A Bird, A Plane, A…Bean Bun?

A superhero quest for sweets in Little Tokyo.
by Candace Ryan

At the intersection of anime and pop food culture stands a flying red bean bun—a pastry superhero, to be exact. Anpanman, the long-time Japanese anime character, has brought his superhero powers across the Pacific. The anpan—a popular Japanese pastry filled with sweet adzuki bean paste—inspired manga artist Takashi Yanase to create the Anpanman character in 1968. According to legend, Anpanman came to life when a shooting star struck a baking anpan in Uncle Jam’s oven. Huh?

Although virtually unknown to most Americans, Anpanman and his bread-based buddies are super celebrities in Japan, with almost 40 years’ worth of marketing and merchandising victories under their belts. Maintaining high visibility through manga, anime and movie exposure, you’d have to leave Japan to escape Anpanman’s puffy presence. From the sides of trains to shampoo bottles to candy wrappers, Anpanman’s trademark smile and red-dotted cheeks capture the essence of kawaii, the Japanese concept of uber-cute. In a country where cuteness is a national commodity, Anpanman has helped define the aesthetic of kawaii for Japanese manga and anime culture. It might take being Japanese to completely understand the concept of kawaii and fall head over heels for a bean bun superhero, but affection for Anpanman is strong enough to make the Anpanman Museum one of the most popular destinations for the Japanese.

In Little Tokyo, deep in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, Anpanman’s merchandising footprints can be found in the local anime shops. But it’s in the area’s surrounding bakeries and sweet shops where Anpanman and friends leave delectable clues to their eponymous desserts’ whereabouts. Is it possible to track down a decent anpan in L.A.—to taste the kawaii that launched a thousand Anpanman cartoons?

The search begins at Mikawaya Bakery-Confectionery, which sits near an empty fountain in the Japanese Village Plaza. On a late Sunday morning, dessert mongers flock to this mini-mecca of mochi ice cream, gelato and various bite-sized pastries made from bean paste, sweet rice and steamed bread. Pre-packaged anpans can be found here, but none of the other dessert superheroes from Anpan Land. (The anpan’s red bean paste, beloved by many Japanese, is known to oversweeten some gaijin palettes, so proceed with caution.)

Anpanman’s buddies who help him accomplish the most with the yeast include Currypanman, Shokupanman and Melonpanna, all of whom can be found across the plaza at Yamazaki Bakery. Currypanman’s head is made of spicy currypan, a pastry filled with curry paste or curried meat and vegetables. Needless to say, he can become quite hot-tempered at times and uses the curry in his head as a weapon when necessary. At Yamazaki, currypan doubles as a curry doughnut, sold fresh and warm in a thin, lightly fried bread pocket.

Shokupanman’s head is a single slice of white bread, known as shokupan. Narcissistic but kind, Shokupaman is a good friend to Anpanman and a hero to schoolchildren: When not fighting the forces of evil in Anpan Land, Shokupanman can be found serving school lunches. Yamazaki sells Shokupanman as loaves, and—sigh—not single slices, of white bread. Finally, there’s Melonpanna. Her head resembles melonpan, a cream-colored roll that’s lightly sweetened with a dense but crumbly texture. Evildoers, beware. Melonpanna’s special Melo-Melo punch will leave you swooning with affection.

The anpans at Yamazaki are fresh-baked, large buns with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. With a light, springy texture on the outside, the bun’s dense center contains the cool, dark textures of the sweet adzuki bean, which can be ordered either as tsubu (whole bean) or koshi (bean paste). Fugetsu-Do Confectionery & Bakery on First Street stocks pre-packaged anpans in packs of four. Although smaller in size, sans sesame seeds and less springy than their fresh-baked counterparts, the sweet adzuki bean filling inside doesn’t disappoint.

It would be easy for Anpanman to let all the fame go to his doughy head—which is repeatedly devoured and re-baked during his cartoon adventures—except he has a greater purpose in mind. All superheroes give of themselves, but Anpanman takes this calling a bit more literally. Wherever the needy and hungry can be found, Anpanman comes to their aid and offers bites of his body for sustenance. Any other superhero would risk losing his head with such generosity, but Uncle Jam bakes Anpanman new ones as needed.

No superhero is worth his weight without an arch enemy to battle: Baikinman, or Germ Man, knowing that bacteria and mold are Anpanman’s only weaknesses, stalks the superhero at every turn. Fortunately, conditions at Mikawaya, Yamazaki and Fugetsu-Do are pleasant enough to deter Baikinman and his gang of germs from attacking either you or your anpan.

Fighting evil can work up an appetite. With Anpanman at your side, eat for peace and justice. It’ll take the notion of playing with your food to a whole different level. LAA

For a feast of food fun, visit the food blog, From the Pit of My Stomach, at www.pitofmystomach.typepad.com

Where to Get Anpans in Little Tokyo:

Mikawaya Bakery-Confectionery
118 Japanese Village Mall
(213) 624-1681

Yamazaki Bakery
123 Japanese Village Plaza
(213) 624-2773

Fugetsu-Do Confectionery & Bakery
315 E. First Street
(213) 625-8595