Matcha mania at Kakegawa's Kimikura Cafe

If you're a lover of all things green tea, then Kakegawa in Shizuoka Prefecture has to be on your list of places to visit. If a place could live and breathe tea, then I think Kakegawa would take that title in a heartbeat.

I already wrote recently about a visit I paid to Tea Time Maruha, a lovely modern styled tea house where you can enjoy matcha and a range of green tea infused desserts. Tea Time Maruha isn't the only spot where you can enjoy a cup of tea and some tea-based sweets in the region, though! We also visited a second cafe in the city, Kimikura Cafe, which is located within the grounds of Oike Park. The park itself is a pleasant spot to stop into, particularly if you have kids in tow - it's a great place to run around and burn off some energy! It's also meant to be very pleasant in the spring months when the cherry trees are blooming. We were predominantly there to check out the cafe though, which filled my tea-loving heart with happiness!

I don't know if it's Kakegawa in general or just the cafes that I visited, but Kimikura Cafe also has a very light, bright and airy atmosphere to it. The exterior is very modern looking, and it's surrounded by greenery - the perks of being located in a park, perhaps! Inside they still bring that green feeling indoors, with potted plants, large windows, and even vines and other plants hanging from the ceiling.

When it comes to the menu itself, there are several beverage options to choose from. I went for the seasonal summer matcha tangerine squash, which is made with locally sourced Hamamatsu tangerines. It was lovely and refreshing on the humid day of our visit! My husband went for the iced matcha which he thoroughly enjoyed too.

To go alongside our drinks we picked out a matcha roll (it was similar to a cannoli, with a matcha based cream inside) and a slice of matcha cake which was dense and fudgy in consistency, similar to what we call mud cakes in Australia. We ended up cutting our desserts in half so we could both enjoy some of each other's sweet treat - best of both worlds!

Matcha mania, from the drinks to the sweet treats!

If you plan on visiting Kimikura Cafe, they're open from 9 am until 7 pm from Monday to Saturday, and 9 am until 6 pm on Sundays. They're closed every Tuesday, however, so bear that in mind if you're making a special visit. Map details are below - enjoy!