I grew up a few blocks from Benkyodo and my friend Milton still lives a few blocks from this great and only place to get Mochi. They have been here on this corner for as long as I can remember and I'm 65 and still drive the 70miles to SF for their Mochi. Whenever Milton come to my house he and his mom Rose bring me Mochi from here.

I would definitely make a trip to Japantown just for this bakery's heavenly hand-made mochi. Their strawberry mochi is my favorite - light, not super sweet, but just sweet enough. The staff here is friendly and charming, but their presentation is lacking a bit. Don't let it fool you - the food here is wonderful.

PROS: Fabulous mochi!
CONS:

The best mochi around. On every visit I make to San Francisco, Benkyodo is one stop I cannot miss.I would be in big trouble if I did not bring sweets to my Mom and Aunt. They give their approval , the mochi is soft and perfect ,the sweet bean fillings are plentiful and delicious.

Being a Bay Area native, there are a few businesses that I can recall having known my whole life. Benkyodo is one, however. Located on the corner within Japantown, this little pastry shop (which also has a counter for coffee shop-like items) offers a wonderful selection of mostly bean paste-filled (An) Japanese pastries called manju as well as rice crackers, Japanese candies and other sweets. Benkyodo manju are pretty to look at, great with Japanese tea and delicious when well-made as they are here.

I love rice cakes from all cultures. The Japanese version is very different from the American version. It is made of rice flour dough that is very chewy and there's a hidden treat in the center of it that usually contains some kind of sweet paste (red bean is my favorite). The mochi is super fresh and soft here, I could pop 10 of them in my mouth one after another if my friends don't stop me. They are about the size of a half dollar. The workers are very friendly and welcoming, it's an enjoyable experience.