A Must-Try Century-Old Chestnut Cake Shop in Kyoto – A Timeless, Simple Flavor

Text & Photos /Annie

Whenever I sort through my photos, I always unexpectedly find many shops I haven’t written about yet. This piece on Sokoza Sakuramochi is from my third trip to Kyoto (has it really been that long ago?)

Located near Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Sokoza Sakuramochi, a shop founded in 1682, is often featured in Kyoto food guidebooks. Next door to Sokoza is Toyoke Tea House, which always has a long line whenever I pass by. I’ve heard their prices are reasonable and the food is quite tasty—that explains the crowds.

My travel companion strongly dislikes red bean products, so in the end, I got one to take away and eat later.

All sakuramochi are made to order, so what you get still retains a bit of the warm, handmade touch from the artisan.

Just looking at the packaging date tells you how old this is—it’s already Heisei 26 this year!!!

When I opened the package, I found the sakuramochi slightly damp. The set included three sakuramochi coated with red bean paste on the outside and two coated with soybean flour. The red bean ones weren’t overly sweet, and the chestnut cake inside was very soft and chewy. The ones coated with soybean flour tasted a bit like the traditional Hakka-style mochi you’d find in Taiwan. Even though no one handed me the package directly, just holding it made me feel a sense of nostalgia, as if someone had once warmly placed it in my hands. That faint sweetness still lingers in my memory.

Sokoza Sakuramochi
Address: 838-7 Kamigyo Ward, Kamigyo-Ku, Kyoto City (Paper Yagawa-cho 838-7)
Business Hours: 09:00 – 17:00 (until sold out)
Closed: Every Thursday & the 26th of each month

Annie @ Travel, Food & Play
Returning to the Original Joy of Traveling