Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.
Baumkuchen, a tree stump-shaped cake of German origin, has long been a mainstay in Japan. From wedding gifts to everyday desserts found at convenience stores, it is ubiquitous across the country and even more popular than in Germany, often seen as a peculiar phenomenon.
This cake was first introduced to Japan on 4 March 1919 at the Hiroshima Industrial Promotion Hall – today known as the Atomic Bomb Dome – by German confectioner Karl Juchheim, who was taken as a prisoner of war at Qingdao in 1914 despite being a civilian. He moved to the port city of Yokohama after his release and founded his own shop in 1922, but trouble followed him.
Just one year later, the Kanto region was devasted by a massive earthquake, forcing Juchheim to relocate to Kobe in the west.