A Highly Refined Flavour Rivalling European Regional Pastries: Grace Saison (グラース・セゾン), Kamishichiken, Kyoto
The mother, Inoue Atsuko, is a pioneer amongst pastry chefs, having travelled to Switzerland in the 40th year of the Showa (昭和) era (1965) to study chocolate. Her daughter, Ota Yuko, also possesses experience training in pastry-making in France.
This is a special establishment where one can enjoy traditional European regional pastries that convey the combined skills of mother and daughter. The perennially popular ‘Choux à la crème’ is daughter Yuko’s recipe. “My ideal is for the pastry to be softly tender and abundantly filled with cream,” says Yuko.
Setting up the shop in Kamishichiken occurred after Yuko married into the Japanese confectionery shop Oimatsu (老松). The pastries are sometimes used for gakuya mimai (楽屋見舞い; backstage gifts) at ochaya (お茶屋; teahouses), and there are also orders from school-affiliated individuals. It is truly a flavour loved by men and women of all ages.
[We Measured It] Diameter: approx. 9 cm × Height: 4.5 cm
[Inside the Pastry] Custard + Whipped Cream Scented with Western Liquor
Grace Saison
Address: 1F Kitano Rakuyukan, 731 Shinseicho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Prefecture
Telephone: 075-465-3011
Opening Hours: 11:00 to 18:00
Closed: Thursdays
Reviving the Famous Winter Pastry of the Long-Established Cafe Zeroku (ゼー六): Tokuichi (とくいち), Kitahama, Osaka
Born in Honmachi (本町) in 1913, the confectionery shop Zeroku operated as a cafe after the war, becoming a cutting-edge place of relaxation for the merchants of Senba (船場). During that period, they introduced the ‘Ice Monaka’, which became a massive hit. The cream puff, which was popular as a winter-exclusive delicacy, is notable for containing custard cream with the same flavour profile as the popular wafer icecream bar.
This taste was passed down from the founder, Hirose Tokuichi, to his third son, Tokuya, but sales ended at the beginning of the millenium. As if answering the voices of those who missed it, Tokuya’s daughter, Kita Keiko, revived it for the first time in 25 years. In 2019, she opened a shop selling exclusively Zeroku’s cream puffs in a corner of her home.
Much like Zeroku’s ice cream, the recipe for the cream inside the pastry is a secret. The refreshing and light-textured cream is a convincing flavour that is loved across generations.
[We Measured It] Diameter: approx. 9 cm × Height: 5 cm
[Inside the Pastry] Contains a light custard cream made using whole eggs.
Tokuichi
Address: 1-6-5 Awajimachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Prefecture
Telephone: 06-7165-3435
Opening Hours: 11:00 until sold out
Closed: Sundays and Public Holidays (Irregular closures on Saturdays)
Instagram：@tokuichi_ze6
*All listed prices include tax.
*Prices and opening hours are as of December 2025 and may be subject to change, so please verify in advance via official websites or similar sources.
This article is translated from https://intojapanwaraku.com/travel/291005/
