Maritozzos have captured Japan’s sweets-loving heart this summer, and this one looks like it could meow.

Japanese bakeries are a wonderland of delicious breadstuffs, and pretty much any time you walk into one you’ve got a tough choice to make between melon bread, curry bread, and a bunch of other tasty staples. But on our recent visit to one very special bakery/cafe, we weren’t going to be tempted by any of those, because we were there for its cat bread and pastries.

Located in the basement level of the Osaka Shin Hankyu Hotel and connected to the adjacent underground shopping arcade, Blue Jean is a pioneer in kitty-shaped baked goods. They’re always looking to expand their lineup of feline-themed treats, though, and this month they’ve started offering cat maritozzos. The Italian cream buns are the trendiest dessert in Japan these days, and when combined with a cute animal motif, sweets fans in Japan (such as us) are powerless to resist.

There’s a bit of a competition among Japan’s maritozzo makers as they continually try to one-up each other as to who can pack the most cream into their creations, and Blue Jean is willing to pick up this soft, rich gauntlet. Viewed straight-on, their Cat-Shaped Maritozzo, dusted with powdered sugar, looks like an adorable little kitty…

…but rotate it to the side…

…and you’ll find it’s impressively thick.

As a matter of fact, it’s so thick that it can be a bit of a challenge to find an Instagram-worthy camera angle that properly conveys its cuteness.

Still, our field reporter Ikuna Kamezawa did her best, posing for a shot with her treat before she dug in.

The bread is surprisingly bread-like…actually, that sounds like it should be obvious, but Ikuna sort of expected it to be more like a donut or fried bread, when it’s actually closer to a piece of regular baked bread. All that cream does make it very rich, though, and if that’s what you’re looking for in your snacks, you’ll find plenty to like here.

▼ Blue Jean also has drinks and eat-in seating.

As we mentioned, though, the maritozzo is merely Blue Jean’s latest cat creation, so we decided to pick up a few of its still on-sale predecessors too, like the baked Cat Paws, Cat Financiers, and Cat Sable Cookies.

Sadly, we didn’t have room for any Cat Cheesecakes…

…but we did pick up a loaf of regular Cat Bread, which we can use to make toast with.

Because if breakfast is the most important meal of the day, shouldn’t it include a smile?

Bakery information
Blue Jean / ブルージン
Located inside Hotel New Hankyu Osaka / 大阪新阪急ホテル
Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Kita-ku, Shibata 1-1-35, basement level 1
大阪府大阪市北区北区芝田１丁目１−３５地下1階
Open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Website

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