One of my favorite things to do is check out small shops (especially bakeries)! Lilla Katten is super close to the Ikego Military Housing in Zushi, Japan. Their shop is Swedish inspired for baked goods and books. They have an online ordering system (mainly for full cakes or mailed goods) or you can walk in. Their store front is so pretty with a beautiful blue door and driftwood handle, just doors away from the Jimmuji Station gate.
Depending on the climate there are two spaces to sit and drink out of very eclectic and cute mugs or eat your goods in the shop. I haven’t tried the online ordering system on their website yet, but will update the post when I do. I did notice that the site seems to sell out quickly, you can check out this listing for a mailed bundle of cookies that has already passed.
Lilla Katten’s Offerings
The woman who I believe is the owner is very nice, she speaks some English and her whole staff is patient (especially when I have to whip out my google translate app). They regularly exclaim about how kawaii (cute) my kids are - really just very nice.
Their shortbreads are very yummy and buttery, with a few designs that have a hard sugar candy window. They are found in the prepackaged display area to the left of the cash register.
Swedish sweet breads and rolls are in the baskets to the right of the refrigerated case. These have a shorter shelf life, and have lightly sweet flavors like cardamom, or raisin, and are often topped with pearl sugar.
The refrigerated display case almost always has two varieties of princess torta, slices of cake, and other desserts. There are also often some sandwiches in this case. When you order from this case they will often offer an ice pack with your to-go order (I have never taken them up on it because I either eat them after getting back on base at a picnic table, or head straight home).
Everything from the drink menu that I have tried has been tasty and they offer iced versions of just about everything. They have coffee, lattes, teas, and blueberry or lingonberry drinks!
They also stock a very cute variety of gift cards and older picture books in Swedish/English!
Overall, I would say the treats are not overly sweet. They are consistent, well made and you can tell they put a lot of care in their products. The prices are more along the lines of special occasion treats. For instance, we got a roll cake for Christmas - they sold slices or a loaf - and we took it home and dressed it up with homemade whipped cream and fresh slices of strawberry.
Our Favorites
I love supporting small businesses, my favorite things I’ve purchased from Lilla Katten are this cardamom roll, and this apple tart/cake thing.
My son will eat up all of the gingerbread or shortbread that they make - the seasonal changes are so cute, too! I particularly enjoyed the Halloween set.
How to Pay
They accept cash (yen) or card. I believe there is some sort of cash discount (I’ll have to double check the next time I go). But I don’t remember a card minimum.
Contact Lilla Katten Lilla Katten has two Instagram accounts, one for the bake shop and one for mainly antique books. They also use a facebook page. They update their Instagram pretty frequently and put reminders of shop closures and specials there. They are typically open 11am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday.
You can also order full cakes in advance on their website. I find it easiest to look at Japanese websites on my computer where my browser automatically translates what it can into English.
How to Get There
The easiest way to get to the Lilla Katten shop from the Ikego base is to walk through Jimmuji Station gate. I‘ll have a post about doing that soon if you need help! Otherwise take a longer walk through the front gate and stop by a shrine (Toshoji Temple is on the way). Line up your walk with a food truck's hours (like Back Yard Burger) for a well rounded meal. I have a post about Back Yard Burger you can check out.
Coming from main base in Yokosuka? You can drive (no attached parking spots for the store, but many people put on their flashers right in front of the shop while picking up an order, or there is a paid lot nearby) or take the train to the Jimmuji Station.
Have you been to Lilla Katten yet? What have you tried or what do you want to try? Let me know in the comments!