Located about 8 minutes on foot from Shibuya Station on the Yamanote Line, Brasserie VIRON's red pillars make the shop easy to spot from a distance. This popular bakery is open from 9:00 a.m. every day and sees an endless stream of eager buyers until closing hours.

Rows of neatly lined up tasty-looking bread greet you from the shop's showcase once you step inside. The wheat flour used to bake these bread is called Retrodole, supplied by VIRON Company and designed specifically for making baguettes.

This flour mixture won seven times in an annual Paris baguette contest during the ten years the competition was held, and has the distinguished honor of being used in France's presidential residence, Élysée Palace as well.

Bread baked from this flour is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside - just like an authentic baguette!

In Japan, only Brasserie VIRON has access to VIRON's special wheat flour for baguettes, so if you're looking to start your morning with something luxurious, the bread from this shop will be a most adequate choice.

Retrodole baguette sandwiches stuffed with vegetables, bacon, ham, and other ingredients are available in abundance, their colorful appearance adding some pomp to the showcase.

Besides bread, the bakery also sells desserts, like mont blanc, chocolate cakes, and more!

Brasserie VIRON is where you can get breakfast and dessert all in one place!

Gorgeous restaurant on the 2nd floor

The second floor of the bakery is a stylish restaurant decked with signature red upholstery. The restaurant welcomes guests at all hours of the day, so whether you're looking for a place to have breakfast, lunch, tea, or dinner, this place has you covered. If you'll be visiting in the morning, absolutely give the restaurant's breakfast menu a try!

Our recommendation from the breakfast menu is the healthy "Cereales" set, consisting of a baguette made from 100% Retrodole flour, cereals made with 10 different types of whole grains, and two other bread of your choice. It also comes with an impressive array of eight spreads, including favorites like honey, chocolate cream, and a jam made by Francis Miot that won the gold award from an international jam competition, for you to indulge your taste buds with.

Pick coffee or tea to go along with the set. Refills are free!

You're allowed to pick any bread being sold on the first floor for the set meal. We asked the staff to recommend us the most popular items in the shop!

The first one is the spiral-shaped "Pain Aux Raisins (440 yen per piece usually)", an exquisite piece of raisin Danish with custard cream. The mildly sweet taste makes it very popular with children as well.

The next recommendation is the apple pie, "Chausson Aux Pommes (500 yen per piece usually)". Hidden within the crispy dough is some refreshingly sweet apple compote.

Both bread items are on the larger side and will charge you up for the day ahead! Served together with a baguette and cereals, this filling breakfast set is a great way to kickstart your morning.

Unique crepes you can only find in this bakery!

There's a signboard advertising crepes in the bread and cake section on the first floor too!

Since these crepes are also made using Retrodole flour, they have a springy texture that makes for great chewing! The subtly sweet butter used on the crepe invites you to keep munching until every last morsel is relished. Crepe enthusiasts will not be disappointed with this unique taste, that's for sure! Order one to eat on the way back from your bread buying to get the most of your trip here!

And that's how you can enjoy breakfast with an authentic baguette at Brasserie VIRON if you happen to be visiting Shibuya early in the morning!

Boul'ange Shibuya is a trendy-looking shop about 1-minute on foot from Shibuya Station and can be seen immediately after getting across the intersection. Because it opens from 7:00 a.m. and is located very near the busy station, even those in a rush during morning peak hours can spare a few minutes to grab some breakfast before going for their appointments.

The flour used for their bread selection is carefully sourced from all over the world. This flour is then kneaded and baked into bread using authentic French methods as a base. The bread sold here has a very reasonable average price of 180 yen, making this bakery a hit among people who just want to try out different types of bread without fussing over their prices.

Fairs are sometimes held, featuring bread specially prepared with seasonal ingredients. Since the shop releases new products every month, regular customers look forward to being pleasantly surprised whenever they visit, and this is certainly one of the reasons for its massive popularity as well.

Besides baguettes and sandwich bread, the bakery is also constantly stocked with croissants, sweet buns, and plenty of other types of confectionery.

The most popular item in the shop is the croissant, which is displayed in attractive-looking tall stacks everywhere around the shop. They certainly do seem to glow with an appetizing aura of deliciousness!

Introducing the shop's most popular bread items!

Here are four popular bread items being sold at Boul'ange Shibuya that are excellent candidates for breakfast!

You definitely want to try Boul'ange Shibuya's "Croissant (180 yen)" when you're there, as it is the shop's most commonly bought item. Up to 1,000 pieces of this highly-sought-after pastry can be sold in one day! The dough layers of this croissant are thicker than usual, making it much crispier as well.

Many people visit the shop specifically for this croissant, a testament to its enduring popularity.

The next item is "Pain Au Chocolat (260 yen)". The dough is as crunchy as a croissant's, but the bread itself is stuffed with chocolate made by French company Valrhona. This little piece of heaven is every chocolate and sweets fan's dream come true!

If saltiness is more your cup of tea, try the "Olive Gruyere (200 yen)"! Made using chewy traditional dough mixed with olives and gruyere cheese, the slightly salty-tasting bread has an aromatic wheat fragrance that enhances its taste.

Finally, there's the "Milk Cream Viennois (190 yen)". This particular tasty treat stuffs plenty of homemade milk cream made of condensed milk mixed with vanilla between a soft French bun. This is a great choice for someone looking for a light bread that's sweet and easy on the tongue.

