“Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring,” available at 12 restaurants in Kurashiki City, is being held from April 1 to June 30, 2023.
Following a two-week pre-event in January 2023, it has now officially launched.
It is planned to be held regularly twice a year from now on.
A sister event to “Kurashiki Afternoon Tea,” which is also held regularly twice a year, Kurashiki High Tea looks set to become another Kurashiki tradition.
What kind of event is Kurashiki High Tea? And what are its prospects for the future?
We spoke with Shinya Fujiwara, chair of the Kurashiki High Tea executive committee.
The information presented was current when this article was published in April 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Kurashiki High Tea: Enjoy Kurashiki at night with delicious food
Kurashiki High Tea is a Kurashiki-style take on “evening high tea,” the nighttime version of afternoon tea, a British tradition.
First of all, what is “high tea”?
“Afternoon tea” originally began as a custom among the British aristocracy.
Over time, as sweets and tea became accessible to ordinary people as well as the aristocracy, high tea is said to have taken root as a luxurious meal rather than an afternoon snack.
At high tea, dishes ranging from appetizers and main courses to dessert are lavishly arranged on a stand with two or more tiers.
Tiered stands are familiar from afternoon tea, too.
Afternoon tea brings to mind sweets, light snacks, and tea, but high tea is a meal, so enjoying it with alcohol is one of the pleasures unique to the evening.
Features of Kurashiki High Tea
Let’s take a look at the features of Kurashiki High Tea, an event that gives high tea a Kurashiki-style twist.
The menus use locally grown fruit and ingredients from Kurashiki and Okayama.
Each venue has put its own creative spin on dishes featuring Okayama-grown tomatoes and strawberries, yellow chives, fresh fish from the Seto Inland Sea, Okayama-grown forest-raised chicken, Bisei pork, and more. They are beautiful to look at, too.
The menus often change depending on the event season, so it will be exciting to see how the fruits and ingredients on offer vary with the seasons.
One drink is included, and alcoholic drinks are also available.
Being able to savor dishes that pair well with alcohol is another major attraction of Kurashiki High Tea.
The participating venues are distinctive restaurants and bars in Kurashiki City.
Kurashiki at night has a different atmosphere from during the day.
The event is imbued with the wish that visitors will fully enjoy the nighttime streets of Kurashiki and the atmosphere of each venue.
Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring is finally here!
After the pre-event held from January 16 to 31, 2023, Kurashiki High Tea has now officially launched.
Here is an overview of Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring and its participating venues.
Overview of Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring
Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring runs from April 1 to June 30.
An “Autumn 2023” event is also planned for October to December, and from 2024 onward, the organizers aim to continue holding it twice a year, in spring and autumn.
A photo contest will also be held alongside Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring (April 1 to July 5, 2023).
You can enter by posting on Instagram with the hashtags “#KurashikiHighTea” and “#KurashikiHighTeaPhotoContest2023.”
Winners are expected to receive dining gift certificates.
The menus are all visually lavish, so be sure to capture some memories in photos, too.
The 12 participating venues in Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring
Twelve restaurants and bars in Kurashiki City are participating in Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring.
- All Cafe × Tanita Cafe Achi Terrace Kurashiki location “OWL × TANITA High Tea” <First-time participant>
- 72cafe (Natsu Cafe) “72cafe High Tea”
- Restaurant Felicion “Strawberry Queen Royal High Tea”
- Curry and Coffee Shop 774 (Nanashi) “Kyo”
- Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel Bar Regina “Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel Bar Regina High Tea” <Available for one person>
- CUORE Kurashiki “CUORE High Tea”
- Teien Uguisu “Teien Uguisu High Tea”
- Salon de Tonerico “Florist’s High Tea” <Available for one person>
- .KOMBINAT “.KOMBINAT High Tea”
- Dining & Bar Danadua “Spanish High Tea”
- Takenoya Bettei “Takenoya Garden High Tea”
- Kikimeshi Yokocho “Kikimeshi Festival High Tea”
Most venues require orders for two or more people (Salon de Tonerico and Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel Bar Regina accept bookings for one).
At all venues, advance reservations are required to order high tea.
Some venues offer an all-you-can-drink option for an additional charge.
We spoke with the organizers about Kurashiki High Tea
Like its sister event, “Kurashiki Afternoon Tea,” “Kurashiki High Tea” shares the concept of promoting Kurashiki’s food culture through its restaurants, but the executive committees running the two events are separate.
