The Mary's Chocolate Cafe: You'll Want to Gobble Up the History... and the Chocolate!

Uniquely high-quality Japanese chocolate, Mary's Chocolate has been producing sweet treats in Japan for almost 70 years now. They even played a huge role in bringing the fun of Valentine's Day to Japan - if it weren't for Mary's Chocolate, the chocolate-giving tradition might have never caught on! These days you certainly don't have to wait for Valentine's Day to check out their luscious chocolates, of course. The wafting smell of chocolate might just draw you right out of Tokyo Station the next time you pass through, pulling you into the Mary's Cafe across the street. Not only does this cafe have all the tasty drinks and snacks you'd hope for, you can even treat yourself to a custom chocolate bar there (or make one to bring to a friend). So don't waste your time with the waxy oversweet snacks at the convenience store. Next time you're craving a dose of chocolate, direct yourself towards Mary's Cafe (or even get some Mary's Chocolate in the airport on your way out of Japan).

The Rich History of this Rich Chocolate

Western influence was on the rise in mid-20th century Japan, when the Mary's Chocolate factory first opened its doors. All sorts of new things were being introduced to the country, including flavors that had been uncommon up until that point, like chocolate. Between the name Mary and the young girl logo that represents the company, you can see that from the very beginning Mary's Chocolate reminded this changing Japan of the sweet treats already enjoyed by children in other parts of the world. The sweet ribbon-wearing Mary is now forever entwined with the history of Japanese chocolate.

Imagine for a moment that you're at the best concert you've ever heard, and you're so overjoyed that you call for an encore. This is the feeling that Mary's Chocolate has always aimed to recreate - in the form of chocolate! And they've been working towards that goal since Kentaro Hara started a small Tokyo chocolate factory in 1950.

Perhaps the Cupid of Japan

Love Valentine's Day? Or perhaps you're intrigued by Japan's slightly unique V-Day traditions? Well, you can taste a little bit of Japanese Valentine's history by nibbling some Mary's Chocolate. After a Mary's Chocolate employee received a postcard from Paris, detailing French gift-giving habits, the company was inspired to start the very first Valentine's Chocolate fairs in Tokyo department stores. This wasn't until 1958! Then again, it took even longer for the practice to really catch on in Japan. That first February chocolate market, when Mary's Chocolate was basically introducing Valentine's Day to Japan, they only managed to sell three chocolate bars and one card to go with them. Their sales total? 170 yen.

Image Source: Mary's Chocolate Website

Japan is a little different these days, and while department store chocolate fairs have become huge events, Mary's Chocolate has continued to contribute to the tradition over the years. The company's innovative spirit can be seen in products like these chocolates, which were sold with a metal stylus so that gift-givers could write to and from names on them, and also in the way Mary's chocolatiers have made strides in the international world of chocolate. The company became the first non-European chocolate-maker to enter the Salon du Chocolat in 2000, bringing uniquely Japanese flavors like yuzu and matcha to the competition (and drawing attention to them on an international stage). Chocolatiers trained within the company, working under their international label of Tokyo Chocolate, even won the CCC Award in 2016, proving themselves among the world's top chocolatiers.

Get a Taste of Things at Mary's Cafe

If you're anything like us, all that chocolate history has you craving the stuff! So, with a taste for chocolate, we headed over to sample some of the sweets at the chocolate maker's totally convenient cafe. If you're having a busy day running around Tokyo, take a break and duck out of Tokyo Station for a while. Mary's Cafe can be found in the Kitte shopping center, basically right next door.

Mary's Cafe

1F KITTE Marunouchi, 2-7-2, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
10:00 am ~ 10:00 pm
Official Website

(Right now there's only the one, unique chocolate cafe in Tokyo. If you're craving chocolate all the way in Kansai, though, wait just a little longer! They're planning to open one more location in Kyoto, fall 2019!)

We made it! Inside, the cafe has cute pink walls and comfy seating, and everything smells fantastic. The chocolatey smells tugged us over to the shop, retro cartoon-style. First things first, we'd heard we could make ourselves a custom bar of chocolate at Mary's Cafe, and we wanted to get to it! (And then maybe make a couple extra as souvenirs for friends.) The friendly chocolatier was eager to help us, ready to provide any advice we needed, so we got started.

The custom chocolate bars can be made with three different kinds of base chocolate (white, milk, or dark) and then a selection of toppings. With so many topping options (including lots of dried fruits and nuts, plus a few seasonal bits and pieces) trying to choose the best possible combination was almost difficult. So we were really glad the chocolatier was there! She helped us think about what we might like, what would go really well together, and even what our friends might like as souvenirs. According to the pro: the bright addition of candied lemon is a popular choice during warm weather months, but Kiyomi orange is a uniquely Japanese option, with a delicious citrus flavor.

Look at our chocolate bar taking shape!

Getting there nice and early, we had the pleasure of seeing some of the day's chocolate tempering getting done. But even if you're there later in the afternoon, you can watch the melted chocolate and toppings come together to make your custom chocolate bar!

We were pretty pleased with these results! 

