Introducing Bread & Sweets Saboten

Hello, fellow bread lovers!
This is Kurubushi from Sarukuma — the writer who swore off gluten one day and was eating bread again the next.

Today I’m introducing a charming bakery that opened on February 1, 2024 in Tatsuda, Kita Ward, Kumamoto City:
【Bread & Sweets Saboten】.

Drive along the old Route 57 from central Kumamoto toward Hikari-no-Mori, and you’ll spot a stylish shop on the left with a striking black triangular roof.

Look for the black sign with a cute cactus illustration — that’s Bread & Sweets Saboten.

The shop’s name combines the Japanese characters for “hermit” (仙人) and “palm of the hand” (掌), read together as “saboten” — the Japanese word for cactus. The name reflects the cactus flower’s meanings of “undying love” and “warm heart,” values the bakery wants to deliver with every loaf.

True to that spirit, the staff greeted us with bright smiles and genuine kindness — it really did warm the heart.

There’s a parking area in front of the store with space for about 4 cars depending on how you park (^^).

Step inside and you’re greeted by row after row of beautiful, fragrant breads.

Melon pan… kouign-amann… cinnamon rolls…

Did the owner secretly stock all my favorites on purpose? (Spoiler: no, they didn’t.)

Mini croissants… cheese & black pepper… bacon épi…

*sigh of pure joy* (*´Д｀)

Anpan (sweet red bean bun)… classic croissants… and more croissants — alongside the comforting classics, surprising original creations pop up too. So intriguing!

Sausage dog… mini dog… asparagus & bacon… spicy chorizo… milk hat… cream pan…

The variety in the sausage lineup alone is impressive.

The savory side is just as carefully curated.

Bacon & cheese… Dutch cheese… mentaiko (spicy cod roe) cheese…

Behold — the Three Cheese Musketeers!

And in the back: mentaiko ficelle and garlic ficelle — slim hard-crust loaves filled with savory goodness.

There’s also a refrigerated case stocked with bakery-made cream puffs, hojicha (roasted green tea) cream puffs, chocolate cream puffs, and pain au chocolat.

You’ll also find baguettes, batards, a 20% whole-wheat shokupan (Japanese milk bread), Saboten’s signature shokupan, hojicha shokupan, and sesame shokupan.

Hojicha shokupan and hojicha cream puffs — pretty rare, right?

As a huge fan of roasted green tea flavor, I was honestly thrilled.

One note: the bakery does not currently make products designed for food allergies, so please keep that in mind (^^).

Good news for families: Bread & Sweets Saboten has a restroom on-site!

What a relief! Kids always seem to need the bathroom at the most unexpected moments — “Wait, why now? You said you were fine a minute ago!” — and this saves the day.

Even if your child announces a bathroom emergency mid-bread-selection, the toilet is right there in your line of sight.

Plus, the interior is spacious. (Lifesaver — thank you to whoever designed this place! Lol.)

The display counters are at a clever height — my 80cm-tall little BOSS could see all the breads but couldn’t reach to grab (or wreak havoc on) anything. Perfect design!

Recommended Items at Bread & Sweets Saboten

Honestly, every item looked so good it’s hard to pick favorites — but here are the ones we tried.

First up, the one you’ve all been curious about:

Hojicha Shokupan — 590 yen per loaf

One bite and the gentle aroma of roasted green tea fills your senses — it’s unforgettable.

Look closely and you’ll spot white swirls running through the loaf — those are ribbons of white chocolate kneaded into the dough.

This is a true treat-yourself shokupan, especially if you have a sweet tooth ♪

Spicy Chorizo Roll — 350 yen

Sausage breads are impossible to walk past, am I right?

I picked this one expecting a mild kick — but it actually packs real heat!

Perfectly spiced, with just enough fire to pair with a cold beer ( *´艸｀).

That said — kids love sausages, but might not love the spice, which can lead to predictable meltdowns. (Speaking from family experience here.)

For parents in that exact predicament, here’s the answer:

Mini Sausage Roll — 160 yen

(Imagine it being pulled from Doraemon’s magical fourth-dimensional pocket.)

No mustard! Tiny size! Kid-friendly genius! And the price is adorable too!

That’s a baby’s hand for scale. Just kidding.

Cream Pan — 200 yen

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the classic old-school shape of a cream pan at a bakery — instant nostalgia smile.

The custard inside is elegantly low-sweetness with a beautiful vanilla aroma. Refined and delicious.

Mini Croissant — 85 yen

Cheese & Black Pepper — 80 yen

Despite its tiny size, the mini croissant is a textbook beauty — crisp on the outside, soft and chewy inside.

The cheese & black pepper has a chewy dough with a strong peppery kick — a grown-up flavor that’s perfect with drinks.

Cinnamon Roll — 380 yen

I love cinnamon so much that in my next life I want to be reborn as sugar so I can become cinnamon sugar with my soulmate cinnamon — and this roll has walnuts to deepen that romance even further.

Sweet cinnamon swirls meet the gentle bitterness and toasty fragrance of walnuts. Absolute winner.

(The walnuts are kneaded into the dough, so please be careful if serving to small children.)

Croissant BC — 295 yen

The description reads: “A croissant that tastes like it has butter cake baked inside.”

Wait, what kind of croissant even is that?! (Cue my random fake-Kansai-dialect outburst, despite being born and raised in Kumamoto.)

But that description was spot on. Flaky croissant layers wrapping around a sweet, moist butter-cake filling.

It’s a treasure box of croissants!

So many types of bread to choose from — I genuinely couldn’t pick favorites ♪

Looks like I’ll have to come back. Often.

How about treating yourself to delicious bread filled with warmth and care ♪

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Frequently Asked Questions

※ Information is current as of the visit. Prices and opening hours may change. Please confirm before visiting.