Benkyodo Co

No trip to Japantown would be complete without a stop at Benkyodo, a coffeeshop run by brothers Ricky and Bobby Okamura in Buchanan Mall. This is no ordinary coffeeshop. Ricky and Bobby are third generation manju makers, part of a dying breed of artisans who make these traditional confections by hand each day. Benkyodo celebrated its 100th anniversary in June 2006. If you stop by on a Saturday, be prepared to wait in line and go early because they can sell out fast. It’s kind of amusing to see how East meets West here, for my kids often look forward to ordering a hotdog with their kuri goma manju, baked manju with smooth white beans and sesame seed garnish. When I’m there, it’s hard to resist my childhood favorite, dorayaki, a pancake style manju filled with whole red beans. Benkyodo also has fun flavors like strawberry, peanut butter and chocolate marshmallow mochi! Benkyodo Co.,1747 Buchanan Street. 415.922.1244. Monday – Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Sundays.

They make fresh mochi! I love the pale mochi with the red dot in the center. I forgot what it was called. Their strawberry is unique. Their red bean filling is delicious. I’m not a big fan of peanut butter, so their peanut butter filled mochi wasn’t to my taste. They have a mochi fried like a donut. Excellent mochi!