DONUT PLANT
+ TOKYO, JAPAN

In defense of Donut Plant, in the coming onslaught that is Krispy Kreme, I want to point out that they were here first, and their ingredients are of a far higher grade than Krispy Kreme will ever put in their products. Since first encountering their shop in Shirokane, I’ve spotted several locations aroung the Tokyo area. They sell big, chewy donuts that are, of course, coated in a sweet glaze, of varying unique flavors such as cassis, Valrhona chocolate, and caramel to name a few. Besides their classic donuts, they offer “cake” donuts as well as cookies and icecream. I found the cake donuts to be a little dry, a coffee would be a suitable accompaniment for these*. Most people who have lived in Tokyo longer than a few months will surely have noticed a Donut Plant by now, or at least the logo somewhere in a department store food court. They’re worth a try if you’ve got the appetite for one(big! even by American standards).

Donut Plant’s, “GREEN TEA & GREEN TEA CREAM” filled donut

I don’t mean to compare the two, but now that Krispy Kreme has landed in Tokyo, it will be inevitable that the two will clash. Yes, Donut Plant was here first, but if you’re actually from NYC(it’s supposed origin), there’s a good chance you may have never even heard of it. Krispy Kreme however, is a NYC icon, and an instantly recognizable brand if you’ve spent even a weekend in NYC. Their sign that illuminates when their donuts are warm and ready can even be found at their Shinjuku flagship store. Price will be another breaking point for some people, with the average Donut Plant donut running around 320 yen per donut versus Krispy Kreme’s 150 yen per donut. The deciding factor, I believe, will be quality, which is key in Tokyo’s highly competitive food market. Donut Plant scores though, with ingredients that are fresh and natural like their imported flour, organic sugar, and sea salt. As stated on their website even, they never use any preservatives, artificial flavorings, eggs(!!!), or even artificial colors(I don’t know how they swing their neon pink cassis donuts). Lets see Krispy Kreme beat that.
*In American culture, we dip our donuts in our coffee, as horrifying as that may sound to some of you, it’s actually quite nice. Please try sometime!

Donut Plant
URL(English): http://www.doughnutplant.jp/eng/index.html
Cafe + retail locations: see company URL above, link includes hours and maps, all in English
Note: one of their general policies, as quoted from their site in regards to donut availability, “Available from 9:00 until we sell out”