Waryu Proposta, which reopened in October 2025 at LOGIN Kurashiki in Achi 2-chome, Kurashiki City, is a shop centered on sweets and Japanese tea that are devoted to "Japanese-ness" (wa).
I heard it is a rare shop that serves genmaicha (brown rice tea) brewed in a siphon, so I was very curious. I also heard that "ochazuke" (rice with tea poured over it) was recently added to the regular menu, so I went to try it.
I looked into Waryu Proposta, which is full of special touches, including the ochazuke that has already become a popular menu item and the reason the shop chose to brew its tea in a siphon despite the extra effort.
The information in this article is as of the time of publication in January 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Don't underestimate the "tea shop's ochazuke"
I was surprised by the salmon ochazuke, topped with a silver salmon so large it spilled over the edge of the rice bowl.
The "salmon ochazuke" I ordered came as a set with a generous amount of genmaicha brewed in a siphon for 1,200 yen including tax.
Waryu Proposta offers five kinds of ochazuke. The toppings are freshly grilled silver salmon, cod roe, and miso-marinated Spanish mackerel (sawara).
- Salmon ochazuke
- Cod roe ochazuke
- Salmon ochazuke with miso-grilled rice ball
- Cod roe ochazuke with miso-grilled rice ball
- Saikyo-yaki sawara ochazuke
The miso used for the miso-grilled rice balls is red miso made in the shop, and the Saikyo miso is also made in the shop, so the shop uses its own original miso.
For the ochazuke, the toppings are prepared after an order is received, and in the meantime genmaicha is brewed one serving at a time in a siphon.
After the brown rice is put in, the tea leaves are added once the rice begins to dance in the hot water of the upper bulb.
Carefully selected tea leaves and brown rice swirl in the hot water.
After one stir with a spatula, the shop's proud original genmaicha is ready.
The fragrant aromas rising from the ochazuke topped with freshly grilled silver salmon and from the freshly siphon-brewed original genmaicha whet the appetite.
What all the ochazuke have in common is that they come as a set with freshly brewed siphon genmaicha, in a generous amount that is more than needed for the ochazuke itself.
The delicate saltiness of the toppings and the shop-made miso are what decide the flavor of the ochazuke, but above all it is the original genmaicha that brings out the deliciousness of each one.
Siphon-brewed genmaicha with special touches
In a siphon, the water rises to 90 degrees, so the "brown rice" and "tea leaves" must be ones that taste good even when brewed with high-temperature water.
Until they found brown rice that pops open fragrantly, they reportedly put many different kinds of rice through the roaster.
However, most of them only turned dark brown without the grains popping, and the one they finally arrived at was "Nikomaru" grown in Okayama Prefecture.
The roasting temperature is about 400 degrees, and it is roasted for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the day's temperature and humidity.
Nikomaru, whose grains are larger than other brown rice, gives off a fragrant aroma and bursts white in the roaster, producing the flavor characteristic of genmaicha.
For the genmaicha, a mix of deeply roasted and lightly roasted brown rice is used.
After much trial and error in search of tea leaves that withstand high temperatures, keep their aroma, and bring out the umami of the tea, they ended up blending two types: karigane and Jo-Aoyanagi.
It took repeated trial batches to arrive at the combination of "Nikomaru brown rice" + "Karigane" + "Kamiaoyagi", and they finally settled on the current proportions, which bring out a fragrant, rich and mellow aroma and flavor.
The Top Pick Menu After a Meal
At Waryu Proposta, the shop serves classic menu items made with red bean paste prepared in-house, as well as Japanese-style sweets that change with the seasons.
When we asked the owner, Haruyama Masataka, "What is the most popular sweet after a meal?", the answer was "The canelé made with rice flour."
There is so much genmaicha (brown rice tea) that even after using plenty for the ochazuke (rice with tea poured over it) there is still more left over. A canelé with a moderate sweetness to enjoy with the remaining genmaicha may well go nicely with the saltiness of the ochazuke.
We spoke with the owner, Mr. Haruyama, about the genmaicha brewed in a carefully chosen siphon and the new ochazuke menu item, including the behind-the-scenes story of their development.
Wanagare Proposta Information
| Name | Wanagare Proposta |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-20-9 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture (inside LOGIN Kurashiki) |
| Contact | 080-4421-3343 |
| Parking | None |
| Opening hours | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Regular closing day | Wednesday If a Wednesday is a public holiday, the regular closing day moves to the following day |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Reservations are requested for lunch and dinner |
| Seating | 20 seats in total, including table seats and counter seats |
| Smoking | Completely non-smoking No smoking |
| Restrooms | Western-style toilet, barrier-free toilet Western-style and barrier-free accessible |
| Child-rearing | Diaper-changing station Available |
| Barrier-free | Barrier-free toilet Available |
| Website | Wanagare Proposta |
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