1. What is Eigyokudo?

With the concept of “offering sweets that fit into everyday life,” this shop is so well-known and popular that it is no exaggeration to say, “When it comes to Yamagata dorayaki, this is the place to go!”

“At first, there were only three types of dorayaki: bean paste, fresh dorayaki, and Macha green tea. But over the past 20 years, the variety has increased significantly.”

This was explained to me by Yoshie Kobayashi, the wife of the seventh-generation owner of the company.

Although Eigyokudou is now known as one of Yamagata’s leading confectionery stores, it once faced a crisis that threatened its survival.

When the seventh generation’s owner was in high school, his father, the previous owner, passed away.

Until the seventh generation took over, his mother was in charge of the parking lot and sold anmitsu and oshiruko.

He is the seventh generation owner and was working as an office worker, but he decided to take on a new challenge because “he could never forget the smell of the dough his father baked when he was a child.”

After quitting his job, he trained and started afresh by selling dorayaki and kintsuba.

※Quoted from EIGYOKUDO CAFE Sendai store website

“The skin of dorayaki is alive. Even if you make the same thing every day, it changes depending on the temperature and humidity. Let’s make something good every day.”

Dorayaki, made every day with that kind of feeling, can’t be anything but delicious!

If you haven’t tried it yet, please give it a try.

I’m sure I’ll be a repeat customer!

※Tozawa Botamochi (quoted from “Yamagata Gurashi”)

In addition to the Eigyokudo Main Shop that we will introduce this time, Eigyokudo has two shops in Yamagata Prefecture and one shop in Sendai.

・Tozawa Village “Tozawa no Botamochi” (Opened in 2011)
・”EIGYOKUDO CAFE Sendai shop” in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (opened in 2018)
・”eigyokudo Cafe gura Yamagata store” in Yamagata City’s gura (opened in 2023)

eigyokudo Cafe gura Yamagata store

2. Inside the shop

Now, let me show you around the shop.

The first thing you’ll see when you enter is this showcase!

You will be greeted by a sweet aroma wafting through the air and a large number of dorayaki.

There are so many of them lined up, but they’re gone in a flash…

During the interview, many customers were making purchases one after another.

Some people even buy 10 or more!

But it’s still so delicious that it makes sense.

Of course, in addition to dorayaki, they also have other popular items such as pudding and anmitsu.

I’ve been to the store a few times, and there’s such a wide variety that I always end up buying more than I planned to.

Items may sell out in the morning, so if there is something you are interested in, we recommend making a reservation.

There is a cafe space in the back where you can enjoy cafe menu items.

The calming colors and stylish lighting create a relaxing and comfortable space.

3. Menu

Eigyokudo has a wide variety of menus that you can enjoy all year round!

There are a whopping 12 different kinds of dorayaki alone.
*May vary depending on the season

In addition to the typical dorayaki filled with bean paste that we imagine, there are also unusual varieties such as Camembert Dorayaki and Caramel x Walnut Dorayaki.

There are also seasonal dorayaki available, so you can enjoy them throughout the year.

And they’re all really delicious!

The cafe menu also features a variety of delicious sweet dishes such as anmitsu and zenzai.

There is also a wide selection of drinks on the menu, making it the perfect place to take a break while exploring Nanokamachi.

4. Recommended items

This time, from the many dorayaki available, we asked to introduce us to three recommended varieties.

① Camembert cream ② Macha green tea with fresh cream ③ Dorayaki

Apparently it looks kind of cute.

① Camembert cream

First, Camembert cream.

It is made with three types of blended cheese and anglaise sauce (a custard-flavored sauce used in making sweets).

Apparently when it was first being developed, there were many people who said, “Dorayaki is made with bean paste, so why put cheese in between?”

but!

Many people have commented that it is delicious when they try it, and it has now become the store’s most popular item.

② Macha green tea with cream

This cake is made with Macha green tea cream, made using Macha green tea from Yamamasa Koyamaen in Kyoto, and homemade bean paste.

With one sip, Macha green tea’s delicate bitterness hits you right in the mouth, followed by its richness and sweetness.

The bean paste has a strong flavor and is sweet yet refreshing.

The balance between the dorayaki skin and the filling was perfect.

③ Dorayaki

This classic is not to be missed!

This is Eigyokudo’s classic katsu, stuffed with plenty of red beans from Tokachi, Hokkaido, and is a masterpiece full of careful attention to detail.

The moist texture of the skin is followed by the rich flavor of the bean paste filling.

It has a subtle sweetness yet depth of flavor, and you can really taste the distinctive flavor of Tokachi-grown azuki beans.

④ There are many other recommended products!

Other than that, there are plenty of dorayaki that you can only get here, such as Fresh Cream Dorayaki that combines specially selected fresh cream with Eigyokudo’s bean paste, Caramel x Walnut Dorayaki that allows you to enjoy the texture of homemade caramel and roasted walnuts, and Peach x Sour Cream Dorayaki (seasonal only) that combines peach jam with sour cream!

Be sure to visit during different seasons.

5. Message

Finally, the president’s wife, Yoshie, gave a message to everyone reading VISIT YAMAGATA.

“We are very happy to hear from our customers that they enjoyed the food.

Please feel free to come with your family or by yourself.

We hope that local people will come by in their aprons to do some shopping and use the store in their daily lives.”

6. Basic information about Eigyokudo main shop