Kei Kobayashi, Michelin 3-star chef, has partnered with Toraya Three-Michelin-starred chef Kei Kobayashi of the Restaurant Kei and Toraya, a famous maker of wagashi (traditional Japanese confections), have teamed up to open a restaurant, Maison Kei, in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture. Chef Kobayashi was the first Japanese chef to win three Michelin stars in Paris in 2020. Although it is not easy even for a...
Moska: Hidden hotel opens in Yase, Kyoto Moksa is a hotel in which guests can have a healing stay with a sauna and cuisine in the embrace of mystical nature. It opened in Yase-Hieizanguchi at the foot of Mount Hiei in Kyoto at the end of March 2022. It features the concept of ‘‘rebirth.’’ Since ancient times, the villagers of Yase have been using...
Taste Daifuku, Dorayaki by top-notch craftsmen in nature The shop and tearoom, Toraya Kobo, is located in the Higashiyama old villa district in Gotemba. The 17th president of Toraya, Mitsuhiro Kurokawa, opened it because he wanted to reproduce the origin of traditional Japanese confectioneries. Toraya Kobo, on a 20,000 square meter site with lush greenery, has facilities covering production to sales, such as fields...
Craft beers made from good quality ingredients Carvaan is located in Hanno city, one-hour train ride from Ikebukuro. Carvaan means “caravane” in Persian. Since Far East, a trading company, operates this brewery-restaurant, it has the advantage of being able to order high-quality ingredients such as Belgian malt and spices from all over the world to make craft beer with outstanding individuality. Spelt Weizen made with...
Unique art project by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto This facility opened in 2017 after contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto spent ten years preparing it. Owned by the Odawara Art Foundation founded by Sugimoto, the Enoura Observatory is home to works that he designed such as a reception building, a stone stage, and a stage made of optical glass. The entire Observatory is a work of art...
Stay in Japanese inn with onsen, rumored to have inspired Ghibli Shima Onsen in Gunma Prefecture has been described as a hot spring that can cure 40,000 diseases. It is said to be especially effective in curing gastrointestinal diseases. Shima Onsen’s hot spring water is suitable not only for bathing to heal the body but also for drinking. Many say that the hot spring...
