Ama Chaya — Restaurant in Toyooka

A quaint and cozy cafe located right across the main road from the station. We ordered the pancakes (2 pieces) and drink set (only ¥880). The pancakes were soft, fluffy and delicious. The generous serving of butter was a pleasant and much appreciated surprise since I’ve noticed most pancake places in Japan only serve you a tiny portion which never ends up being enough. My cafe au lait was served with the cutest teddy bear shaped block of iced coffee (see photo). Also, the customer service was wonderful. The cafe staff are so sweet, attentive and genuinely appreciative of their patrons. If you’re a fan of Totoro, the cafe is decorated with handmade Totoro wreaths and mini figurines which are also for sale near the shop’s front door. My friends and I swung by again on our way back to the station to purchase some as the cutest...

I am so happy to have stumbled upon this treasure of a place. I was looking for food options near the station that I could take on my long train ride and found this cafe with a short list of to-go options. I ordered the Ebi and Karaage lunch box, which was made fresh to order. It took about 10 minutes, but I didn’t mind because the owner has an abundance of adorable, Totoro-inspired acorn decorations/figures on display for sale. I spent the entire 10 minutes browsing and I still don’t think I saw everything. In the end, I couldn’t resist buying a few items. The lunch box was also exceptionally delicious. It was clearly made with care and the service was absolutely phenomenal. They are cash-only, but this business is definitely worth supporting if...

No frills restaurant for incredibly reasonable prices. Food comes out fast (for us it was within 5 minutes of ordering). English menu available (but use Google translate or papago on the Japanese menu for some more options!). Curry wasn't to my personal taste, but was warm, hearty, and packed flavour in every bite. Well suited for a cold rain / snow day. Ebi was MASSIVE! Katsu was juicy and didn't feel oily. Small salad was refreshing. Karage also rates well. Fruit salad included at the end was a refreshing touch, especially after a deep fried...