After a certain amount of time in Japan, you get used to the country and all the things you used to think were strange. But when you start to think that you've seen everything, something will come along to surprise you. For me that was Arpajon.
Arpajon is a relatively small, Miyagi-based chain that started in Ishinomaki in 1993. Now you can find stores in Yaotome and Nattori, and a small stand in Sendai station; some of the products are even available in certain supermarkets. The newest addition is the Kuryu store, and watching it take shape on the corner of Kawachi's parking lot puzzled me. It became a log cabin, which looked nice...and then the Santas appeared. It was even more confusing when I found out that it was a patisserie.
If you make the twenty-minute walk from Rikuzen-Ochiai station (JR Senzan line), cheerful music and the mouth-watering smell of baking will come wafting over as you walk around to the front of the store. There you will be greeted by the sight of one Santa on vacation with Rudolph in Hawaii, and another sitting on a bench (a great photo opportunity!). The Santas continue inside the store, hanging out in hammocks or hiding in alcoves. It certainly adds a wonderland quality to the atmosphere.
However, a patisserie is nothing without cakes. Arpajon has whole ones and individual portions, in a rainbow of colors across two display cases. Decorated with a simple elegance that belies quite how delicious they are, these are my favorite cakes in the whole of Sendai. I consider Arpajon to have the best price to quality ratio out of all the patisserie stores I've been to here. What's more, they use local (Miyagi) ingredients.
I'm not the only fan. On busy days, going in the afternoon is a lost cause – the display case is less than half full. You might still be able to buy an Aoba Castle Stone (¥380), a themed chocolate cake, but seasonal ones like the delicately-flavored sakura rollcake or the fruity persimmon panier will be long sold out. I never thought it would be so difficult to get a green tea tiramisu (¥460)!
Most people buy the cakes here to take away and eat later, but if you can't wait that long, between 10:00 and 17:30 you can eat at the cafe. It's a small area near the entrance with a few tables. Just choose a cake, pay for cafe time at the register, and enjoy. For up to 90 minutes you can help yourself to drinks from the drink bar.
It looks like a gimmick, but Arpajon's cakes taste like a dream. Novelty, quality and value combine to make a patisserie store unlike any patisserie store you've ever been to.
