Yanagi Chaya

During a recent visit to Asakusa in Tokyo, I took a break for tea and dessert at Yanagi Chaya (やなぎ茶屋).  The tea room is located on Shin-Nakamise shopping street near Asakusa Chuo-dori, a brief walk from Sensoji Temple and the famous Nakamise-dori shopping street.  I was in the area for a morning appointment and arrived just minutes before opening with a very brief wait to enter.

The tea room is spacious for the location with a modern interior and seating on the main floor with additional seating a half-floor down.  Orders are placed at the counter near the entrance. Find a table and your order number will be called to pick up at the counter.

Yanagi Chaya sources their tea from Morihan (森半) a tea company in Uji that has been around since 1836.  The menu includes matcha and hojicha tiramisu, matcha shiratama, matcha soft serve and floats, seasonal parfaits and, of course, a variety of matcha and hojicha beverages.

For this visit, I ordered the Uji Matcha Tiramisu with a hot cup of Hojicha.  

While there are now many places offering their own take on matcha tiramisu served in a wooden box, Yanagi Chaya's was the first I heard about through social media and it did not disappoint.  In fact, it was delicious!

Yanagi Chaya's sister shop is Maccha House located in Kyoto's Kawaramachi District.

Address:
〒111-0032 東京都台東区浅草1-30-6 橋本ビル1F
〒111-0032 Tokyo, Taito City, Asakusa, 1 Chome−30−6 橋本ビル 1F

Hours:
Monday-Friday 11:00am-5:00pm

Saturday-Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm