Ai Nishimura
Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.
[Cafe tour in Takamatsu city 1] Kutsuwado Sohonten, a good old, long-established coffee shop.
The journey begins at a coffee shop in the center of Takamatsu city.
"Kutuwado Main Store" in Katahara-machi has a simple appearance. It was built in 1969.
On the first floor, they sell Kawara Senbei (tile crackers) and Japanese sweets. Kawara Senbei is a sweet representative of Takamatsu, with a history of 150 years.
Through the window at the back of the sales floor, you can see the kawara senbei being baked.
The cafe on the second floor. There is a window here, and although there is no view, natural light comes in.
The third floor is just the right amount of dark. The single-seater sofa is wide and comfortable.
The paintings hung casually matched the space.
The tables and chairs are made by Sakura Seisakusho, a furniture manufacturer in Takamatsu City. The seats are comfortable and spacious, with ample space between the tables.
Roll cake "Noah" is a cake made of walnut dough wrapped in butter cream.
The cream becomes smoother at room temperature and goes well with coffee. It was delicious!
Finally, we viewed paintings by Genichiro Inokuma. The Marugame Genichiro Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA) is closed for renovations until the end of March 2020 (scheduled). I was not able to visit this time, so I was glad to be able to see his paintings here.
It was a retro cafe that felt like a social gathering place for adults.
There is a crystal dome ceiling right next to Kutsuwado. Be sure to look up at it before you leave.
Kutsuwado Main Store is located in the center of the city, about a 5-minute walk from JR Takamatsu Station.
The second and third floors of Kutsuwado, a long-established rice cracker shop with 150 years of history that produces and sells Takamatsu's specialty "Kawara Senbei," are occupied by a cafe that is bustling with customers from the morning.
The excellent taste of the cafe's building, furniture, and paintings, which have been receiving rave reviews since it opened, are still alive and well even now in the Reiwa era.
The chairs and tables are from Sakura Seisakusho, a company based in Takamatsu City that is famous for its modern interior items made from solid wood and for producing wooden furniture for designer George Nakashima. The sofa-style chairs have just the right amount of firmness and tension, making them comfortable enough to make you want to sit down and stay for a long time.
The paintings casually hanging on the walls of the cafe are works by artists such as Genichiro Inokuma, who was born in Takamatsu and raised in Marugame, and Lee Ufan, who has an art museum on Naoshima, an island famous for its art. Enjoying coffee and cake in a museum-like space is a special experience.
The cake I ordered, "Noah," is a roll cake made with coffee-flavored butter cream. The dough contains walnuts, giving it a fragrant flavor and making me feel nostalgic when I eat it. There are several types of cakes, all of which are handmade in the store.
This is a cafe where you can relax and enjoy art, so why not stop by for a break during your trip?
[Tour of Takamatsu City Cafes 2] Located in Kitahama Alley. Cafe bar "Salon Blue" designed by a design company.
We headed to Kitahama Alley, a stylishly renovated port town of warehouses and vacant buildings. It is about a 10-minute walk from JR Takamatsu Station and Kotoden Takamatsu Chikko Station.
There was an outdoor exhibition for the Setouchi Triennale (hereafter referred to as Setouchi Triennale), which is held once every three years. In this area, art themed on the fascinating culture and products of the local area was on display.
Kitahama Alley was opened in 2000 after renovating a group of warehouses that were active in the early Showa period. Many of the warehouses are still in use as they were, and the contrast with the surrounding greenery is stylish. Combined with the tastefulness of the shops and cafes that occupy them, this has made it a popular and attractive waterfront area.
Camera enthusiasts are sure to find some great shots, and they'll be great memories of your trip!
Salon Blue is a cafe that opened in April this year in Kitahama Alley. It is a cafe bar with an ocean view.
The counter is made of Sanuki barrels, a traditional craft from Kagawa Prefecture, and is located almost in the center of the store, making it quite a sight.
If you look closely, you will see that the pendant light hanging above the counter has a sophisticated design with a shade made from Kagawa lacquerware.
The particularly special corner, hung with a noren curtain, is a space created to resemble a tea room.
Hanging from the ceiling is a light fixture made of Marugame fans stacked like flower petals.
If you look closely, you'll notice that the stools decorated with dried flowers are painted with lacquer. They look so modern that you might overlook them if you weren't told about them. This cafe is a stylish world where a modern sensibility is added to the traditional craftsmanship that Shikoku is proud of.
Bonsai is one of the craftsmanships of Takamatsu, which is the number one producer of pine bonsai in Japan. It has a chic and stylish atmosphere.
The seats facing the windows are lined with designer chairs called "Y Chairs." You can spend your time relaxing while watching the ships passing by on the calm Seto Inland Sea.
You can enjoy a luxurious and enriching time in a space filled with unique design while listening to the background music composed by Keiichi Sogabe for this restaurant.
I had a fruit drink called "Pear and Lime Soda".
Pizzas, a la carte dishes, desserts and drinks are all made from seasonal local vegetables and fruits.
The popular cafe "umie," also located in Kitahama Alley, is also part of the same chain.
The select shop "Blue" in the building opposite Salon Blue is also part of the same chain. It carries a variety of goods related to the Seto Inland Sea.
Kitahama Alley is a commercial facility that has been renovated from warehouses, vacant houses, and vacant buildings along Takamatsu Port. It houses galleries, shops, restaurants, cafes, and more.
