Uchiki Pan Bakery

Yokohama was the port through which Western bread first entered Japanese daily life, and Uchiki Pan is a living link to that history. Founded in 1888, this small bakery at the entrance to the Motomachi shopping street is one of the oldest Western-style bakeries in the country, and its most famous product — a springy white loaf called 'England' — has been made from a naturally leavened starter said to have been passed down continuously since the 19th century. For anyone interested in the roots of Japanese food culture, a stop here is a delicious piece of history.

The bakery's origins lie in Yokohama's status as a treaty port. After the harbour opened to foreign trade in 1859, the city's international community created demand for Western goods, including bread, and Japanese bakers learned the craft from foreign residents. Uchiki Pan grew directly out of this exchange: its founder trained under an Englishman's bakery, and the shop has carried that tradition forward for well over a century, surviving wars, earthquakes and the enormous changes of modern Japan while keeping its historic techniques alive.

The signature 'England' loaf is a tall, pale, lightly sweet white bread with a soft, fluffy crumb and a thin crust, leavened with the shop's heirloom hop-based starter rather than commercial yeast. It has a devoted following, and it regularly sells out by midday, so serious buyers come in the morning. Beyond the famous loaf, the shop turns out a full range of breads and rolls, both Western-style and the sweet and savoury baked goods that Japanese bakeries do so well, all at very reasonable prices — most items cost only a few hundred yen.

The shop itself is small, unpretentious and busy, a genuine neighbourhood bakery rather than a polished tourist attraction, and that authenticity is part of its charm. Locals queue alongside curious visitors, and the aroma of fresh bread fills the entrance to Motomachi. There is no cafe seating; this is a place to buy bread and take it away, perhaps to enjoy on a nearby bench or as a picnic in one of Yokohama's parks.

The location is ideal for combining with other sights. Uchiki Pan stands right at the gateway to the Motomachi shopping street, one of Yokohama's most elegant and historic shopping arcades, and it is a short walk from Chinatown, the Yamate bluff with its Western houses, and the waterfront. Picking up a loaf here fits neatly into a day exploring the old foreign-influenced districts of the city.

Getting there is easy: it is about five minutes on foot from Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minatomirai Line, which connects to central Yokohama and through-runs to Tokyo. Because the line is private rather than JR, a Japan Rail Pass does not cover the approach, but IC cards work everywhere. A visit takes only a few minutes, though the surrounding area invites lingering.

For travellers who want to taste a genuine slice of Yokohama's pioneering history, Uchiki Pan delivers — a humble but remarkable bakery where a loaf of bread carries more than a century of the city's story in every bite. Come early, buy the 'England' loaf, and taste why this modest shop has endured for so long.