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 French chef to obtain three stars, the Japanese did....
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 producing ingredients, a kitchen, a shop, and a...
