Today, I came across a booth selling Ueno's famous panda-shaped cakes at a local product exhibition in the area where I usually visit. Although I often pass by the shop near the north exit of Okachimachi Station, today I decided to buy one. I'm looking forward to enjoying it with a cup of coffee at home.

I had some errands nearby and stumbled upon a cute shop inside the facility that I had never noticed before. It's like a mini castella cake shop, but with pandas! Inside the panda cakes, you can find fillings like red bean paste, custard, plain, caramel, and even some exclusive flavors only available at the store. They are so adorable and make perfect souvenirs!

After returning from Ningyocho, I went to Shibuya for inheritance procedures and the ward office branch was located in Hikarie, so I felt like stopping by Libel, but my stomach was full from curry and cake. I started my journey back home. Due to certain circumstances, I wanted to buy souvenirs for my neighbors, so I was thinking about what to do. Buying from a flower shop would be alright, but there aren't many options. Then I remembered this place. I noticed it when I bought juice from this building the other day. There was quite a line at that time. Ueno has been making a lot of profit from pandas for a long time. But sometimes it's fun to go along with the trend. Alright, I want to sit down and head home on the Ginza Line. This time, maybe because it was a weekday, there was no line. A pack of 12 small panda-shaped pastries for 600 yen (you can get more). There are many flavors like sweet bean paste, caramel, custard, chocolate, sweet potato, and seasonal ones like cherry blossom cream. I often lose track of what I've eaten because there are so many choices, so I bought two packs of 12 with the first three flavors. One for souvenirs and the other for home, of course. The next day was the day of interment. My eldest son would arrive at our house during the night. The panda pastries are bite-sized and can be eaten in one bite. But usually, this type of pastry has tough skin and minimal filling, but this one is different. The outside is fluffy and even without filling, it's delicious. The filling is generous. Creamy fillings like caramel are really delicious. Custard is also good. I should have bought the cherry blossom cream as well. They are already prepared, so there is no need to wait for them to be packed, and this place is quite good. The bag is cute too.

Suddenly ended up in Ueno due to a stamp rally found at the station. Since I was using a Metro 24-hour ticket, I decided to visit all the places in one day. Took the Ginza Line straight to Ueno. The panda decorations on the platform were so cute! While on the move, I frantically searched on Tabelog. There were a few options, but I had to give up on Ecute since it was inside JR's ticket gate (this time I was restricted to Metro). Due to time constraints, I couldn't go too far from the station, so I chose this place. It took a while to find it since it wasn't listed on the restaurant floor guide, but it was actually on the 1st floor of Ueno Marui. The 1st floor was quite crowded, with a crepe shop catching my eye. Although this shop was at the far end, it was easy to spot with all the pandas. There were no seats for dining in, only takeout. I opted for 12 pandas for 600 yen (tax included), with a choice of plain and 7 different flavors, including the limited-time "Belgian Chocolate" for February. I also ordered all the other flavors, including the "Marui Limited" ones. The staff quickly packed them up. The store had a taiyaki-like (of course, panda-shaped) griddle at the back where they were being cooked. When I visited, it wasn't in operation as there was enough stock. Payment was only possible with transportation cards and credit cards, no QR code payments. I paid with Suica as I found cash payment troublesome. The cute paper bag with a window made me happy as I left (the panda's mouth showed the contents, which was adorable!). I enjoyed them as soon as I got home. They were soft and delicious, even though they had cooled down. The size was quite big for one bite, more like a two-bite size due to the shape. They were uneven in shape, with some pandas slightly deformed or with indentations, and the color varied, but that added to their charm. The packaging included instructions for reheating in the microwave, but they were so good that I finished them in no time. Coincidentally, it was around the time when the pandas like Shan Shan were being returned. Personally, I was more shocked by the return of Xiang Xiang who had been in Wakayama for a long time, but the unexpected visit to Ueno (and buying panda cakes) seemed like fate with the pandas. In the end, I didn't get to see Shan Shan, but I made a resolution to visit the pandas this year (and hopefully see them).

