cafe Takehaya 72
Because Summer in Tokyo is getting hotter and more humid year after year, you need cold sweets that give you a feel of coolness. There are many of hidden but good restaurants in the gourmet town, Myogadani. In its residential area, “Cafe Takehaya 72” is a Japanese sweets café where you feel a sense of the season. The café serves shaved-ice as seasonal specialty between the beginning of May and the end of September.
There are 5 flavors for the shaved-ice, strawberry, brown sugar, azuki (red bean), ujikintoki (green tea syrup with red bean) and apricot. If you order the seasonal specialty of June and July, “Kori-anmitsu,” you can enjoy shaved-ice and anmitsu at the same time. They serve those dishes with full of homemade syrup on soft shaved ice.
“Cafe Takehaya 72” is known for their excellent bean paste. You can choose bean paste between smooth one and whole one when you order regular dishes such as “Oshiruko,” “Anmitsu” and “Zenzai.” The owner of the café, Miyuki Komatsu says, “For Japanese sweets, people have their own favorite type of bean paste. So, we are trying to meet customers’ demand.”
Beautiful light-purple smooth bean paste or whole bean paste carefully cooked not to smash bean, you can choose whichever you like.
Ms. Komatsu’s family run a Japanese sweet shop “Ikkoan” in the same area. They supply all bean pastes served at the café. That is why their bean pastes’ texture and taste are good.
“72” in the name of the café refers to 72 seasons which signify change of climate, plants and animals. Please enjoy your time at the café to feel the season with seasonal dishes and arranged flowers.
July 2019 Text: Ryoko Kuraishi Photo: Yasuo Yamaguchi