Description
Near the famous tourist hotspots Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) and Tetsugaku no Michi (Philisophers Path) is a lovely new sweets café that opened it’s doors on 17 September 2022 called Kashihate run by a very friendly young lady.
The name "Kashihate" comes from the word "kashiwade".
Kashiwate means clapping your hands when visiting a shrine. The owner is not particularly religious, but she lived near a shrine since her childhood, and it seems that it was an important custom to thank the gods and make wishes.
Kashiwate can also be used to simply clap your hands. People have a habit of clapping their hands when they are happy, having fun, or enjoying something delicious. It also contains a wish.
Furthermore, in ancient Japanese, "Kashihade" refers to the person in charge of meals in the Imperial Palace, and the name of this cafe has many meanings.
In ancient Japanese, it seems to be written as "Kashihate" and read as "Kashiwade", but it seems that she chose the literal name "Kashihate" because he liked the clear sound without dakuten (Dakuten ( ゙ ) are marks placed after certain hiragana that modify the way the consonant is pronounced).
Kashihate sits on the ground floor of a heavy concrete building and replaces a former popular red bean sweets shop. The shop stands out with its unique exterior as the cafe’s entrance is surrounded by a wall consisting of large stones making it look slightly like the entrance of a cave.
The interior however is completely different from it’s exterior with a narrow but lovely retro interior that is divided over two floors. Entering the café you can choose from a limited number of seats with a small table and chairs against the wall for two persons on the upper floor near the entrance. Going down the small stairs you will have the kitchen on the left and on the right another two-person table, a table for 1 person and a 4person table in the back. The café has a dark brown wood interior with antique furniture that really gives it that cozy Shōwa era atmosphere.