Attracted by the sweet smell, surrounded by cute pandas around the Christmas tree. There were bite-sized panda cakes. So adorable. I immediately decided to purchase them. Flower Kagura Panda Cakes 14 pieces for 580 yen. The paper bag has an illustration of a panda with a big mouth, with a clear window at the mouth area where you can see the panda cakes inside. It looks like a glutton enjoying a mouthful of food, very cute. The main ingredient, wheat flour, uses an original flour developed in collaboration with Nisshin Seifun. They are baked fluffy without using any water, only eggs and milk. They are bite-sized castella-style cakes. There are 7 flavors: plain, baked sweet potato red azuki bean, Tokachi red bean paste, custard, chocolate, strawberry milk, and butter caramel. I tried two of each, totaling 7 flavors. It's like playing Russian roulette, as they all look the same when taken out of the bag, adding to the excitement of not knowing which flavor you'll get. The cakes have a soft, fluffy texture like baby castella, and the cream is smooth and plentiful. Besides the cute appearance, they also provide a sweet and soothing feeling.

I visited a temporary store at Tokyo Station. I had bought it once before in front of Okachimachi Station, but it had been a long time since then. I chose the mix flavor this time. There are many varieties, so you can enjoy them without getting tired of the taste. They are bite-sized, making them easy to eat. Perfect for a snack or when you're feeling a bit hungry.

Next to the entrance of the Marui store on the first floor of Ueno, there is a shop called Hanagaku that sells Panda-shaped Castella-flavored bread. They use original wheat flour developed in collaboration with Nisshin Seifun and bake the bread simply with eggs and milk. There are various flavors available, and you can choose your favorite flavor and quantity. The Panda-shaped bread comes in 14 pieces with flavors such as plain, Tokachi red bean paste, custard, baked sweet potato, red azuki bean, caramel cream, and chocolate. The paper bag for takeout also has a cute design with a Panda opening its mouth wide, revealing many mini Pandas inside. You can lightly warm them in the microwave, arrange the small Pandas around a large plate, and it will look incredibly cute. Each bread contains creamy cream or red bean paste, making it perfect for a snack at 3 pm and goes well with coffee or tea. Payment with PayPay is not accepted, so you can use Suica or other electronic payments. Visit the blog for more details: https://zan3tho.com

I used to buy from a pop-up store at Daimaru in Tokyo Station, but I wonder if this shop is a permanent store. The pandas are just so cute, I couldn't resist buying them. I got the "Panda-shaped pastries 14 pieces" for 580 yen (including 8% tax). When I lined them up, they looked adorable. And as expected, I still prefer the plain ones.

I came to Ueno and decided to buy souvenirs with panda motifs as I thought they would be appreciated. I purchased the seasonal flavors of cheese cream. There were many flavors to choose from, but I ended up buying 14 each of custard and caramel, which seemed popular with children. They were fluffy and light, and we finished them quickly. Both flavors were well-received.

After a long time, I went to Marui Ueno with Marco and Maruo for 14 days instead of 7 days. We lined up at the unbelievably long MUJI checkout line (though it moved faster than expected) and then found a cute shop before leaving. Oh, it's so cute! There were so many varieties and they looked delicious! It was 580 yen for 14 pieces (tax included) and we got a 10% discount for the 14 days with Marco and Maruo. There were 7 flavors available, and you could mix and match your desired flavors. We bought the 6 flavors other than plain. The texture was fluffy with cream inside. The roasted sweet potato flavor was the most delicious. Thank you for the meal.

I couldn't resist buying it because the panda was so cute. The custard and Ueno Marui limited edition red azuki were delicious.

I didn't know that there was a Marui in Ueno. The limited-time seasonal flavor is strawberry milk. It's delicious!

Panda-shaped pastries, 12 pieces, for 601 yen.