Hamamatsu is known throughout Japan for Shunkado's "Eel Pie," but there is another long-established confectioner, Marutaya.
Founded in 1949, this popular store is a locally owned and operated confectionery business.
Cheese Box" from Marutaya Confectionery Shop is recommended as a souvenir.
Among the many cakes at Marutaya, this cheese box has become the most popular.
The rectangular cheesecake measures 23 cm (length) x 8 cm (width) x 3 cm (height) and weighs 450 grams.
The small but rich cheesecake is layered with mellow and refreshing sour cream on top of a thick cheese crust.
This cheese box became so popular that a certain mail order company chose to order it, and for a time it was in short supply.
It is currently available in stores and by mail order.
It was also selected as a tax return gift for the hometown.
Cheese box prototype
The cheese box is a signature product of "Marutaya," which was founded in Hamamatsu in the postwar period and has long been a favorite of customers.
It was launched in 1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympics.
Its origin was even larger, originating in the United States and the Netherlands.
There is a man named "Tabata Seiji" who is the protagonist of the second half of the historical drama "Idaten" that aired in 2019.
He played by Sadawo Abe is known as an outstanding figure from Hamamatsu who worked hard to bid for the Olympic Games before the war and made the Tokyo Olympics a reality.
He was the uncle of Kimiko Akita, wife of the founder of "Marutaya.
The original cheese box was a recipe that Kimiko's cousin and Tabata's daughter, Atsuko, learned from her host mother, a Dutch woman, during a homestay in the United States.
In addition to the recipe handed down from the Tabata family of relatives at a time when it was still difficult for Japanese people to travel to Japan, the baked sweet "Agedashiro" (still sold today) was the signature product of "Marutaya" at that time.
The cookies are still handmade by pastry chefs, one by one, to preserve the flavor of the cookies.
After such a long history, this cheese box was awarded first place in the Nikkei Newspaper's "Oretaki Cheesecake" ranking in 2006, and is still loved by many people today.
In addition to the original cheese box, the limited-edition "Strawberry Cheese Box" is also very popular for its rich strawberry flavor and pink look.
I highly recommend both!
Cheese box price
Cheese box is 2,970 yen
Strawberry Cheese Box is ¥3,186
Calories in Cheese Box
A box of 450 grams of "Cheese Box" contains
1755 kilocalories (390 kilocalories for 100 grams).
If it is a one-person cut,
It would be about 300 calories....
Stores where cheese boxes can be purchased
Four stores in Hamamatsu City,
It may also be available in the Tokyo metropolitan area and elsewhere at department store events.
Kanda Main Store(Approximately 20 minutes by bus from JR Hamamatsu Station)
367 Kanda-cho, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Hamamatsu 432-8047
tel 053-441-9456
Business hours 10:00-18:00
Closed only on New Year's Day
Parking: Yes, 10 spaces
Meiwan Ekimachi Store(in JR Hamamatsu Station Building)
6-1 Sunayama-cho, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka 430-0926
tel 053-457-4861
Business hours 8:00 - 21:00
Closed: Open all year round
No parking (use pay parking lots near JR Hamamatsu Station)
Entei Department Store, New issue, in the Japanese and Western confectionery section on the first basement floor(About 2 minutes walk from JR Hamamatsu Station)
Entetsu Department Store, 320-2 Sunayama-cho, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka 430-8588, Japan
tel 053-456-1362
Business hours: 10:00~19:30 (business hours of Entetsu Department Store)
Closed (Closed on Entetsu Department Store holidays)
Parking lot (Parking lot of Entetsu Department Store, service available depending on the amount of purchase)
store that has been opened for business for the first time(About 35 minutes by bus from JR Hamamatsu Station)
433-8112
838-6 Hatsuo-machi, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
tel 053-438-0606
Business hours 10:00-19:00
Closed: Open all year round
Parking: Yes, 2 spaces
Sanarudai Branch (20 minutes by bus from JR Hamamatsu Station)
Stores where cheese boxes are available
There was only one eat-in restaurant in Hamamatsu City, but unfortunately the eat-in restaurant has been closed since the Corona disaster.
Marutaya Confectionary Shop, Sanadai Store
3-53-23, Sanarudai, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka 432-8021, Japan
tel 053-448-7178
Business hours 10:00-18:00
Closed on Wednesdays (except national holidays)
Parking: Yes, 8 spaces
How to Store Cheese Boxes
It is recommended that the product be refrigerated with refrigerant during transportation and served as soon as possible.
Shelf life of cheese boxes
It is considered 30 days for frozen (mail order) and 3 days at room temperature and after thawing.
How to Freeze Cheese Boxes
If purchased frozen via mail order, we recommend storing them in the freezer as soon as possible.
Freezing is not recommended for store-bought, room temperature items.
How to rearrange a cheese box to make it tastier
Best served as is!
For a slightly smaller cut,
We recommend that you taste and enjoy it sparingly.
