Why Bananas? The History of 'Tokyo Banana,' a Must-Have on Japanese Shopping Lists [Nichiyobi Nichi Culture]

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One of the common souvenirs from trips to Japan seems to be 'Tokyo Banana.' These small banana-shaped castella cakes are individually wrapped, making them perfect for sharing as gifts. Last week, the Tokyo Banana company participated in the Korea-Japan Tourism Business Forum held in Seoul by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, gaining attention once again through their presentation.

But why bananas among so many fruits? How did Tokyo Banana come to be? Today, we will share the history of Tokyo Banana.

Tokyo Banana Official Website.

Tokyo Banana was launched in 1991 by the Japanese confectionery company Grapestone. Grapestone began development in 1989, a time when Japan’s era name was changing from Showa to Heisei, marking the start of a new era. At that time, Tokyo lacked a notable souvenir, so the company approached product development with the goal of creating a new era souvenir representing Tokyo. Typically, souvenirs use famous local ingredients or specialties, but Tokyo had nothing remarkable to boast about. Therefore, they decided to break away from this conventional idea. Instead, they focused on Tokyo’s unique characteristic as the capital city where people from all over Japan gather, shifting their focus to creating a flavor that all generations could enjoy.

Thus, they decided to develop a product based on the universally loved flavor of banana. For the elderly, banana represented a foreign taste they once longed to try, while for adults and children, it was associated with picnics and snacks. Because bananas evoke many memories, they could appeal to all generations.

After various attempts, Tokyo Banana was born in 1991 as a moist sponge cake filled with custard cream mixed with banana pur?e. In 1992, it gained opportunities to be sold at Tokyo Haneda Airport and Tokyo Station, gradually increasing its recognition. Especially, the box size was convenient for fitting into the luggage or suitcases of people traveling on business to Tokyo, and the product’s ability to be stored at room temperature made it popular among busy office workers carrying a lot of baggage. Interestingly, Tokyo Banana has never appeared in TV commercials. Instead, they focus heavily on customer service. The company’s motto is “Can you see the customer’s face?” emphasizing direct interaction with each customer.

Tokyo Banana Panda Version. Tokyo Banana Official Website.

They also engage in various collaborations, the most notable being patterns. They add leopard or giraffe patterns to the banana bread, which allows for diverse variations and has been well received by customers as “cute.” In 2017, following the birth of a baby panda named Xiang Xiang at Ueno Zoo, they introduced “Tokyo Banana Panda” with panda patterns on the bread, which became extremely popular.

Another unique aspect of Tokyo Banana is its product name. In Japan, banana is written in katakana as 'バナナ,' but Tokyo Banana is written as 'ばな奈.' This is because Tokyo Banana is personified with a gender. When Grapestone developed Tokyo Banana, they envisioned it as a girl representing the lively image of the capital city. Therefore, the box packaging shows a banana with a ribbon on top. The ribbon pattern on the packaging also changes according to the bread pattern, adding a stylish touch.

Inside, the custard cream comes in various flavors beyond banana, including lemon and strawberry. To date, there have been as many as 166 different versions released. Tokyo Banana’s popularity even led to the establishment of August 7 as “Tokyo Banana Day,” officially recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association. The date 8/7 was cleverly chosen because the numbers 8 and 7 can be read as “ba” and “nana,” respectively.

Tokyo Banana Cherry Blossom Edition released for spring. You can see that the ribbon on the banana illustrated on the package has changed. Official Tokyo Banana website.

There is also a recipe introduced by a Tokyo Banana representative for enjoying Tokyo Banana deliciously. They recommend dipping Tokyo Banana in milk and then lightly frying it in butter to eat like French toast, or freezing it before eating.

In this way, Tokyo Banana is a successful example of a product developed not as a local specialty but truly as a tourism product. In Korea, recently, many products that combine local characteristics and creativity have been emerging, such as basalt chocolate from Jeju Island. It would be interesting if Korea had a “Seoul OO” comparable to Tokyo Banana.