A method for manufacturing an electric double layer capacitor comprising polarizable electrodes formed from a carbon material having graphite-like microcrystalline carbon, wherein said carbon material is stored for a predetermined period of time while holding said carbon material in contact with an electrolytic solution, and thereafter, at a temperature higher than room temperature, said capacitor is charged at least once with an end-of-charge voltage higher than an expected operating voltage of said capacitor, while applying to said electrodes, at the start of said charging, a pressure that is necessary to keep said carbon material from expanding in a thickness direction thereof during said charging.