Sweets fiends in the know may recognise the name from places like Ikebukuro and Ueno – the supremely popular Mammies an Sourire apple pies are sold in several dedicated locations around the city, but Arakawa Ward is where they’re baked. If you want to try a thick, just-right pie straight out of the oven, you’ll better get to the Meiji-dori bakery early: the official opening hours are between 7am and noon, but as most of the product gets shipped out to other retail locations, stock tends to run out very quickly. The building is quite nondescript and may be slightly tricky to locate – find the colourful sign by the street and you're there.
