Yes, Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen bread, based on the viral video, actually exists, and our lucky reporters managed to get their hands on some!
“I have a pen…” How many times have those quirky lyrics gotten stuck in your head since comedian Pikotaro’s hit “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen” (PPAP) was unleashed upon the world?
Since it seems everyone and their grandma around the world have now seen the YouTube video with its offbeat lyrics and zany dance moves, a few of our Japanese-language RocketNews24 reporters jumped at the chance to take a little trip when they caught wind of a bakery in the Kanagawa Prefecture town of Fujisawa selling PPAP-inspired bread. Even better, the staff named this particular bread “Pan-Pineapple-Apple-Pan,” pan being the Japanese word for bread and also sounding similar to the “pen” of the original song for a clever pun. Apparently the shop had begun selling the bread to local high school students, and it soon exploded in popularity on the web thanks to social media.
After getting pumped by listening to a few rounds of PPAP, our reporters hopped on the Odakyu Enoshima Line from Shinjuku and began the hour-long trek down to Fujisawa. Since they weren’t sure about the bread’s popularity, they decided to play it safe by calling ahead and having the staff set aside two servings for them.
They got off at Chogo Station and quickly caught sight of the bakery, called Loire Kogetsudo. The delightful aroma of freshly baked bread wafted up to greet them.
They began looking around for a sign advertising the PPAP bread, but couldn’t find anything inside or outside the shop. In fact, they couldn’t even find a single PPAP pastry on the shelves, either! What was going on?
It turned out that being noon and all, the bread was already sold out. However, our reporters were overcome by a wave of relief when they learned that the two servings they had reserved over the phone were indeed still waiting for them. For anyone who’s visiting from a distance, it’s probably a good idea to check the stock beforehand.
▼ Next step: Slip on some tinted glasses to channel Pikotaro’s spirit before eating.
▼ The label on the bread was indeed the real thing–“Pan-Pineapple-Apple-Pan”!
The bread itself was decorated with slices of pineapple and apple…
…and filled with a creamy custard. Yep, this was the real deal! It was sweet and evoked images of a fusion between apple pie and cream-pan (a popular cream-filled Japanese bread). No wonder it was so popular with high school students even with the shop not advertising it at all! Now if only they would sell it in convenience stores across Japan…
▼ PPAP!
▼ PPAP?
▼ PPAP!!
All in all, our reporters were quite pleased with the PPAP bread, and would give it two thumbs up–but as you can see, they’re clearly too busy chowing down and getting ready for an impromptu dance party in the office!
Shop information
Loire Kogetsudo Main Branch / ロワール光月堂本店
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Fujisawa-shi, Takakura 877
神奈川県藤沢市高倉877
Open: 9:00 am -7:30 pm
Website
Images ©RocketNews24
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