Hoshide-chaya — Restaurant in Iwakuni

Walked into this unassuming tea house located inside the shrine as I wanted to eat some traditional Japanese sweets and left more than satisfied. Ordered the kinako mochi (item 12 on the menu), zenzai (item 14) and warabimochi (item 11) which were all delicious! While these sweets are usually sweetened with sugar, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that theirs was on the savoury (salty) side which was a first for me. I enjoyed the kinako mochi so much, I ordered another plate of it despite planning to eat lunch shortly afterwards.

The kinako mochi is topped with the usual kinako powder (brown) and ao-kinako powder (green soy bean powder). I’ve eaten mochi in various places but it’s the first time I’ve seen ao-kinako powder. The warabimochi is topped with kinako powder, ao-kinako powder and matcha powder which wasn’t too bitter.

The shop has tables with chairs and a raised platform with traditional tatami mat and low dining tables. They have an English menu which is great for foreigners. Besides traditional Japanese sweets, they have udon too which we saw many people ordered. I highly recommend this tea house as their Japanese sweets is different from other...

A cute roadside tea shop right next to the park and shrine. They have lots of udon, mochi, and tempura options with and without side dishes. There is an English menu available but no accompanying pictures. Their wild edible vegetables are seasonal and they serve complimentary barley tea. I had the udon with beef and it was pretty good, but I recommend getting the whole set if you can. Ask for a "teishoku" (定食). The prices range from 650y to around 1000y if I remember correctly. For dessert, get the warabi mochi!

Also, they have an elevated seating area in the traditional Japanese style of tatami, floor cushions, and a low table. If you decide to sit there, please take your shoes off before stepping on the tatami! You can also ask for a fork by saying "fo-ku kudasai". And in Japanese fashion, the servers do not check up on you periodically, so if you need anything, you can call out "sumimasen" in a loud voice to get their attention in the back. Don't worry,...

The most delicious Udon ever! The owners of this restaurant were gracious, kind, and very friendly. I would encourage anyone in the area to stop by and enjoy their hospitality and delicious food! As a foreigner traveling in Japan, this was the perfect little stop for lunch, it felt like traveling back to a time...