Ministop Offers Christmas Shortcake Supervised by Legendary Tokyo Confectionery Omiya Yogashiten

Christmas may still be months away, but the year-end festivities are already on the horizon at Japan’s convenience stores. Reservations for Christmas cakes begin as early as mid-September. For Christmas 2026, Omiya Yogashiten has supervised a limited-edition strawberry shortcake for Ministop. Reservations opened Sept. 25. The 12-centimeter cake serves three to four and features strawberries and whipped cream blended with fresh cream from Hokkaido. It also comes with a spoon and fork bearing the shop’s logo. Online orders close Dec. 14, with store pickup available Dec. 22–25.

Japan’s Christmas Classic? Strawberry Shortcake

France has bûche de Noël, a rolled cake shaped like a log, while Germany has stollen, a loaf filled with dried fruit and nuts. Both are familiar in Japan today, but the longstanding Christmas favorite is strawberry shortcake: soft sponge layered with whipped cream and strawberries.

The cake has a history of its own in Japan. Fujiya began selling Christmas cakes in 1910 and introduced its shortcake in 1922. The sponge-and-cream style became more widespread from the 1950s, as refrigeration made fresh cream easier to store.

The Tokyo Confectionery Behind the Cake

Founded in 1884, Omiya Yogashiten is a confectionery shop in Kanda-Awajicho, in Tokyo’s Chiyoda City. It is especially famous for its fruit punch, sold in a jar packed with fresh seasonal fruit. The shop also makes seasonal fruit cakes and soft serve. Its guiding idea is to offer sweets that are “affordable but never cheap,” with care given to ingredients and preparation.