La Collina Ōmi-Hachiman — Restaurant in Omihachiman

La Collina is like something out of a Ghibli movie! So many wonderful things to experience and taste! First, I never knew just how refreshing it could be relaxing under the long patio at the front of the main building. The angled eaves creates a vacuum for the breeze to go through and the thick moss-covered roof dripping with water keeps the breeze cool and refreshing. Inside, you can line up for the baumkuchen as the rolls of layered cake are being made in front of you. Adjacent to this, you can try the cookie shop with the must-have “soft cream”/ice cream topped with a round La Collina cookie. The other side of the ground floor showcases the more traditional Japanese sweets and a gallery of carved wooded Japanese sweets presses/molds. Look up and you’ll see the organic-looking ceiling dotted with black coal-like stones or tiles. You can go up to the 2/F to try the baumkuchen with drinks. Going out the back door, you’ll see the rice paddy pond with some rock formations topped with small trees. Turn left and follow the long open-air passage to the snack area and another souvenir “warehouse”. Or turn right for the cafe and try the castella cakes or the the hearty omelette rice.

The only draw backs to this place could be the distance and the pitiful condition of the bus stop on the way back. Further, there’s no pedestrian crossing lane to get to the bus stop so be careful when crossing the street. Even for people with no cars, it’s actually quite easy to get to the location via the city bus from Bus Stop No. 6 at Omi-Hachiman Station. You can get off right in front of La Collina. The stop’s name is “La Collina-mae”. But going back to the station can be tricky if the weather is very hot. The bus stop is across the road but there is no shelter or shade from the sun and the buses come infrequently. The bus schedule sign board indicated that there was supposed to be a bus at 12:42 and then at 12:50 but only one bus came at almost 1pm. So I stood there baking under the sun for half an hour while waiting for the bus. So I hope La Collina or the city can improve the bus stop situation for visitors who can only use public...

Unpopular opinion: this place is only good when you pick the right day with the right weather.

I visited this place on a windy, rainy Spring day, which is the most terrible weather because for one, there is no green roof. And walking around the place is just horrible because the covered walkways do not fully connect each building.

There is nothing to do except for taking pictures, looking at the factory, and buying and eating. It is more commercial and shop-like than I imagined, I thought it would be more themed and more explantory about how their food are made. It seems more like a souvenir shop than a tourist attraction.

The food is not worthwhile of going there just for the sake of eating them. The best was the arancino which is a savory dish when the whole place is about sweets, and also it happened to be the cheapest of all the food items I bought (¥400).

The baum kuchen is too sweet. It's their signature item but if you want to try, it is cheaper to buy their prepackaged one (¥432) than eating their set (baum kuchen and a drink, which means the drink costs ¥738).

Their sable was good, Jersey milk ice cream was quite rich but melty, both not justify their pricetag.

Their facilities were lacking. There is no WiFi. Most seating areas are exposed to the elements, and all but one has no table. There are also not...

I believe these may be the headquarters of Club Harie and Taneya, famous for baumkuchen and wagashi. The place is beautiful, in knoll-like settings with distinctive architecture, it feels like you're transported into a different, simpler, natural world. But then you are instantly reminded that this here is a business, and the spell is broken. Not to say it's not a beautiful place, but it gets crowded on the weekends. The staff at the cash registers are welcoming, but I think service and atmosphere could be better improved with support staff that could better welcome guests who are unsure of where to go. There are two cafes here, one for Club Harie baumkuchen which is in a building showcasing baumkuchen making, the other for Taneya showcasing freshly made castella. Wagashi isn't sold at this Taneya though, but they sell freshly baked castella with a variety of jams. There is also another area with food kiosks, in my experience the line up here is shorter for the baumkuchen but they don't serve the freshly made baumkuchen. Overall worth a visit if you're in the area! I'll skip the soft cream, it is average. The baum sable is rather nice, but can be skipped if the line up...