Asanoya

In 1933, a time when European-style bread was a novelty in Japan, founder Yoshiaki Asano opened Asanoya Shoten in Tokyo's Kōjimachi district. The area housed many foreign embassies, and the bakery quickly found a dedicated customer base among diplomats and their families who sought the familiar tastes of home. This early success was built on a simple, yet powerful, strategy: serve a niche, high-demand market with quality products. The business reached a pivotal moment in 1940. Following requests from his diplomatic clientele who frequented the resort town of Karuizawa, Asano established a summer branch there. This expansion solidified Asanoya's identity as a premier bakery. Decades later, in 1986, the company cemented its reputation for innovation by becoming the first in Japan to install a Spanish-made stone oven, a move that stayed true to the founder's ethos of embracing new methods to enhance quality. After operating for decades and expanding across Japan, Asanoya also established an international presence with its first overseas outlet in Singapore. The most significant recent event in the company's journey occurred in late 2024, when the real estate and hospitality company Mori Trust acquired Asanoya, bringing it into its corporate group. This acquisition marked a new chapter for the nearly century-old bakery, positioning it for future growth under new ownership.