In Japan, a school year almost ends and we see students holding graduation ceremonies at any kind of schools from elementary to universities. Some of these students must have visited the Kanda Shrine, which has 1300 years history as the guardian of Edo or Tokyo, one or a few months before taking entrance examination, wishing their success in the challenges. Winter season including New Year is the busiest time for Shrines, when they need warmly to welcome prayers with each strong wish.
So the small cafe, being proud of 160 years history along with the shrine, does. Amanoya under the 6th generation shop manager owns a food store and Japanese style cafe located just nest to the red gate of Kanda Myojin. The food store is known for Amazake (甘酒, sweet hot rice wine) and its food products made of soy beans, such as Natto (納豆, fermented beans with very strong odor) and Miso (味噌, as well fermented beans paste, used for miso-soup in many cases). Amazake is a good item for a short break after visiting the shrine.
If you can take longer relaxing time than just a cup of Amazake, open the small door with wooden frame, just next to the small food store maybe packed with even a few visitors. Both the food store and old cafe are operated by same owner and have same name "Amanoya" (天野屋).
Enter and look at inside. The world is completely different from what we can see in Akihabara noisy electric shopping town, still a kilometer away from there.
Could not imagine such peaceful space with small courtyard.
Objects, sign boards, clocks and everything can be seen at the cafe
represent "good old days" of Japan
that we have almost forgotten in our modern digital life.
Wow
I felt as if I came to grand-parents' old house. It is a kind of time-trip.
As for the food, Amanoya offers many traditional dessert and food plates that would never tarnished the good-old-day atmosphere.
As a few examples...
Warabi mochi (わらび餅, traditional cake made from starch)
It is enough soft to be escaped from thrust by a folk.
Konjaku potato cake with sweet miso paste.
It must be good match with sake or beer rather than Japanese green tea.
Other plates by Amanoya include Mochi (rice cakes) or Anmitsu (Japanese style parfait) and shredded ice with syrup in Summer.
Kanda Myojin Shrine and Amanoya are situated between two JR stations Ochanomizu and Akihabara. It takes less than 10 minutes walk from the well-known electric shopping town Akihabara. It is a good idea to stroll up a hill to the Shrine before or after shopping around modern Japanese products. Then you will see the opposite side of Japanese culture as well.
Cafe name: Amanoya (天野屋)
Address: 2-18-5 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Website in Japanese: http://www.amanoya.jp/
Website of Kanda Myojin Shrine in Japanese: http://www.kandamyoujin.or.jp/
