Special feature: Kyoto, the city of Chami. This issue introduces the coffee shop ‘Kameyayoshinaga (亀屋良永)’.
Kameyayoshinaga, a Kyoto confectionery store that brings seasonal scenery to passersby
On the left corner of Teramachi Dori (寺町通), just before it hits Oike Dori (御池通). Looking into the window of Kameyayoshinaga, I sense the presence of someone diagonally across from me. When I look up, I see someone staring at the window facing Oike Dori. Our eyes meet and we both smile shyly.
I wonder how many times I have encountered this kind of situation since I started visiting this store.
The three bay windows, each with a different theme, from Japanese confectionery and vases to flowers and hanging scrolls, are another ‘face’ of the store.
Kyoto sweets change with the seasons.
The seasons do not change according to the calendar.
“It is the job of the store’s ‘Oyaji'(=Dad/shop owner) to think about changing the look of the window and changing the products. It is sad to see the number of stores with ‘Dad’s’ decrease, not only in confectionery shops,” says Shimomura Takashi (下邑 隆), the fifth generation owner.
His son Osamu (修) is now the sixth generation to take over, but the fifth generation also shows up at the store every day to keep an eye on things from the ledger.
“Kyo confectionery changes with the seasons. The seasons don’t change according to the calendar, so the best part is deciding when to change the sweets. Conversations with our customers, who tell us whats happening out in the world, are also important, and in the corner of my mind, I’m always thinking about if there is anything we can incorporate or inspire our confectionary” says Shimomura.
Along with the famous ‘Oike Sembei’, the window display is decorated with ‘Ohara-ji (大原路),’ a rakugan (落雁) that he invented himself. It is a simple design with a circle inside a rectangle, but just by changing the shape and color of the circle, it can be seen as an iris or the autumn moon.
Now that the term ‘window shopping’ is fading away, Kyoto’s storefronts have changed as well. That is why this store, which continues to be a traditional store, is so precious to me.
Kameyayoshinaga (亀屋良永)
Address: 504 Shimohonnoujimae-cho, Teramachi-dori Oike-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-231-7850
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed Sundays, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays
Photo by Shinohara Hiroaki Composition by Fujita Yu
This article is translated from https://intojapanwaraku.com/travel/217535/
