Healing Sweets at Temple Cafes in Fukuoka and Saga

Temples seem to have a high profile, or to reek of incense, or even if you belong to a different religious denomination, are you allowed to enter? Such images and doubts tend to haunt us. However, temples these days are very open, and in fact, temples were originally a place that welcomed everyone. There are even a few temple cafes here and there that offer Japanese sweets that match the temples and some parfaits that are perfect for Instagram. On holidays, you can heal your mind with sweets from temple cafes and purify your mind with temple experiences such as Zen meditation and sutra copying.

Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture / Temple Cafe Awamo (Myohoji Temple)

Relaxed like a fresh cloud
Healing Time at the Temple Cafe

Keiunsan Myohoji Temple is a Nichiren Sect temple said to have been built by Tadayuki Kuroda, the second lord of the Fukuoka domain. The temple is located near the Karajinmachi shopping street and Yokatopia Street, making it a temple in the city. The "Temple Cafe Awamo" is located in a small alley by the side of the temple complex. It opened in September 2020.

The manager, Mr. Tomoei Kono, says, "The head priest of this temple opened this restaurant to create a place where parishioners and local residents can gather. The name "Awamo" comes from the Chinese poet Toboku's words, "Pale as the clouds. She hopes that customers will regain a calm mind and spend their busy days in a relaxed manner, just like the pale clouds floating in the sky.

The menu combines special "Keiun" coffee roasted from carefully selected beans at a branch in Itoshima City, Yame green tea, and a variety of sweets. The most popular item is the "Special Temple Parfait Set" (1,850 yen including tax). It is topped with green tea agar made with Yame green tea, green tea ice cream, vanilla ice cream, shiratama dumplings, straw rice cakes, red bean paste, ponzu (Japanese sweet made from ponzu), and a monaka (a sweet made by pressing a baked mold of light clouds). It is topped with matcha honey for an aromatic and taste-changing experience.

Then, a piece of lotus-shaped colored paper called "sanka" is held up, which is also very typical of a temple. One of the "Rokuharamitsu," the six practices that lead to enlightenment, is attached at random and can be taken home.

We also recommend the "Awamo Set" (1,300 yen including tax), which includes tiramisu and vanilla ice cream in a white bowl shaped like a cloud. The set with matcha green tea au lait, shown in the photo, costs an additional 91 yen without tax for both hot and iced drinks. For an additional charge, customers can choose a special iced coffee, café au lait, or matcha au lait as the drink of choice for the set.

Now, Myohoji Temple offers "Kumo-mikuji" (500 yen to award), red seals associated with events such as Obon, spring and autumnal equinoxes, New Year's, and Tanabata prayers, as well as red seals for the four seasons. There is also a "one-character sutra card" (300 yen for each of five types) that allows you to casually copy one character from "Myou, Hou, Ren, Houka, Kyou" with a brush pen!

Location	3-9-3 Karajinmachi, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka
Phone number	092-515-7992
Business Hours	10:00-17:30 (LO 17:00)
store holiday	Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Official Site	https://myouhouji.or.jp/sp/awamo.html

Kaede Temple Cafe (Akashiji Temple), Sasaguri-machi, Fukuoka, Japan

For a break from visiting Sasaguri Sacred Sites
How about a stylish parfait?

Genkozan Akashiji Temple is the 43rd temple of the 88 sacred places in Sasaguri Shikoku. The temple is a member of the Daikakuji school of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. The temple is known as a temple to ward off bad luck with its principal image of the Thousand-Armed Kannon. In the Taisho era (1912-1926), the temple began to operate a lodging house for pilgrims. The inn is still operated as "Dainichiya Ryokan" today.

The restaurant at the inn is the "Temple Cafe Kaede. The name was chosen because of the many maple trees on the temple grounds and the desire for visitors to take a breather. The restaurant serves curry and udon noodle sets as a light meal menu, as well as café sweets.

The regular popular menu item is the "Cha Cha Parfait" (1,000 yen including tax), a Japanese style parfait with rich matcha and hojicha flavors. The rich green tea ice cream, hojicha jelly, and red bean paste give it a Japanese flavor, while the chocolate flakes and banana add a Western touch. In addition to the standard parfait, a seasonal parfait (1,200 yen including tax) is also available.

This is another classic dish, "Cream Anmitsu" (1,000 yen including tax). Fresh cream is topped with colorful agar jelly, honey beans, grains of sweet bean paste, cherries, and vanilla ice cream. Anmitsu, a sweet born in Japan, is served parfait style, making it stylish and fun to look at.

