Photo by James L. Seely

You say it' your birthday (anniversary, engagement, housewarming, etc.) and you need a special cake. For a city that loves to party, Tokyo is surprisingly short on sweet, candle-glowing cakes. So what do folks do when it's time to blow out the candles? They go to one of these four places to get the goods for a sweet, creamy sixteen. Whether it's a cake just right for two or ten, we've got you covered, all in luscious buttercream with a Hello Kitty candle on top. Pat Gordo

Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors - National Azabu Branch
For ice cream lovers this may be the ultimate birthday treat - cool ice cream cakes that come in so many different flavors you'll find it difficult to choose just one. Cakes come in varieties of all ice cream, a combination of ice cream and sponge cake, layered ice cream and small decorated cupcakes. Cakes are JY2100, JY2700 and JY3600 which includes writing, decorations and candles. Decorated cakes come in Snoopy, Disney and other character themes. Order in store 2-3 days in advance.
Open 10am-7:30pm daily. 4-5-2 Minami Azabu, Minato-ku (03-3442-3181). Nearest stn: Hiroo (first floor of National Azabu Supermarket).

Kinokuniya - Aoyama Branch
Yummy birthday cakes in chocolate and shortcake feed a party of twelve. I can assure you this is not your average shortcake; Kinokuniya does it right so even the tiniest of merrymakers won't be disappointed. Order in store 2-3 days in advance. Cakes run JY2800-JY3300, writing an extra JY50 and candles are extra but be sure to ask for them - they don't come automatically.
Open 9:30am-8pm daily. 3-11-7 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku (03-3409-1231). Nearest stn: Omotesando, exit B1.

Kyle's Good Finds
Kyle's is a one-stop cake shop for children and adults alike. For the Power Rangers/Hello Kitty set, Kyle has an amazing assortment of cake molds from Disney and Barney to teddy bears, race cars and more, all done in yummy chocolate or yellow cake with rich buttercream frosting. Candles, writing and decoration are included in the reasonable JY4500 for character cakes which feed 10-12. For bigger parties Kyle can do sheet cakes for JY6000 and JY8000 and he can do just about any drawing if you send him a fax of the picture. For adult celebrations, round cakes which feed 10-12 can be done in carrot, chocolate or cheesecake. Place orders 2-3 days in advance for delivery by takkyubin, 1-2 days if you plan to pick it up.
Open 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 12-4pm holidays, closed Sun. 2-7-10 Arai, Nakano-ku (03-3385-8993). Nearest stn: Nakano.

Sweet Images
When you want something really unique in a birthday cake, Sweet Images is the place to go. They take any photo and within minutes turn it into a sweet topping to fit any cake you bring in or order from them. As they are located in the Mini Mall on Yokota base, you must call ahead to arrange how to pick up the cake. Prices are in US dollars so call for yen equivalents and type of cakes available as it depends on whether or not you're on base. Sweet Images does cupcakes, too. For those off base, cakes can be ordered through Kyle's Good Finds.
Tel: 042-550-0609, 090-3343-6060.