Ginza Tsuboyaki Imo: Jar-Roasted Sweet Potatoes to Go

Ginza Tsuboyaki Imo (銀座つぼやきいも) does one thing: yaki-imo, Japanese roasted sweet potato. Rows of tall earthenware jars spill out onto a quiet side street in Ginza 7-chome, and the potatoes roast slowly over charcoal inside them. Staff say a batch takes up to four hours. The result is very soft, sticky and honey-sweet, often compared to sweet-potato paste or ice cream. A frozen version, the ice yaki-imo, is sold alongside.

Japanese and foreign reviewers alike describe the texture as the softest and creamiest they have had, and several call it the best sweet potato they have eaten. The caramelised, edible skin and the natural syrup oozing from the flesh come up again and again. The frozen potato and the tsubo-imo latte, whose ice cubes are made from potato milk, are frequent recommendations. Staff are repeatedly described as friendly and patient in explaining the day's varieties, such as beni haruka and the limited kuri kaguya or silk sweet.

Price is the main complaint, especially from visitors comparing it with supermarket yaki-imo, and a few found it no better than an ordinary roasted sweet potato. One reviewer found the upselling at the register pushy.

Reviewers in 2025–2026 paid around ¥1,200 for a whole potato, ¥650 for a half and ¥450 for a quarter, the same for hot and frozen. The limited silk sweet cost about ¥1,000, the latte ¥630, and the mitsudama dried-potato gift box ¥1,680 for six or ¥2,800 for ten. Expect to spend under ¥1,000 per person, whether at lunchtime or in the late afternoon.

Expensive for a sweet potato, but most reviewers felt the quality justified trying it once. A half is enough for one person.

• Getting there: 3 minutes' walk from Ginza Station (Tokyo Metro), 5 minutes from JR Shinbashi Station, 6 minutes from JR Yurakucho Station.
• Booking: not necessary; this is a walk-up stand. Phone reservations (03-6263-8773) are taken on weekdays only, except in peak season.
• Payment: credit cards (VISA, Master, JCB, AMEX, Diners), electronic money (Suica and other transport IC cards, Rakuten Edy, nanaco, WAON, iD, QUICPay) and QR payments (d Barai, Rakuten Pay).
• Seating: mainly take-out; 3–4 seats at the back of the shop and benches outside on the left. No private rooms.
• Children: welcome, including babies.
• Smoking: non-smoking. Parking: none. Free Wi-Fi.
• Queues: short lines are common and move slowly while potatoes are still roasting; small sizes and limited varieties can sell out by afternoon.
• Language: English is spoken.