Kyoto Hayashiya (Kyoto Store)

Hello, everyone. Today I am visiting a shop called “Kyo Hayashiya” This was originally conceived as a traditional tea house – a place to enjoy tea – rather than a café serving coffee or cola, and it served matcha sweets that laid the foundation for today’s Kyo Hayashiya. It is known as the pioneer of matcha sweets in Japan. Established in 1753 as a tea shop in Gokuraku-bashi, Yasue-machi, Kanazawa City, it is a long-established tea shop with a history spanning over 260 years – quite a long history indeed.

“Judging from current tea consumption trends, matcha consumption is set to decline if things continue as they are. In particular, matcha is an excellent food that allows you to consume the entire tea leaf, yet if it is used exclusively in the tea ceremony, it will only give young people the impression that it is a stuffy bitter drink. We must find ways to make enjoying matcha more fun and work toward promoting Japan’s tea industry.”
Amid rapid changes in culture and daily life, Shinichiro Hayashiya, the fifth-generation owner, is said to have held this view.
And so, Japan’s first tea café, “Kissa Kyo Hayashiya” (located in Sanjo, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto), opened its doors (it has since relocated to the Takoyakushi-dori area in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto).

So, what kind of menu items does “Kyoto Hayashiya” offer?

First, here are some of the matcha sweets available.

Original Matcha Parfait
Single: 1,650 yen. Tea Set: 1,980 yen.

Hayashiya Parfait (Hojicha)
Single: 1,540 yen. Tea Set: 1,870 yen.

Single: 880 yen. Tea Set: 1,210 yen.

And so on… A wide variety of matcha sweets to delight both the eyes and the mind. Just looking at the menu makes me feel full.

Oh, it looks like they serve light meals as well as sweets. I wonder what’s on the menu. Let’s take a look.

Matcha Rice Porridge
Single serving: 1,100 yen
Mini Matcha Anmitu Set: 1,540 yen
Parfait Set: 2,200 yen

Kyoto-style Rice with Nozawana Greens
(Includes seasonal pickles and clear soup from “Fukuda Main Store”)
A la carte: 1,430 yen.
Mini Matcha Anmitu Set: 1,870 yen.
Parfait Set: 2,530 yen.

There are all sorts of delicious-looking dishes on the menu. Out of all of them, I decided to order this one today.

Grilled Tea Rice with Fresh Yuba and Thick Sauce
(Served with seasonable pickles and clear soup from “Fukuda Main Store”)
A la carte: 1,320 yen.
Mini Matcha Anmitu Set: 1,760 yen.
Parfait Set: 2,420 yen.

When I actually ate it, it turned out to be a very light lunch. That’s because, as the name “Yaki-cha-meshi” suggests, the brown thing in the middle was a “grilled rice ball.” I thought it looked like something with meat in it, but it turned out to be a “rice ball.” It wasn’t quite enough to fill me up. It was light and tasty, but a bit too light for a meal. Still, I really enjoyed the mini parfait for dessert, so I’ll call it a win.

Matcha is often thought of as a stiff, bitter drink used in the tea ceremony, but I feel that by transforming into matcha sweets, it has undergone a complete image makeover, becoming much more fun and approachable. I hope that matcha will continue to become more accessible and familiar to everyone.
That’s all for today from “Kyo Hayashiya.”

Author

Jubei
Hello everyone. I am Jubei, an earthling whose energy does not stop today. What I like is playing (manga, movies, music (J-Rock, etc.) and visiting cafes). Thank you for your understanding.