TOKYO BANANA Guide for Tourists: Tokyo's Banana Custard Cake, Pokémon Collabs & Station Souvenir Counters

Quick Facts

What it is

TOKYO BANANA (東京ばな奈), created in 1991 by Tokyo confectioner Grapestone, is the souvenir that defines Tokyo gift-giving: a soft, banana-shaped sponge cake wrapped around a smooth banana custard cream made from real strained bananas. The original is called "Miitsuketa" (「見ぃつけたっ」 — "Found it!"), and after more than three decades it remains the benchmark every other Tokyo souvenir is measured against. The brand has grown into TOKYO BANANA WORLD, a whole family of banana sweets: chocolate-coated "Tokyo Banya-na" cakes with a leopard-cat print, banana pies, cookies, rusks, caramel cheesecake and brûlée tarts — plus a rotating cast of official character collaborations with Pokémon, Disney, Chiikawa, Doraemon and the Minions. You will not find a TOKYO BANANA department store; the brand lives where travellers move — station concourses, airport terminals and gift corners — which is exactly why it works so well as a last-minute, everyone-loves-it gift.

How to order

1. Pick Your Counter (Station vs. Airport):
   • Tokyo Station (the mothership): The TOKYO BANANA s flagship in Tokyo Station Ichibangai is outside the Yaesu Underground Central Gate. The Pokémon TOKYO BANANA Tokyo Station shop is in Tokyo Gift Palette, outside the Yaesu North Gate. By contrast, Disney SWEETS COLLECTION by TOKYO BANANA JR Tokyo Station is on 1F inside the conventional-line ticket gates, in front of the Shinkansen South Transfer Gate. Check which side of the gates your chosen counter is on before entering or exiting.
   • Airports: Haneda (all three terminals) and Narita (all three terminals) stock the standard boxes in departure-lobby souvenir shops and in duty-free stores after passport control — the safest option for freshness.
   • Other hubs: Shinagawa, Ueno and Ikebukuro stations, Tokyo Skytree Town (Solamachi), major department stores and highway service areas also carry the range.
2. Choose by Flavour and Box Size:
   • Boxes are pre-packed (4, 8, 12 or more cakes) and stacked by flavour — original custard, chocolate, caramel and seasonal or character editions.
   • Pick the box up yourself and carry it to the register; staff will wrap gift boxes on request at dedicated counters.
3. Mind the Shelf Life Before You Buy:
   • The original cake is a fresh-style sweet with a short shelf life of about 7 days including the day of purchase — always check the date printed on the box.
   • Buy early in your trip only if the cakes will be eaten within the week; for gifts you will hand over later, buy at the airport on departure day and choose the longer-lived baked lines (pies, cookies, rusks) for anything that must travel further.
4. Checkout:
   • Pay at the counter's central register. Payment options follow the host facility — station and airport counters broadly accept cards, Suica/PASMO and QR payments.
   • If you are buying tax-free, tell the staff before paying: the purchase must be registered with your passport at that shop (see the tax-free note below).

What to order first

1. TOKYO BANANA "Miitsuketa" Original (東京ばな奈「見ぃつけたっ」): The 1991 classic — banana-shaped sponge filled with real banana custard. Start here; 8-pack ¥1,296 is the standard gift size (subject to revision).
2. Pokémon TOKYO BANANA — Pikachu "Miitsuketa," Banana-no-mi Style (ピカチュウ東京ばな奈): Sponge cakes printed with Pikachu, filled with custard inspired by the Nanab Berry. The dedicated Tokyo Station shop (opened July 2026 at Tokyo Gift Palette) is the most reliable place to find the full range.
3. Disney SWEETS COLLECTION by TOKYO BANANA: Disney-character banana sweets sold at the collaboration shop inside JR Tokyo Station — a dependable crowd-pleaser for families.
4. TOKYO BANANA Pie (東京ばな奈パイ): A crisp, longer-lasting baked alternative to the fresh cake — the smart pick when your gift has a long journey or a late hand-over date.
5. Flagship-Only Fresh Items at TOKYO BANANA s: The Tokyo Station Ichibangai flagship sells shop-limited fresh sweets such as the "Legendary Curry Bread" and soft-serve — eat-now treats you cannot buy at the airport.

Payment & practical info

Prices and details checked: November 2026.

• Payment Accepted: Cash, major credit cards, Suica/PASMO and other transit IC, e-money and QR code payments — the accepted mix is set by the host facility's registers, so a small station kiosk may offer fewer options than the flagship.
• Hours: Counters follow their host facility — the Tokyo Station flagship typically opens around 9:00–10:00 and closes around 20:00–21:00; airport shops open early for the first flights. Check the official shop search for the counter you plan to use.
• Tax-free — refund method (checked 2026-11-11): TOKYO BANANA has no chain-wide tax-free programme of its own — it is sold through host shops, so tax-free depends entirely on the shop you buy at, and many station counters do not offer it. Where a shop does offer tax-free shopping, Japan's refund system (since 1 November 2026) applies: you pay the tax-included price and register the purchase with your physical passport (same shop, same day, ¥5,000 or more before tax); at departure, complete customs export confirmation at a tax-free procedure terminal within 90 days of purchase and before checking in your baggage; the consumption tax is then refunded by the shop or its designated refund operator through the method registered at purchase — customs itself never pays refunds, and cash collection at a designated airport refund terminal is possible only for eligible purchases from participating stores. Confirmation is per tax-free purchase record, and because these cakes are food — a consumable — anything bought tax-free must NOT be eaten while you are still in Japan, or that purchase record loses its refund. There is no sealed-packaging rule and no ¥500,000 cap under the current system. Separately, the duty-free stores after passport control at Haneda and Narita sell TOKYO BANANA at duty-free prices — a different system from the refund method above, and often the simplest option for flyers. Never assume a given counter is tax-free: ask before you pay.
• Online Option: Grapestone's official online shop Paq to Mog sells the original 8-pack and limited sets by periodic order windows (Japan delivery only) — useful if you want a box shipped to a Japanese address rather than carried.

Good to know / Common mistakes

• The 7-Day Clock Is Real: The original cake lasts only about 7 days including the purchase day. Buying a box on day one of a two-week trip for friends back home is the classic mistake — buy at the airport instead, or switch to pies and cookies.
• Collabs Sell Out Early: Pokémon, Disney and other character editions frequently sell out by the afternoon at popular counters. Shop in the morning, and use the dedicated character shops at Tokyo Station for the best stock.
• Inside vs. Outside the Gates: The TOKYO BANANA s flagship and the Pokémon shop at Tokyo Gift Palette are outside the gates. The Disney SWEETS COLLECTION JR Tokyo Station shop is inside the conventional-line gates on 1F, in front of the Shinkansen South Transfer Gate. Other counters also operate inside Gransta Tokyo; check the specific counter’s location.
• Don't Eat the Tax-Free Box: If you bought cakes under the tax-free refund system, that box is a consumable purchase record — eating even one cake in Japan voids the refund for the whole record. Buy a separate, regular-price box for the hotel.

Sources

• TOKYO BANANA Official Website (Verified: 2026-11-11)
• TOKYO BANANA Official Product Lineup (Verified: 2026-11-11)
• Pokémon TOKYO BANANA Official Page (Verified: 2026-11-11)
• Grapestone Official Shop Search — TOKYO BANANA (Verified: 2026-11-11)