 

We couldn't resist the temptation of a cute little gift box (for an extra hundred yen). It was hard enough not breaking into the chocolate immediately! Of course, ours was a pretty standard-sized chocolate bar. Maybe we would have just gone for it right then and there if we'd gotten one a larger sized custom chocolate bar - they even make big round ones that are a little like eating a pizza made of chocolate.

While Waiting for the Chocolate Bar to Cool...

The custom chocolate bars take about an hour until they're ready to be taken home (or eaten on the spot), so, what to do...

After consulting with the staff, we learned that customers can do one of two things: ① travelers touring Japan are welcome to arrange to pick up their chocolate on another day! So if you want, you can go off on the rest of your trip around Japan, and just stop in to grab your chocolate bar another day! Or ②, hang out in the cafe for an hour! Just take a break, choose something to sip or snack on while you sit, and anticipate the cooling chocolate.

A nice break sounded pretty good to us, so we went for option two.

Even if that custom chocolate bar is supposed to be a gift or souvenir, it might be hard to resist breaking off a corner to try, or taking a nibble like Charlie Bucket. Instead, we'd recommend you go for some of the chocolates sold at the counter while you wait. Next to chocolate-covered dried fruit you might spy some little chocolate rounds, which aren't custom made, but they taste just as good as the Mary's custom bars (and they're made right there in the cafe). If you're not great at estimating weights, take a look at the little piles of chocolates - they represent 100 grams!

After tiring ourselves out choosing toppings, we needed a refreshing beverage or three. Our choices? The deeply chocolatey chocolate mousse drink, an Uji matcha white chocolate latte, and finally this luscious concoction made from white chocolate and raspberry mousse. If you're worried these are all sugar bombs, you might really enjoy the chocolate drink - it was super chocolatey but not really all that sweet! Although the mousse was just decadent enough to spoil us. The three drinks were pretty mouth-watering... but if you'd rather have a simple cup of coffee, you can get that too.

In this room surrounded by tendrils of chocolatey aromas, we figured we should eat a little something to fill our stomachs before we stuffed them with sweets! A lunch made entirely of chocolate sounded tempting, but we thought better of it in the end. Good thing, too - the light lunch choices (like this baguette sandwich trio) were pretty nice.

But lunch still ended up being mostly chocolate. On top of the tasty chocolates themselves, the cafe offers delectable cakes and things as well.

Of course we ate too much dessert! This is our chocolate terrine, made from 75% cacao Venezuelan chocolate. If you've tried Japanese cakes that are maybe a little too light and airy, you'll like this richly chocolatey slice. It even came with a fun high-milk chocolate flower.

We were pretty impressed when we first laid eyes on this crème brûlée! Look at that swoop of caramelized sugar, sitting an inch above the custard. The flavor didn't disappoint either, with the scoop of berry ice cream and crunchy nut topping.

Between the satisfying sandwiches and the luxe desserts at the cafe, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the cafe. We could have stayed all afternoon, but we had to go share our bounty of chocolate!

Spread the Joy, Bring Back a Little Chocolate for Everyone!

With our custom bar cooled and packed to bring back to the office to share, we realized that just one bar might not fulfill everyone's cravings. Of course Mary's Cafe had our back, though, with plenty of other tasty-looking souvenir options. Considering Mary's Chocolate makes everything from boxes of Valentine's chocolates and little gourmet Japanese bonbons available in Japanese department stores, to gift boxes of pastries, we figured there's probably something for every sweet tooth.

Cake-lovers can take home some of that terrine we tried while waiting at the cafe, or might just be charmed by these little boxes of gateau chocolat. Sweetened with a hint of honey, they actually come in four different types. Two are extra chocolatey, made with either Ecuador or Madagascar cacao, while the other two have a little added fruitiness, using raisins or candied orange. All four have extra depth of flavor thanks to brandy, whisky, rum, or cointreau.

For those out there who want something a little less packed with chocolate, there's always a tin of Ruru galettes. Made with buttery pastry, there's a subtle touch of rum for a more complex flavor.

Bring your friends a handful of the premade chocolate bars, including special seasonal varieties. Just look at the sparkly crystals of sugar on the summer marbled mint-chocolate bar.

Worried About Dragging Your Chocolate Around?

Headed to Mary's Cafe on an unbearably hot day? Or maybe you just have a whole trip to go before heading back home? Luckily, you've got some options. Mary's Chocolate is available at department stores nationwide, but they also sell chocolate right at the airport. You can bring a box of their Fancy Chocolates home to a special someone.

When you realize you forgot a souvenir for that one friend, let Mary's Silky Soft Chocolate save your hide. The creamy texture and uniquely addictive melon flavor makes it a fun gift from Japan. Of course, when you're dreading a long flight home the simple chocolate version might just hit the spot. Treat yourself!

In business for more than half a century, Mary's Chocolate has continued to produce uniquely high-quality chocolate in Japan, keeping up the innovation as they go. So, after seeing a little of what they have to offer, what are you going to try when you visit Mary's Cafe?

Let us know about your trip to the cafe, and all the good chocolate you try in Japan on instagram, twitter, and facebook!

And be sure to look out for more articles on Japan every day at JAPANKURU.