Hara Donuts

Hara Donuts has stores and cafés across the capital, though it would be unfair to call it a chain in the Krispy Kreme sense. There is plenty of personality from shop to shop, and you get the impression that the employees don't just check in, don a cap and churn them out. The bakers pride themselves on using okara and soy milk from the Hara Tofu Shop out in Nara, and there's a craftsmanship to the enterprise that a bigger chain might lack.

The Meguro store, a bus ride from Meguro Station, is a pleasing little place, the second storey of which houses a café. Climb the narrow stairs and you spill out into what looks like a refurbished barn. There's a narrow counter beneath the window, a two-seater table by a small balcony garden, a little radiator for colder months and a large dining table, around which local women gather for their coffee mornings. It's sparsely decorated, but charming for it. The only slight annoyance is its proximity to Meguro-dori, which creates a small ruckus throughout your time there. Is it worth a special trip? Perhaps not, but if you're in the vicinity, it makes for a nice alternative.

Hara Donuts' donut