TOKYO - A nostalgic Japanese sweet is making a major comeback, with lemon cakes appearing everywhere from convenience stores to specialty boutiques in Tokyo as demand for citrus-flavored desserts continues to surge.
Known for their signature lemon shape and refreshing citrus flavor, lemon cakes have recently emerged as one of Japan’s hottest sweets trends.
Convenience stores have joined the boom as well. On April 21st, convenience store chain FamilyMart released a lemon cake priced at 160 yen, although availability varies by region and store.
Classic snack makers are also embracing the trend. Fujiya introduced a lemon cake-flavored version of its popular Country Ma’am cookies, while ice cream maker Marunaga Confectionery launched a lemon cake-flavored version of its “Ice Manju” dessert in April.
Yutaro Sakai, editor-in-chief of sweets media outlet Ufu., said the broader dessert industry has increasingly been seeking stronger flavor accents in recent years.
“Acidity has become one of the key elements consumers are looking for,” Sakai said. “Over the past two to three years, it has grown into a major trend.”
The lemon cake itself has also evolved far beyond the traditional version.
At Daisanmannendo HANARE, a Japanese-style lemon cake infused with sake lees and wasanbon sugar has gained attention, while another specialty shop offers an ultra-chewy, rich-textured lemon cake resembling yokan jelly.
One of the newest entrants is specialty store Ginza Shimagokoro, which opened in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district in November 2025.
Its signature 300-yen lemon cake appears simple, lacking the usual sugary coating, but the store focuses heavily on aroma.
Company president Ryuzo Okumoto said the cakes rely not on lemon juice but on the fragrant oils contained in the peel.
“We lock the aroma from the lemon skin into the cake,” Okumoto explained.
The company’s main store is located in Hiroshima Prefecture, a region known for lemon production.
The shop has also gained popularity for its freshly baked lemon cakes, which offer a crisp outer texture and softer interior compared with the moist packaged versions commonly sold elsewhere.
In Nagoya, bakery ondo has taken the concept even further with what it claims is Japan’s sourest lemon cake.
Called the “Super Sour Lemon Cake,” the dessert is soaked in intensely sour lemon syrup after baking and contains lemon peel throughout. Customers ordering online are required to confirm they are “prepared” for the intense sourness before purchasing.
According to store manager Nobuto Yokoyama, even staff members often struggle to finish a full serving.
“Even a quarter is enough for some staff,” Yokoyama said. “People start craving water immediately.”
According to sweets media outlet Ufu., lemon cake first emerged in Japan during the 1960s, giving the dessert a surprisingly long domestic history.
One of its defining features is its realistic lemon shape, made possible by molds first developed by Chiyoda Metal Industry.
The company said a former president was once asked by a cake shop to create a mold shaped exactly like a real lemon. To achieve this, he reportedly bought large quantities of lemons from produce stores, carefully selected the best-shaped fruit, and used clay and plaster to recreate the form in detail.
Nao Yoshida of Chiyoda Metal Industry said the molds were modeled directly from real lemons, which is why the left and right sides are slightly asymmetrical, just like the fruit itself.
Today, the molds are used in sweet shops across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa Prefecture.
One shop using the mold is Pearl Yogashiten Jiyugaoka, a lemon cake specialty store that opened in 2025. The shop says the mold creates a softer, fluffier texture than other baking molds.
Even Ginza Shimagokoro switched to the traditional mold after opening its Tokyo location.
“When we first baked with it, it became a completely different product,” Okumoto said.
