proximity to the train station lends it to a leisurely wait for the next train; or as a refuge from bad weather.
