Higashimachi-dori, a short distance from the Bikan Historical Area.
It is a very quiet, peaceful street, quite different from a tourist destination, where you can hear the sounds of everyday life.
“Yume Kukan Hashimaya” is a hidden café tucked away at the end of a narrow lane off Higashimachi-dori.
The café is a wonderful place steeped in history and atmosphere, converted from the rice storehouse of Kusudo House, a Kurashiki City-designated Important Cultural Property.
How about a generous serving of curry rice or cake in its modern-classical interior?
We’d like to introduce “Yume Kukan Hashimaya,” where simply being there makes you feel as if you’ve traveled back in time.
Regular business for fiscal 2021 ended on December 26, 2021, and the café reopened in April 2022 as “atelier&salon Hashimaya”.
The information presented here is as of the article’s publication in October 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
“Yume Kukan Hashimaya” in Kusudo House, a Kurashiki City-designated Important Cultural Property
After leaving the main street of the Bikan Historical Area, you’ll find yourself in a quiet neighborhood with a peaceful atmosphere.
This is Higashimachi-dori.
It is a quiet residential neighborhood, quite different from Kawadori, where you’ll find places such as the Ohara Museum of Art.
At the entrance to Higashimachi-dori are Kusudo House, a Kurashiki City-designated Important Cultural Property, and “Yume Kukan Hashimaya.”
Next to the entrance to Yume Kukan Hashimaya is Hashimaya Kimono Shop, a leading kimono shop in Kurashiki founded in 1869. Across the street is “Kurashiki Kama to Minami Italia Ryori Hashimaya,” renowned as one of the best restaurants in Kurashiki City.
Hashimaya Kimono Shop is run by the fifth generation of the Kusudo family, while Hashimaya, the kiln and Southern Italian restaurant, is run by the sixth generation.
As you emerge from the narrow lane, a delicate, modern sign welcomes you.
The sign for Yume Kukan Hashimaya is so nostalgic that you might even think it’s about to come to life…
There is also a lantern bearing the Kusudo family’s shop name, “Hashimaya.”
The shop name “Hashimaya” is said to come from the fact that the Kusudo family’s ancestors were originally from Hashima, Kurashiki City.
The courtyard and namako walls surrounded by Kusudo House
Passing through the gate by the café entrance, you’ll find a quiet courtyard that hardly feels as if it is inside a residence.
It’s a truly luxurious space, with beautifully maintained greenery.
There is also a smoking area in this courtyard.
The rice storehouse at Kusudo House is distinguished by its namako walls, with raised plaster filling the joints between square roof tiles.
It was completed between 1882 and 1887 after a total of five years of work, and is said to be more than 140 years old.
The rice storehouse was renovated by Kurashiki Kenchiku Kobo and now houses the café Yume Kukan Hashimaya.
A modern café interior that evokes the rice storehouse’s past
This is the interior of Yume Kukan Hashimaya. The ceiling is very high, and you can see the impressive, thick beams.
The café has been renovated into a stylish, modern space befitting the Bikan Historical Area, while retaining traces of its days as a rice storehouse.
A view of the interior from the second-floor loft.
You can see a large table that seats ten and a grand piano.
Is that a person in front of the grand piano!? What a surprise.
This is a steel-wire sculpture by artist Koichiro Tokumochi.
It’s a wonderful, mysterious work with a certain warmth, as if a pianist were really there.
A painting of Hashimaya Kimono Shop is also displayed inside.
The shop’s trademark, “Maru to,” is clearly depicted, as featured in our article on Frozen Maru-to Smoothie.
As we look around, a delicious aroma wafts over from the counter…
Let’s try Yume Kukan Hashimaya’s signature hamburger curry.
“Special Handmade Hamburger Curry,” available at lunchtime only
The “Special Handmade Hamburger Curry” is available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in limited quantities.
It costs 1,500 yen including tax with a salad; drinks and dessert are 300 yen extra each, including tax.
Hamburger steak and curry rice! Delicious things are sharing the plate.
A glossy curry sauce and a round hamburger steak sitting plumply on the plate.
It’s much larger and heartier than a topping-sized patty, which is exciting.
When I cut into the hamburger steak, juicy meat juices came out!
It’s a very tasty hamburger steak with a rich meaty flavor. It goes well with the curry, too.
The toppings of deep-fried eggplant and bell pepper, along with a boiled egg, are a welcome touch.
Why do deep-fried vegetables go so well with curry?
They’re magical toppings that make both even more delicious.
Take a closer look at the rice served with the curry, too.
What do you think the red, chip-like pieces sprinkled over the rice are?
The answer is “dried skins of cherry tomatoes that were peeled for the salad.” Tomato skins!
They want to reduce food waste and make the most of every ingredient.
It seems that this idea also inspires the care they put into creating the cafe menu.
The salad was generously filled with ingredients, too, and absolutely delicious.
The cafe menu’s top pick! Basque cheesecake
I tried the cheesecake from the cafe menu.
Yume Kukan Hashimaya’s cheesecake is a “Basque cheesecake,” baked until it develops a rich, glossy browned surface.
It’s baked quickly at a high temperature to give it a charred surface, and is known for its rich, aromatic flavor.
The cheesecake comes with a drink for 900 yen (tax included). The selection and other details vary by day.
I had never tried Basque cheesecake before, and was amazed by how delicious it was!
It’s incredibly smooth and rich, far beyond what its appearance would suggest.
I was delighted by how exceptionally delicious it was, even among all the cheesecakes I’ve tried.
They’re also working on a new parfait made with Fujito Manju’s smooth red bean paste, to go with their new “Frozen Maruto Smoothie.” Sounds exciting!
From the Writer
Delicious curry rice and cheesecake served in a historic rice storehouse over 140 years old.
Learning even a little about the history of the Kusudo family made me feel even more attached to the Bikan Historical Area and Kurashiki.
By the way, the cafe serves its menu on plates and dishes once used by the Kusudo family.
It’s a wonderful space that also gives you a sense of the importance of making beautiful use of what has been left behind and taking good care of it.
Enjoy a lovely cafe break surrounded by Kurashiki’s culture and traditions.
Yume Kukan Hashimaya details
| Name | Yume Kukan Hashimaya |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-20 Higashimachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-451-1040 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Tuesday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 28 seats in total Counter seats: 4 Four-person tables: 2 Two-person tables: 3 Ten-person table: 1 |
| Smoking | Non-smoking (smoking permitted only in designated areas) |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Yume Kukan Hashimaya official website |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a word to search articles on this site