Eating space on the second floor

The shop provides a spacious eating space on its second floor. However, because this place is so popular, seats are often fully occupied during certain hours. Be sure to check the area beforehand if you plan to eat at the shop itself.

Soup and drinks like coffee are available for ordering as well. Why not, since they go well with bread?

Since you're in Japan, why not see what bread made Japanese-style tastes like?

Ever since 365 Days, a bakery a slight distance away from Shibuya opened its doors for business, it has attracted the attention and patronage of countless people both from Japan and around the world, and we're going to find out why. The shop opens at 7:00 a.m. every day.

The decor in this small bakery exudes warmth because of its wooden design. Displayed in snug rows among this environment are baguettes, sandwich bread, sweet buns, and all kinds of other pastries.

The idea behind 356 Days is to show off Japan's bread, and along that line of thought, the bread being sold here are all made using Japanese wheat.

Other ingredients that go into the bread are natural as well, so that anyone can bite into them with peace of mind. Specifically, they only choose ingredients that are locally-sourced and grown naturally. Because processed food used in sandwiches like bacon and ham often contain additives when bought from the market, the shop avoids those products and instead makes their own ingredients from scratch in the kitchen.

Everything here is meticulously vetted and made by hand before being displayed in the shop's showcase. This, too is one of 356 Day's most appealing qualities.

There are six counter seats in the shop for customers to eat at if they so desire.

Popular breakfast items at 365 Days

It is said that most Japanese either have rice or slices of sandwich bread for breakfast. That's just how deeply rooted this staple has become in local life since its introduction. For fans of a bread breakfast, 356 Days has three types of sandwich bread available for your choosing. Why not try each one out and see which one you like best? Here, we'll help too!

First of all, "Hokkaido Sandwich Bread" is a milky loaf made from an opulent mix of Hokkaido wheat, butter, and milk. The ratio of butter to wheat flour is an astounding 25%, so you can look forward to a smooth texture that almost feels like butter sliding down your throat!

Next is the "Fukuoka Sandwich Bread", made from Fukuoka wheat that's known for its aromatic millet fragrance. The dough mixture is 20% cream, which gives the bread a light and refreshing taste. It complements and enhances the flavor of spreads like jam or sandwich ingredients.

Finally "356 Days Sandwich Bread" is made from a blend of Hokkaido and Fukuoka wheat. You can never get tired of its sweet yet refreshing taste, which makes it the ideal bread to always have on the breakfast table.

Shop staff will be happy to slice the loaves and toast them for you if you're having them in the shop, so don't be shy! Go ahead and try everything to see for yourself how different they taste!

*The sister shop - a cafe called 15℃ - is where you can taste-test the three types of sandwich breads by ordering a specially prepared morning breakfast. The set comes with toasted bread, green salad, a sunny-side-up egg, homemade sausages, and seasonal soup.

What you're seeing here is the "Honey Toast (330 yen)" made with honey, light brown sugar, and liqueur, leading to a bread that's crunch on the outside and springy on the inside. The toast is made using Fukuoka Sandwich Bread, so it comes with the same millet fragrance! With each bite, the honey, sugar, and wheat come together in perfect harmony on top of your taste buds, the tastiness of which can be devastatingly addicting if you're not careful!

As for the milky Hokkaido bread, there's "100% = Sonpurusan (280 yen)", which is a bagel designed by 365 Days with an all-new kind of texture. Regular bagels are boiled in the process of production, but "100% = Sonpurusan" is baked in a steam oven instead. This 100% moisturized environment helps to keep it every bit as chewy as a bagel should be!

As a result of the steaming, this bagel is not as sticky as normal bagels and despite its elasticity, each bite feels full and juicy. Quite a different sort of texture for something so ubiquitous! Care has also been taken to ensure that the taste of the wheat flour and ingredients has not been diminished in any way. No special seasoning is applied to the bread, yet you'll likely find that you can't stop munching on it once you start!

"Croquem Chocolat (380 yen)" is well-known for its lumpy filling. The bread is made with brioche au chocolat flour and smooth ganache cream, and then topped with crispy perles chocolat. This means you'll get to enjoy three different kinds of chocolates with every bite you take. What a luxury!

Don't forget to get a drink!

If you choose to eat your breakfast at the shop itself, you'll be able to order homemade coffee to go along with your meal, or fruit juice made with organic fruits that were grown using natural methods, all carefully selected by 356 Days for maximum freshness. These interesting drinks can't be found anywhere else, so they're definitely worth a try!

An affiliated cafe just very nearby

Just a 1-minute walk from 356 Days is their sister shop, a cafe called 15℃.

The cafe has a breakfast menu that offers toasted bread using the same items being sold in 365 Days. For fans of a more Japanese breakfast spread, there are meals with rice and miso soup as well. If you want to relax and take your time with breakfast, come to 15℃!

365 Days is a great way to immerse yourself in the Japanese bread culture!

*% measurements are based on baker's percent

Make the most of your Shibuya breakfast!

A shop that uses a special kind of flour, a shop offering filling bread for very reasonable prices, and a shop where you can really understand the Japanese bread culture - these are our three recommendations for you this time, and we hope you've found something that suits your palate!

The humble and versatile bread can transform into all sorts of tastes and textures depending on the shop and their methods, so if you enjoy this staple food, feel free to compare the different flavors available by picking up a few items from all three shops!

A word of advice: Since these are popular shops in a very busy area of Tokyo, head down as early as you can if there's something you absolutely must try, so as to avoid disappointment!

*All prices excluding tax

Written by Nanakusa China. English translation by Huimin Pan.