Located just across the street from the iconic Kabukiza Theatre, Matsuzaki Shoten is a unique Japanese senbei shop in Tokyo whose sleek, eye-catching interior and colorful products bely a centuries-long commitment to tradition which has sustained it to this day.
Past the store’s front door with striking purple half-curtain, the store features an eat-in space adorned with rotating exhibitions from local artists and walls of neatly packaged senbei products. The wood and concrete design nods to the importance of spatial aesthetics in traditional Japanese tea houses while remaining stubbornly contemporary with the charmingly kitsch addition of a penned-in robot dog in the center of the store.
Matsuzaki was founded in 1804 before moving to Ginza in 1865, and its most current iteration is the result of a 2021 relocation. The shop is above all a purveyor of senbei, Japan’s ubiquitous and endlessly remixable rice crackers. Matsuzaki remains committed to tradition through its line of Edo Soka senbei with all of the standard flavors–soy sauce, sesame, brown sugar, and more–and other varieties like nori-wrapped crackers and arare.
However, the star of the show at Matsuzaki is their Shami-do series of inherently Instagrammable thin cookie tiles (~150 yen each). These rounded squares gain their name from their similarity to the body of a shamisen. Shami-do are made with only three ingredients–wheat, egg, and flour–and the designs are printed one-by-one by the shop’s artisans.
The designs commonly feature Japanese seasonal motifs such as fireworks and wind chimes in the summer, and collaborations with brands and characters are not uncommon. Customers can also order customized designs for events for a base fee (3,000-20,000 yen, depending on the design) with a minimum order of 100 pieces at 150 yen each.
The store features all of these products along with an eat-in space where you can enjoy tea and a small cafe menu with shaved ice (summer) and other sweets. The product shelves feature senbei and cookies sold individually or as moriawase (assortments), so I fully recommend stopping by for some souvenirs for friends, family, or coworkers, or for a few for yourself!
Try Japanese Senbei at Matsuzaki Shoten in Ginza, Tokyo
Opening Hours:
10:00-19:00
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