In this corner, we visited "Salon Blue," which just opened in April 2019. This is a cafe bar opened by a company that specializes in graphic and spatial design, and is affiliated with the popular reservation-only cafe "umie" in Kitahama Alley, and "Blue," a select shop with miscellaneous goods inspired by the Seto Inland Sea.
Salon Blue is located on the fifth floor of a building that originally belonged to a shipping company. When you open the door to the shop, the ocean stretches out in three directions from the windows.
The interior of the store is decorated with original furniture incorporating traditional crafts from the Setouchi region. For example, there is a chandelier made from a Marugame fan and a counter made from a Sanuki barrel. You can also purchase works by Kagawa lacquerware artists.
The designer chairs facing the windows and sofa seats surrounding the low tables are extremely comfortable, allowing you to spend time gazing at the calm Seto Inland Sea. The space at the back, partitioned off with a noren curtain, is decorated with sofa seats inspired by a tea room, giving the space a private, secluded feel.
The background music was healing music, like rippling waves, produced by singer-songwriter Kenichi Sogabe, who is from Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture. It was a sensation that shook all five senses, from the eyes to the ears.
The restaurant serves pizza and other dishes made with seasonal vegetables, and uses local ingredients. They also serve craft beer and original fruit drinks, and the restaurant can be used as both a cafe and a bar.
"Walk around the city and find art" Art hunting in Takamatsu City!
We're going to eat sweets made with "Wasanbon," a specialty of Shikoku.
Coming from the direction of Takamatsu Station, past the Crystal Dome in the shopping district, you will come to Marugamemachi Shopping Street, a long shopping street.
We arrived at Marugamemachi Green, where there was also a Setouchi Triennale exhibition. Marugamemachi Green is part of the shopping arcade and is a four-story commercial complex that includes a rooftop.
"Pastry Workshop Louvre" is a Western-style confectionery shop that has been in business in Takamatsu for over 40 years, and is renowned for the quality of its sweets, which it makes using local ingredients.
The soft serve ice cream at this shop is made using traditional methods, using "Wasanbon" sugar. On this day, they were serving "Ping Pong Soft Serve" for a limited time only (during the Setouchi Triennale) in connection with the art exhibition!
It is served with icing cookies in the shape of a table tennis racket and "oiri," a traditional wedding sweet from Shikoku, shaped like a ball.
Wasanbon soft serve ice cream has a refined and gentle taste with the gentle sweetness of the original grains of wasanbon. The mild sweetness does not interfere with the milk or cream, giving the whole ice cream a rich flavor.
At the experiential art exhibit "Arcade Table Tennis," office ladies who had just dropped by could be seen enjoying a game of table tennis.
There is seating both inside and outside the store, so you can also eat in.
Takamatsu Port is also the starting point for trips to the islands of the Seto Inland Sea. There are several exhibitions that can be viewed even outside of the art festival period.
The weather improved in the evening that day, and we were able to see a sunset show over the Seto Inland Sea.
Takamatsu Port Tamamo Breakwater Lighthouse, nicknamed "Setoshirube," is a rare lighthouse whose body is entirely made of glass. Located at the tip of the breakwater, its red shape is easily visible from afar.
As darkness fell, the entire lighthouse began to glow red. The pink landscape, the lighthouse, and the ferries passing by were an impressive sight.
As darkness fell, the entire lighthouse began to glow red. The pink landscape, the lighthouse, and the ferries passing by were an impressive sight.
The commercial area is densely packed from Takamatsu Station to the center of town, so you can enjoy exploring within walking distance. It is also convenient to use the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad, affectionately known as "Kotoden," or to rent a bicycle, which can be easily rented in the basement of JR Takamatsu Station.
First, head through the arcade "Marugamemachi Shopping Street" towards "Marugamemachi Green".
At the sweets shop "Kashikobo Louv" here, you can eat soft serve ice cream made with Wasanbon. As the "Setouchi Triennale (hereafter referred to as Setouchi Triennale)" held once every three years was in progress, the ice cream was served in a special style related to the exhibition. The theme was "Table Tennis".
Wasanbon is a specialty of the Shikoku region. It is a high-quality sugar made using traditional methods. The soft serve ice cream, which is a pale yellow color characteristic of Wasanbon, melts easily in your mouth and spreads the rich sweetness of the ingredients. On top of the ice cream, there was also a decoration of "oiri," a specialty of Kagawa Prefecture that is often given as wedding favors or when greeting neighbors when getting married.
In the evening, we headed to Takamatsu Port. In the area near the port, there was an outdoor art exhibition of the Setouchi Triennale, and people looking at the works were taking pictures of each other in front of the art with their cameras.
On this day, there was a beautiful sunset towards the evening, and we were able to see the magnificent sight of ferries passing through the pink-tinted sea.
At the tip of the breakwater at Sunport Takamatsu stands a beautiful and artistic glass lighthouse. Nicknamed "Setoshirube," it is a rare lighthouse made entirely of glass. The glass itself is red, and as it gets dark, the red color is emitted as light, creating an even more fantastical atmosphere in the dark sea.
In the city center, there are facilities such as the Kagawa Prefectural Museum and the Takamatsu Art Museum. One of the charms of Takamatsu is that you can easily and thoroughly enjoy art within walking distance.
Read the second part here
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
