Ok, here’s a riddle: what’s fishy, warm, and filled with beans?
Stumped?
Say hello to taiyaki.
What is Taiyaki?
Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake often filled with red bean paste, custard, cream, or even chocolate. In Japanese, the name of this sweet is self-explanatory. According to many people, the fish resembles a sea bream, a type of fish called “tai” in Japanese. Since this pasty is cooked on hot iron mold, the term “yaki,” used to denote baked, grilled, or toasted items, is added to the “tai” to form the word taiyaki.
If you imagine a fish-shaped waffle stuffed with a sweet (or even savory!) filing, you aren’t far off.
In general, taiyaki is a popular sweet with shops selling it scattered throughout most of Tokyo. It is a festival food as well, and on cool evenings, its fluffy warmth can make any moment memorable.
Streets of Akihabara: Kuriko-an
If a taiyaki craving hits you while you are in Akihabara, never fear. A short 3-minute walk from Akihabara Station will take you to Kuriko-an, a shop ready to meet all your fish cake needs.
A common street food, taiyaki are reasonably priced and are often under 500 yen. At Kuriko-an, if you ever have trouble deciding what flavor to choose, the shop handily marks the popularity of each filling.
Taiyaki is a versatile sweet and often has a wide variety of filling choices. Kuriko-an won’t disappoint in the flavor department. As a heads up though, this shop tends to have seasonal flavors, so the menu changes often.
The Premium Cream filling is pictured above in its all its fluffy, delicious goodness. Priced at only 154 yen, this little packet of vanilla beam cream lusciousness is an affordable yet decadent treat waiting for you in Akihabara.
Where to find Kuriko-an
Business hours: 10:00 am-21:00 pm
