On Sunday, December 6, 2026, six shops will open in the concourse inside the ticket gates at JR Nakano Station's new West Gate, which enters service the same day.
Under the concept "Add one to life.", the shops aim to create spaces that suit the people who live around Nakano Station, workers and students who commute through it, and visitors to the neighborhood. Located with direct access to the West Gate and the north-south passage that opens the same day, the lineup includes the organic bakery Merci life organics, the specialty coffee shop Saza Coffee, and the popular donut shop JACK IN THE DONUTS. Rounding out the six are the everyday drugstore AP by AMERICAN PHARMACY, the station soba shop Sobaichi (そばいち), and the convenience store NewDays. They are meant to make daily life for Nakano Station users more convenient and to create "bustle in the town" as places to stop by casually in everyday life.
Merci life organics (Bakery)
Hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekdays, weekends, and holidays
Since its founding, the bakery has made a point of using natural ingredients and premium ingredients wherever possible. All of its bread dough uses organic sugar, the bean paste filling uses organic bean paste, and the baguettes blend in organic wheat. The scones use almond flour (a superfood) and rice flour (gluten-free), reflecting a thorough approach to choosing ingredients. The Merci Cheese Curry Bread (メルシーチーズカレーパン), a favorite since the bakery opened, is baked in an oven rather than fried, a method that helps keep calories down. The bakery makes its bread with the idea that "because it is bread people eat every day, it should be gentle on the body, rich in aroma, and as healthy as possible."
Signature Item
Soft Croissant / Merci life organics
Soft Croissant: ¥323 each
The croissant is made carefully over 72 hours. Following a no-margarine policy, it uses French AOP butter (*) and cultured butter from Hokkaido, which gives it a moist, fluffy texture and a melt-in-your-mouth quality with a rich butter aroma. It is the bakery's No. 1 bestseller, with about 60,000 sold per month.
* A premium butter with a specified place of origin and producer
Nakano West Gate Store Exclusive
Onion Gratin Cheese Pizza / Merci life organics
Onion Gratin Cheese Pizza: ¥431
Chewy pizza dough is topped with onion, cheese, and ham and finished with white sauce. The sweetness of the onion is layered with the rich flavor of the cheese, creating a deep taste reminiscent of a toasted onion gratin.
Available from Sunday, December 6 to Thursday, December 31.
Opening Commemoration
Customers who buy one or more pieces of bread will receive it in a limited-edition shopping bag by artist Yuya Hashizume (橋爪悠也). While supplies last.
Saza Coffee (Cafe)
Hours: 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM (last order 8:30 PM) on weekdays, weekends, and holidays
Founded in 1969, Saza Coffee is a specialty coffee shop that originated in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture. It owns its own farm in Colombia and serves cups made with carefully selected ingredients from around the world. The shop has 20 table seats and can be used for takeout as well as for a break between trips.
Signature Item
Shogun Coffee (将軍珈琲) / Saza Coffee
Shogun Coffee (将軍珈琲)
- 150 g: ¥1,550
- Cup-On (カップオン), 5 packs: ¥1,100
- Cup-On (カップオン), single: ¥230
This coffee recreates, based on documents from the period, the coffee that Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun at the end of the Edo period, served to European and American envoys. It blends Indonesian dark roast with Ethiopian coffee, and is known for its rich body and fine sweetness.
Nakano West Gate Store Exclusive
且座喫茶 / Saza Coffee
且座喫茶: ¥2,000 (eat-in only)
This special set lets customers enjoy a tasting of three of Saza Coffee's recommended coffees, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Shogun Coffee, together with three seasonal desserts. For an additional ¥400, one can switch to a Geisha from Ethiopia, which is rare and prized for its gorgeous, fruit-like sweetness.
Opening Commemoration
- A limited quantity of Cup-On surprise bags containing popular Saza Coffee items, including Shogun Coffee, goes on sale for ¥3,240 (tax included).
- Customers who visit the shop receive a coin chocolate as a gift, in limited quantity. While supplies last.
- For the first seven days after opening, Geisha coffee is available at a special price of ¥670, from Sunday, December 6 to Saturday, December 12.
JACK IN THE DONUTS (Donut Shop)
Hours: 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekdays, weekends, and holidays
Founded in 2011, the donut shop is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Under the concept of "a donut shop like a surprise box," it develops donuts from around the world as well as new donuts that seem like they should have existed but did not. About 30 varied types line the shelves, including Oliebollen from the Netherlands, the canelé donut from France, the fresh malasada from Hawaii, and the croissant donut from the United States. The shop offers donuts that are exciting to look at, choose, and eat, at everyday prices.