We spoke with Shinya Fujiwara, chair of the Kurashiki High Tea executive committee (general manager of the food service division at Ishodo Co., Ltd.) about the response to the pre-event held in January 2023, his hopes for Kurashiki High Tea 2023 Spring, and the event’s future prospects.
Why did you start Kurashiki High Tea?
Fujiwara (honorific omitted)
I wanted to create a restaurant-led event with visually appealing dishes that would encourage people to enjoy drinks in the evening.
I had the impression that there weren’t many established nighttime events where people could enjoy Kurashiki’s restaurants.
In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact.
Kurashiki Afternoon Tea, a daytime event, has been well received and has taken root, so we started this event as an adaptation of it.
I also felt that it might be time to introduce some changes to Kurashiki Afternoon Tea rather than simply continuing it as it is.
I think that creating new spin-off events like this, rather than simply increasing the number of participating venues, will generate news and help the event become even more beloved.
Since high tea takes place at night, I’d be delighted if people stayed overnight in Kurashiki and made it part of their sightseeing trip.
The Bikan Historical Area and the area around the station each have their own charms at night and during the day.
We want to encourage overnight stays as well as dining.
How would you like people to enjoy Kurashiki High Tea?
Fujiwara
First and foremost, it’s the appearance of the high tea itself.
It’s colorful and lavish, so people can enjoy the atmosphere along with the unique setting of each venue.
I hope people will spend a happy time enjoying delicious dishes and make their night in Kurashiki a memorable one.
It’s an event that people of all ages can enjoy.
Many of the people who make reservations are women, but since it’s an evening event, many also bring men along.
The menus all feel special, so they’re also recommended for anniversaries.
How did the January pre-event go?
Fujiwara
We heard from many participating venues that “people from a different customer demographic than usual came in.”
For example, a bar with a sophisticated atmosphere said, “Our customers are usually older, but younger people came in,” while a restaurant tucked away in an alley said, “Women who hadn’t known about our restaurant before came in.”
It seems to have been an opportunity for new people to discover the venues.
Also, since it is difficult for restaurants that serve dinner to take part in Kurashiki Afternoon Tea, some said, “We tried participating, and it was a great opportunity and a lot of fun.”
The menu photos were taken by the same photographer as for Kurashiki Afternoon Tea, giving them a consistent look.
Each restaurant can post the photos on social media or use them to promote the business, which I think is a nice benefit for participating restaurants.
The pre-event period was short, at about two weeks, and there were aspects we hadn’t been able to prepare for properly, but more people came than we expected.
We promoted it as a sister event to Kurashiki Afternoon Tea, and I think that helped too.
The organizing committee handles tasks such as compiling and checking details of each restaurant’s menu and information, and editing the official website.
We have experience running Kurashiki Afternoon Tea, so although there is a lot to do, things go more smoothly than they would for someone doing it for the first time.
If we hadn’t been running Kurashiki Afternoon Tea, Kurashiki High Tea probably wouldn’t have been held.
Could you tell us about your plans for the future?
Fujiwara
The event period for Kurashiki High Tea Spring 2023 runs from April 1 to June 30, 2023.
However, we are making preparations so that it can be held regularly each year alongside Kurashiki Afternoon Tea: Kurashiki Afternoon Tea from July to September, Kurashiki High Tea from October to December, and Kurashiki Afternoon Tea from January to March of the following year.
The event has only just begun, so I think we need to promote it with flyers and other materials to let more people know about it.
Twelve restaurants are participating this time, but we would like to increase that number and give people more options to enjoy choosing where to go.
I hope Kurashiki High Tea will become a long-running event that people love, just like Kurashiki Afternoon Tea.
More and more people will be able to visit Kurashiki again.
We aim to see it grow in popularity and take root as a new way to enjoy Kurashiki at night.
From the Writer
I also tried the high tea at Salon de Tonerico during the pre-event period.
I’ll never forget the delicious menu, with flower petals scattered across it, served in a space decorated with colorful flowers.
It made me want to try having lunch there next time, too.
It’s fun to discover more places you like this way, isn’t it?
We don’t know whether the Spring 2023 menu featured here will still be available in the future.
Kurashiki High Tea Spring 2023 is available for a limited time, until June 30. Be sure to make a reservation and visit before then.
Kurashiki High Tea Information
| Name | Kurashiki High Tea |
|---|---|
| Dates | “Kurashiki High Tea Spring 2023” runs from April 1 to June 30, 2023 |
| Location | Kurashiki City |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Price (tax included): ¥3,500–¥9,900 Varies by restaurant |
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