Have you ever noticed old-house cafes being featured in magazines and on TV shows?
Maybe it’s because I’m always unconsciously on the lookout, or maybe it’s in my Japanese DNA… I just can’t stop thinking about old-house cafes.
One place that has caught my eye is the old-house cafe “cafe Saisai” in Tamashima, Kurashiki City.
Looking at the map, there were no famous sights around Cafe Saisai, and it wasn’t on a main street either, which made me wonder, “Why here?!”
If you’re curious, you just have to go!
Here’s a closer look at why cafe Saisai is “here” and what makes it so appealing.
The information shown was current when this article was published in April 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
A shop that blends into the scenery and is easy to walk right past
When visiting cafe Saisai for the first time, be careful: there’s no sign to guide you.
You could easily walk right past without noticing it.
“I wish they had a sign…”
You might think that, but imagine a big, conspicuous sign plonked down among the old-fashioned houses lining the street.
Doesn’t blending into the scenery feel just right for an old-house cafe?
The chimney is an easy landmark. I’ll explain later why it’s there.
In front of the shop, about six cars can park facing each other across a strip of paving stones.
The building, which is over 100 years old, has been renovated, and its exterior has a modern look.
When I visited in January 2021, daikon radishes were drying under the eaves.
Doesn’t seeing the daikon basking in the sunlight give you a sense of how carefully the food is prepared?
There are wells at the front of the building (right beside the parking lot) and behind it.
The well at the front was made of stone and had no cover, so they rebuilt it with bricks and added an iron cover and a hand pump.
The water from the tap in front of the shed is apparently drawn from the front well.
Since it’s well water, they find it especially useful for watering plants in summer.
Please note that you must make a reservation by the day before visiting cafe Saisai.
The interior doesn’t disappoint either! Full of charm down to the smallest details
Now, let’s head inside.
The interior feels even more like an old Japanese house.
The cafe was renovated from a spacious doma (earthen-floored area), and has four tables in total.
As of April 2023, one table had been removed as a measure against the spread of COVID-19, leaving three tables in total.
The interior is a cozy, tucked-away space with a hideaway feel.
Given how large the building looks from outside, some of you may already have guessed that the cafe area is quite small.
That’s right: cafe Saisai opens part of its home to customers as a cafe.
There’s a wood-burning stove in the residential part of the house, which apparently warms the entire building.
The living room, kitchen, and other living spaces are warmed, and the chimney’s heat gently warms the second-floor bedroom too.
Old houses may seem cold, but this one is apparently comfortable, partly because insulation has been installed.
The firewood for the stove is dried outside.
An old house with a wood-burning stove is so stylish. I’m not sure I could chop wood, but I’d love to live in one.
The cafe space is designed with attention to detail.
▼For example, do you know what this is on the chairs?
It’s called Kurashiki Knotting, one of Kurashiki’s hand-weaving techniques.
It is a textile created by Kichinosuke Tonomura, who was deeply involved in the Mingei movement and served as the first director of the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft.
Kurashiki Knotting is handwoven over a long period of time and is both beautiful and practical.
By the way, there’s a place to learn Kurashiki Knotting in the Bikan Historical Area.
It’s called the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Research Institute, where students from all over Japan study while living together for a year.
▼The little ornaments dotted around the shop are cute and catch your eye.
The lunch, which I’ll introduce later, is packed with seasonal vegetables, and the ornaments and food alike give you a sense of the seasons.
From the fields to the table: monthly lunches packed with vegetables
January 2021 lunch
The menu changes monthly, and there is only one option.
In January 2021, fish was the main dish: lightly fried white fish topped with a sauce fragrant with ginger and green onions.
Lunch costs 1,500 yen (tax included) and comes with a mini dessert and a drink.
The menu is posted on the official Instagram account.
February 2021 lunch
Here’s the lunch a month later, in February. It’s completely different from January’s.
The main dish is three kinds of shumai.
The shumai are eaten dipped in ponzu.
▼The shumai on the far left contains large chunks of lotus root.
The lotus root still has a nice crunch, making the texture fun too!
The one on the far right is wrapped in glutinous rice and is wonderfully chewy. In fact, the left and right shumai have the same filling.
The shiitake mushrooms add a savory depth, and when you bite into them, the juices gush out. Even with the same filling, the wrappers are completely different, so the texture and flavor are different too.
▼The shumai in the middle is filled with tofu, hanpen, and squid. Since the ingredients are soft, it’s fluffy.
The outside is coated with shumai wrappers cut into thin strips.
It’s not just the main dish that deserves a closer look. Each small side dish is carefully prepared too.
▼The cucumber salad with Chinese-style vinegar goes perfectly with the shumai.
Doesn’t a glass-noodle vinegar salad sound just right when you’re eating shumai?
▼ Pickled turnip greens.
The leaves often get thrown away, but they make a lovely dish like this. I ate them with multigrain rice.
▼ The Chinese cabbage and egg soup is made with chicken stock.
Apparently, the Chinese cabbage was given to them by a neighbor.
In a world where ties with neighbors are growing ever more tenuous, just hearing about “something given by a neighbor” warms your heart.
▼ Packed with the savory flavors of kiriboshi daikon and dried shiitake mushrooms.
Stir-frying it in oil lets the flavors soak right in.
The kiriboshi daikon is made from the daikon radish we saw drying under the eaves earlier.
From under the eaves to the plate.
The daikon radish was apparently harvested from the restaurant’s own garden.
A welcome drink and dessert are included after your meal. You can choose coffee or tea.
▼ The desserts on the day of my visit were black tea chiffon cake and almond tofu.
The yellow sauce is made with kumquats. Isn’t kumquat sauce unusual?
Apparently, the kumquats were also given to them by a neighbor.
The Japanese-style cups and plates were apparently found in the storehouse when the building was renovated.
It’s lovely that things that had been sleeping in the storehouse are being used again.
You can also visit cafe Saisai just for a cafe break.
After lunch service ends, it’s cafe time, from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
They offer cake of the day and hot sandwiches.
On the day of my visit, the cakes of the day were black tea chiffon cake, which was included with lunch, and tofu gateau au chocolat.
At cafe Saisai, you can enjoy a body-friendly lunch made with vegetables harvested from the garden whenever possible.
To learn about the restaurant’s charms that you can’t discover just by eating there, I spoke with Ms. Umemoto, the owner who runs cafe Saisai.
cafe Saisai details
| Name | cafe Saisai |
|---|---|
| Address | 3482 Kurosaki, Kurashiki City |
| Contact | 086-451-3078 |
| Parking | Available 6 spaces |
| Hours | 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; lunch is served in two seatings, at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cafe hours are 2:30 p.m.–5 p.m. |
| Closed | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, and holidays |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Reservations required by the day before |
| Seating | 8 seats ・Table seating (As of April 2023, one table is not in use as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.) |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Official Instagram |
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