Tsuruya Yoshinobu sweet shop and Café in Kyoto
Where is the famous sweet shop in Kyoto?
Tsuruya Yoshinobu is the famous sweet shop, which has brunch from north and south in Japan. The main store is in Horikawa Imadegawa in Kyoto. The most popular sweets is Yuzu rice cakes, but their seasonal fresh sweets and dried sweets for tea ceremony are also delicious.
I visited the main store to buy sweets for Setsubun festival. They had varieties of Setsubun sweet such as fresh sweets, baked sweets, and zenzai (made of soft red beans and rice cake).
Sweets for Setsubun festival in February 3rd
Setsubun means the division of seasons, or the end of winter on the lunar calendar. It’s tradition to throw roasted beans to demons in February 3rd. This is the sweets “Fuku ha Uchi” which the 4th owner designed by seeing a lady enjoying throwing beans in front of her father’s mercantile house. Its shape is similar to the outline of lady’s face as well as beans. It is thought that the face with bulging cheeks is the symbol of happiness.
I chose some happy sweets to send to my friend, who has a boy expecting the entrance exam.
Some other guests also came to send this sweets to other prefecture. It seems really popular around Setsubun festival.
We can see how to make Japanese fresh sweets here.
1st floor is the store, and 2nd floor is cafe. They don’t use every day but there is a gorgeous tea room, which we can see in the café.
The Japanese garden is also very beautiful.
Seeing the tea utensils displayed in a tea room, we can have delicious Japanese sweets.
Not only eating, but also we can see how to make Japanese sweets on the counter seating. I ordered fresh sweets “Fukuno Haru”, which means happy spring.
There is a red bean ball inside, and covered with smashed beans colored green and red.
At last, more finely smashed yellow beans was used to create flowers on the top.
A craft man said “Please relax and enjoy the sweets”, and soon went back to the kitchen. It was like seeing the short living theater.
Other staff served matcha in a good timing, and it was also delicious.
Overwhelmed by the noble atmosphere.
It’s possible to join café and counter seating on the 2nd floor, but I got a little bit nervous to enter alone surrounded by a gorgeous tea room, garden and beautiful displays.
I was a bit worried if I was rude to enter without any introduction from friends because we sometimes can’t enter Geisha’s house or traditional shops without introductions from some others in Kyoto.
But I was relieved to see foreign tourists group was enjoying this beautiful room. They seemed relaxed here.
I have been this café called “Kayu-ku-kan” on the weekday, so it might be different atmosphere in holidays.
We can feel Japanese culture by the seasonal displays and kimono in addition to traditional sweets.
I appreciate their kindness to allow me to take pictures and write this blog.
Tsuruya Yoshinobu main store and cafe
Business hour 9:00～18:00（last order17:30）
Regular holiday: Wednesdays （Open in National holidays）
〒602-8434 Horikawa Nishi iru Imadegawa-dori Kamigyo-ku Kyoto
TEL(075)441-0105
URL:http://www.turuya.co.jp/syoukai/yaki_fukuhauchi.html