Why Bananas Are Everywhere In Tokyo (And How They Became Such An Iconic Symbol Of The City)

Tokyo appears to be bananas for bananas. Throughout the city, you'll have numerous opportunities to take home a box of a dessert called Tokyo Banana. Made with real banana paste, these Tiinkie-esque sponge cakes come in various flavors and limited-edition character designs, and they even inspired a KitKat flavor. When someone in your friend group inevitably makes their way to Japan, chances are they'll bring back a Tokyo Banana. But the hype around these cakes isn't an organic phenomenon. It's a cleverly manufactured tourist trap.

Grapestone Co., the maker of Tokyo Banana, wanted to endow the city with an iconic treat. The snack company told CNN the idea for the banana sponge cakes came about when it acquired retail space at the airport. In fact, Tokyo Banana is marketed directly to tourists, branded as a souvenir. "A reminder of your time in Japan!" the website proclaims. Food souvenirs are a particular staple of Japanese gift-giving tradition known as omiyage.

So why bananas? You won't find that Tokyo's streets are lined with banana trees, but Japan consumes more bananas than any other fruit. You can even find individually packaged bananas in Japan's iconic vending machines throughout the country. Once, in the early 2000s, Japan faced a banana shortage due to a strange fad diet centered around eating bananas. 

While Japan does grow its own bananas, including specialty ones with edible peels, and one type of banana that goes for $10 a piece, the majority of the country's bananas are imported from the Philippines. This banana trade is a pillar of the Philippine economy, but in recent years, Vietnam has become a prominent supplier of Japan's bananas.

Bananas are also synonymous with sweets in Japan. Choco bananas, which are chocolate-dipped bananas served on sticks, have long been a beloved dessert at festivals in Japan. Some speculate American troops were the first to bring the snack to Japan during World War II. Other theories suggest Central American immigrants introduced chocolate bananas because the snack originated as a street food in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. Tokyo Banana offers choco banana-flavored treats as well, catering to the locals' nostalgia for the simple handheld snack.