Signature Item
Fresh Malasada Creme Brulee (生マラサダクリームブリュレ) / JACK IN THE DONUTS
Fresh Malasada Creme Brulee (生マラサダクリームブリュレ): ¥352
The surface of a light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth malasada dough kneaded with pumpkin and potato is caramelized until crisp, and the inside is filled with custard rich in egg flavor. It is a sweet, slightly bitter brulee donut for grown-ups.
Opening Commemoration
Customers who buy ¥1,500 or more (tax included) of donuts in total receive a "free donut coupon" (ドーナツ1個無料券). While supplies last. The coupon can be used the next time customers buy 3 or more donuts.
Sobaichi (Soba)
Hours: 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM on weekdays, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Saturdays, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Sundays and holidays
This soba specialty shop serves fresh soba noodles made every day at its own factory, along with house-made kakiage tempura fried in the shop. The shop is designed as a clean, bright space based on seated dining, so that people of all ages can use it, and it aims to be a place where customers "want to stop by every day."
Signature Item
Kakiage Soba (かき揚げそば) / Sobaichi
Kakiage Soba (かき揚げそば): ¥600 (eat-in only)
The shop's signature bowl is made with freshly boiled fresh soba noodles, a dashi-rich broth, and a thick kakiage tempura on top. The kakiage packs in the flavor of its ingredients, such as the sweetness of onion and the color of carrot. The recommended way to eat it is to enjoy the crispy texture first and then dip it in the dashi-rich broth, letting the batter loosen and blend with the flavor of the dashi.
The combination of fresh soba noodles, special broth, and fragrant kakiage is filling, yet the aftertaste is light, making it a good meal for a busy day.
Opening Commemoration Item
Ebi Tempura Soba (海老天そば): ¥1,000
This limited item commemorates the opening of the Sobaichi store inside Nakano Station's West Gate. It is a hearty bowl topped with two shrimp tempura fried in the shop.
Available from Sunday, December 6 to Wednesday, December 16.
AP by AMERICAN PHARMACY (Drugstore, Sundries, Cosmetics)
Hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekdays, 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekends and holidays
This historic health and beauty shop was born in 1950 inside a U.S. Navy officers' club. Under the concept "Your Drug Store In Japan," which it has held since its founding, it has offered imported products that cannot be found elsewhere and a space where American culture feels close at hand. Keeping to the idea of being "a drugstore for you," the store carries medicines, supplements, and popular imported cosmetics, aiming to be a store loved by local customers and to support everyday health and beauty.
Signature Item
APS Face Wash (APS洗顔フォーム) / AP by AMERICAN PHARMACY
APS Face Wash (APS洗顔フォーム): ¥748
This item earned an A rating in the face wash category of the July 2026 issue of LDK the Beauty, and is one of the top sellers within the APS brand. White clay (kaolin) and ghassoul (Moroccan lava clay), both cleansing ingredients, absorb excess sebum and old keratin for a clean finish. It also contains glutathione (a moisturizing ingredient), which keeps skin smooth while protecting moisture.
Opening Commemoration Item
APS Cleansing Oil + Face Wash Set: ¥1,182
A set of the APS Cleansing Oil and APS Face Wash, exclusive to American Pharmacy and Tomod's, goes on sale in limited quantity at a special opening price. It combines popular items for daily makeup removal and face washing.
NewDays (Convenience Store)
Hours: 6:30 AM to 10:30 PM on weekdays, weekends, and holidays
Under the theme "always close by, on the way out and on the way back," the store offers appealing products and services that fit into customers' daily lives and supports everyday living.
Signature Item
Pastry Shop Oven-Baked Double Choux (洋菓子屋さんの窯出しダブルシュー) / NewDays
Pastry Shop Oven-Baked Double Choux (洋菓子屋さんの窯出しダブルシュー): ¥172 each
This new product was released on October 13. It is a double choux filled with cream made with house-made custard and with whipped cream, and its volume has been increased to 1.25 times the company's previous product.
Shop Overview
- Opening Date and Time: Sunday, December 6, 2026, 12:00 PM
- Location: Concourse inside the West Gate of JR Nakano Station
- Store Area: Approximately 414 sqm
- Number of Shops: 6 (Merci life organics / Saza Coffee / JACK IN THE DONUTS / AP by AMERICAN PHARMACY / Sobaichi / NewDays)
All prices include tax. Information is as of the time of the release and may change.
