・Directions to Sakura Saku

Get off at JR Himeji Station and walk about 13 minutes.

Located one block south of Himeji Castle, “Sakura Saku” is a traditional Japanese-style café situated on the site of a former retainer’s residence. In front of the café lies a park where cherry blossoms bloom in spring, making it a popular stop for international tourists taking a break from sightseeing or a stroll.

・A Traditional Japanese House Café Run by a Vegetable Sommelier

Although it’s a café, most customers come for lunch. The daily changing lunch menu, crafted by the owner—who holds the Vegetable Sommelier certification, a major qualification in Japan—is very popular. A key feature is the flexibility to accommodate each customer’s dietary preferences, including vegan and vegetarian options, as well as adjustments for spice levels.

Additionally, every dish is handmade with a focus on “dashi”—the foundation of Japanese cuisine. By highlighting the natural flavors of the ingredients and adding depth with the umami of the broth, the cafe offers a casual way to enjoy the authentic taste of Japanese home cooking. It’s a spot we especially recommend foreign tourists visit.

Open the traditional vertical-slatted door to find a tatami-mat room exuding Japanese charm. The room features a sunken kotatsu-style seating area where you can stretch out your legs, making it perfect for those who want to relax while feeling the warmth of the tatami mats. Table seating is also available in the back of the restaurant.

・Daily lunch special featuring a choice of meat or fish

『Daily Lunch Special with Plenty of Vegetables』1,300 yen

The “Vegetable-Packed Daily Lunch” is a set meal featuring a main dish (your choice of meat or fish), a platter with four types of side dishes, a vegetable salad, clear soup, and rice. Vegetables are generously incorporated into every dish, ensuring you get plenty of nutrients.

On the day of our visit, the main dish was a homemade hamburger steak packed with vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and onions.Since it uses lean ground chicken breast, it’s refreshingly light and healthy—a real plus. On the other hand, the sauce is rich and flavorful, made with beef fat, butter, and broth from beef tendon. It’s a satisfying flavor that naturally makes you want to keep eating your rice.

The foundation of the dishes’ seasoning is a plant-based broth made from shiitake mushrooms and kelp.“To be able to accommodate vegan customers at any time,” the restaurant uses absolutely no animal-based ingredients such as bonito flakes or mackerel flakes.

The dried tofu is deeply flavorful thanks to the dashi, and the simmered daikon radish—which can often taste monotonous—is seasoned with a touch of sweetness. Even for the same type of simmered dish, the seasoning is adjusted according to the ingredients, and each dish is prepared with care.

The clear soup is a dish that allows you to enjoy the aroma of the broth in a simple and direct way. Tofu cut into the shape of flower petals floats on the surface, reflecting the delicate attention to detail characteristic of the Japanese, who cherish the four seasons. The owner’s gentle and cheerful personality shines through in every one of these subtle touches.

For an additional 200 yen, you can add an “after-meal drink & homemade vegetable chiffon cake.”

・Vegan and vegetarian requests available

『Daily Special Lunch with Plenty of Vegetables』1,300 yen

If you have dietary restrictions due to health or personal beliefs, please consult with the owner. For vegans, they prepare dishes that use absolutely no animal-derived ingredients, and for vegetarians, they offer a dedicated menu featuring vegetables and, if needed, ingredients like eggs or dairy products.

What’s truly remarkable is how much they value conversations with each guest, tailoring dishes based on their nationality and dietary preferences. For example, when serving Indian guests who enjoy spicy food, they’ll ask if they like it hot—going above and beyond to cater to each customer’s needs.

A staple main dish on the vegan menu is the “Tofu Steak.” The special sauce—made by reducing sugar, soy sauce, and mirin and adding ginger—is so addictive you won’t be able to stop eating it! You’re sure to discover something new here: even tofu, which we usually eat without a second thought, can be so satisfying when prepared just right that it can easily stand in for meat or fish.

・Take a relaxing break with a vegetable chiffon cake!

『Cake Set (with drink)』1,200 yen

The star of the “Cake Set” is their handmade chiffon cake. Made without chemical seasonings, artificial colors, or baking powder, this gentle dessert uses domestic wheat and beet sugar, blended with seasonal vegetables and fruits. They have a repertoire of over 10 varieties of chiffon cakes made with seasonal ingredients like pumpkin and carrots. Order while looking forward to seeing which one you’ll get!

Why not come to “Sakura Saku,” a traditional Japanese-style café that caters to each guest’s individual tastes and is gentle on both the mind and body, to savor the deliciousness of Japanese vegetables and the depth of dashi broth?

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