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AccessWhen you visit Yoshino, we want you to visit these interesting local shops. Let us introduce Yoshino’s six attractive cafes and sweets shops in 2 parts. First, 3 cafes that command an excellent view of Mt. Yoshino and feature delicious sweets made with Yoshino hon-kudzu, a local specialty. Next, a popular cafe that is immersed in the natural landscape of Oyodo Town, and finally, a cake shop that sees huge lines of people.
＼In the first part, we are going to introduce these three shops.／
- TSUJIMURA / Cafe Kiton
- Sakanakaya
- Yasokichi, Yoshino kudzu’s ganso (the originator of Yoshino kudzu)
TSUJIMURA / Cafe Kiton
TSUJIMURA / Cafe Kiton was established in 2012.
This stylish cafe’s beautiful wooden interior design gives it a special warmth you can feel. The owner of the cafe hopes that customers can feel welcome spending time in this relaxing space.
Everything on the menu looks so delicious that it is difficult to choose. This time I chose these two options.
Ice cream (cherry blossoms and matcha) and sweet red bean soup with mochi cakes made of kudzu powder. 750 yen
Cherry blossoms and matcha swirl soft serve ice cream on top of warm sweet red bean soup with mochi cakes made of kudzu powder. The cherry blossoms and matcha swirl soft serve ice cream was melted a little bit. It is an outstanding pairing with warm sweet red bean soup and chewy mochi cakes. They were very delicious!
Kudzu tea (arrowroot tea) and awa asanbon (a fine-grained Japanese sugar) 600 yen
Next, I had kudzu tea. Kudzu tea has a thick texture and makes the body and heart warm. Wasanbon is slightly sweet and has a mild taste. Both are excellent sweets and can be strongly recommended during the cold season.
This stylish kudzu sweet is available in the shop.
Just looking around in the shop to find presents is fun. This cafe is a great place to check out if you are looking to buy gifts for others in Mt. Yoshino.
About lunch
The lunch menu is available on Saturday, Sunday, and national holidays! Lunch menu changes weekly and is limited in quantity. Lunch is made from kombu (sea kelp) and bonito flake stock. This is a healthy lunch that will put your body in good physical condition. Why not have lunch at this cafe during your time in Mt. Yoshino?
TUJIMURA / Cafe Kiton
Address: 950 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture
TEL: +81-746-32-3032
Business hours: 10:00-18:00 (L.O.17:30)
Regular holiday: Tuesday and Wednesday
HP: http://tsujimura-yoshino.com
Sakanakaya
Located in an at least 100-year-old renovated Japanese Inn, the atmosphere of Sakanakaya (cafe restaurant) is great. This nostalgic cafe is like an attractive hideaway! The daily special can be found written down just outside the front entrance.
Entering the cafe grounds, customers are greeted with a beautiful, peaceful patio area.
Brown sugar pancake. 800 yen
From the counter seats in the back of the cafe, you can see the mountains of Yoshino. When I visited the cafe in November, the autumn leaves were very beautiful. This time I ordered Sakanakaya’s popular menu items.
This big pancake is fluffy and contains kudzu! The brown sugar dough has an elegant taste that is slightly sweet. I finished eating it immediately with ice cream and fresh cream. You can only eat this pancake here and it is highly recommended!
Parfait with mochi cakes made of kudzu powder 800 yen
If you want to eat cold parfait, ordering it here is also recommended! Seasonal and homemade fresh juice is recommended by the owner. You can enjoy Japanese plum during summer and yuzu (Citrus junos) during autumn! You will surely want to come again because you can experience the taste of each season.
This cafe restaurant is so comfortable that you may find yourself unintentionally passing the day by here drinking coffee.
Sakanakaya
Address: 2296 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture
TEL: +81-746-39-9255
Business hours: 11:00-18:00
Regular holiday: Wednesday
Yasokichi, Yoshino kudzu’s ganso (the originator of Yoshino kudzu)
Established in 1851, Yasokichi has continued to operate for about 170 years.
There are two stores, the main store and the Hanayama store. This shop offers an excellent view of Mt. Yoshino and features Yoshino hon-kudzu. For the purpose of writing this article, I went to the Hanayama store, which was opened in 2015.
There are upper and lower window panes that create a sense of openness and give a picturesque view of the mountains of Yoshino. I enjoyed these two menu items along with the wonderful view.
Yoshino tennin (kudzu starch noodles) with matcha. 1,100 yen
Transparent kudzu starch noodles are made fresh, right after customers order them. The texture of these noodles is surprisingly smooth! Eating the noodles with Yasokichi’s slightly sweet special brown sugar syrup makes them more delicious. Fresh and moist, kudzu sweets are a set of kudzu starch noodles that dissolve easily soon after you put them in your mouth. When you visit this cafe, we would like you to taste this very special noodle dish.
＜Winter only＞Mochi cakes made of kudzu powder & matcha. 1,200 yen
Mochi cakes made of kudzu powder are served in winter only.
You can enjoy freshly made, warm mochi cakes made of kudzu powder that have a chewy texture. The filling of the these cakes is made from kinako (roasted soybean flour) and is slightly sweet and very delicious.
There are a lot of wonderful goods sold here that can be used for presents and souvenirs. I bought kudzu tea and sweets set, and could enjoy luxurious kudzu tea and kudzu sweets at my house.
Yoshimizu and shizu-gonomi (kudzu tea and sweets). 930 yen
You can enjoy the scenery of Mt. Yoshino in a relaxed state at this wonderful cafe where you can eat freshly made Yoshino kudzu.
Yasokichi, Yoshino kudzu’s ganso (the originator of Yoshino kudzu)
Address:
＜Main store＞ 561-1 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture
＜Hanayama store＞ 25 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture
TEL: ＋81-746-32-8739
Business hours: 10:00-17:00
Regular holiday: Wednesday
HP: http://www.yoshinokuzu.co.jp/
As a follow-up to this, please read the second part.
* Business hours and price are subject to change. Please confirm directly to each cafés before you visit.
