Japanese sweets store ”Kinako-ya”
Kinako-ya is a sweets café that opened in Kumamoto in April 2010. Sweets using a lot of ”kinako” (roasted soy bean powder) are the specialties of this store. The store is filled with a lot of sweets, from Japanese sweets including ”daifuku” (a soft rice cake stuffed with sweetened bean jam) and ”dango” (rice dumpling), to western sweets including cakes and puddings.
The store is laid out so that customers can casually drop by and fully relax, and is often crowded with customers who come for the original sweets. The Kumamoto Main Store has a cozy cafe space where you can eat freshly made ”warabimochi”.
Warabimochi made with care every day
The specialty at ”Kinako-ya” is ”Takumi’s warabimochi”. Bracken starch is used. ”Kinako” is made by mixing dark roasted soy beans called ”Fukuyutaka”, salt from Amakusa, and light brown sugar from Okinawa. ”Warabimochi” that uses select ingredients and is carefully kneaded in a copper pan daily, has a distinct texture and chewy taste. It is a sweet that represents the owner’s philosophy ”to never serve sweets that do not meet my standards”.
”Aso-Oguni Jersey Creamy Pudding” made from Oguni jersey milk and fresh eggs from chickens that grow in the nature of Kyokushimura with delicious water, has a very nostalgic taste and classic sweetness. The taste is creamy, soft, and smooth with a melt in your mouth sensation that is very satisfying.
”Getting healthy with sweets”
Kinako-ya was started by the owner who has a nutritionist license, to fulfill his desire to serve healthy and delicious sweets. Careful attention is given to each ingredient as well as the manufacturing process, especially because the sweets will be eaten by the patrons, and local products are used as much as possible. Those carefully selected ingredients are used to make sweets that customers can eat with peace of mind, with a lot of time and care. Packages and containers are chosen with care as well, and are popular souvenirs. We highly recommend a visit to the store during a trip to Kumamoto.