Speaking of Japanese sweets, zenzai is not to be missed. The "Zenzai with Meat Balls: Senta no Te" (600 yen including tax) is perfect for the coming season. A large round rice cake is lined with four small round rice cakes, representing the paw pads of a dog. The motif is actually a dog that was once kept at the temple. He was friendly and used to approach pilgrims as soon as they arrived," said the temple's chief priest. The name "Senta," by the way, is a reference to the temple's principal deity, Senju Kannon (Goddess of Mercy).
Under the 10-meter-high statue of Hagiri Fudo Myoo in the temple grounds, visitors can walk around the Buddhist altar in the dark, and if you go around to the back of the main hall, there is a stone for men and women to pray for their happiness. The temple also offers meditation, sutra copying, and Buddha copying. Take a break at the temple café and enjoy a moment to calm your mind again by doing Shakyo.

Location	3091, Sasaguri, Sasaguri-machi, Kasuya-gun, Fukuoka, Japan
Phone number	092-947-0418
Business Hours	11：00～16：00（OS 15：30)
store holiday	Thursday (irregular holidays)
Official Site	https://dainichiyaryokan.owst.jp/

Itoshima City, Fukuoka / Oterakafu Wagyu (Myokyu Temple)

Made with all his heart by the deputy priest.
Mochi rice cakes are popular.

Located in the suburbs of Itoshima City, about 5 minutes by car from the Maebaru Interchange on the Nishi Kyushu Expressway, Shin-Ozan Myoukyu-ji Temple is a temple of the Honganji sect of Shinshu Jodo, which celebrates its 410th anniversary this year. However, at the time of its founding, the temple was not located in its current location, but in Kurume territory. The present temple was moved and built in 1706 after passing through Chikuzen Town. Next door is the Tanaka Sake Brewery, known for its "Tanaka Sixty-five," and during the brewing season, the temple grounds are said to have a slight aroma of sake.

Oterakafu Wagyu" will be open on an irregular basis at the Monkaku Kaikan on the temple grounds. The opening date and time are announced on the installation and linked to the official website. Basically, it is open for about three days each in the first and second half of each month. The menu includes freshly ground coffee (290 yen including tax for both iced and hot), café latte, condensed milk, and other drinks, as well as Japanese sweets such as homemade "Terakawakame Warabimochi" (350 yen including tax) and "Zenzai" (400 yen including tax).

The most prized of all is the "Teraya-made Warabi Mochi". It is handmade by Vice Priest Izuru Wadade, and uses a large amount of real warabi flour. The mochi is made with a large amount of real warabi flour, which gives it a soft and chewy texture. It is also sprinkled with a generous amount of soybean flour. The set meal can be ordered with coffee or other beverages, and the price is discounted by 100 yen. The original price is reasonable to begin with, so it is appreciated.

Vice-head priest Wada opened this café in August 2022. He opened the cafe in August 2022 with the hope that people would feel more familiar with temples. He also wants people to feel more familiar with the temple. In summer, they serve shaved ice, but for the coming season, the "Coffee Chestnut Zenzai" (550 yen including tax), which is only available in fall and winter, is recommended. Pour hot coffee over the warm bean paste topped with chestnuts, shiratama (white beans), and fresh cream and enjoy!

Now, in addition to offering a sutra copying experience, Myohyo-ji Temple also offers calligraphy and kimono dressing classes. In addition, the deputy priest's wife is a manicurist and has opened a nail salon, "REETHIMM," specializing in nail care. The temple is a great place for women to enjoy bracken rice cakes, calm their minds with sutra chanting, and get their nails done in a healthy and beautiful way. It's a great experience for girls.

Location	1991 Hon, Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Phone number	092-322-3486
Business Hours	12:30～16:30
store holiday	Irregular (must be confirmed on Instagram)
Official Site	https://myoukyuji.or.jp/

Motoyama-cho, Saga Prefecture / Temple Cafe (Honpukuji Temple)

On the terrace with a great view
Temple sweets for better luck.

Honpukuji Temple in Kiyama-cho, Saga Prefecture, is the head temple of the Koumyou Nembutsu Shingoshu sect of Shingon Buddhism. Located halfway up Mt. Motoyama, the temple is notable for its five-story vermilion-painted pagoda, one of the largest in western Japan. The principal deity is Fudo Myoo, and a 6-meter-high wooden statue of the Great Buddha, Fudo Myoo, sits in the Zenpodo Hall on the temple grounds.

The "temple café" is located in the "Zenpodo". The outdoor terrace is lined with seats covered with scarlet carpets and overlooking the townscape of the Chikugo region. The indoor seating area is lined with tables in front of the Great Buddha Fudo Myoo, and all menu items are made with natural groundwater.

The "Amaguri Zenzai with Hojicha Tea Set" (1,320 yen including tax) contains amaguri zenzai with gold dust. Hokkaido azuki beans are used, and freshly pounded rice cakes are added for a refined sweetness. Hokkaido kombu (kelp) and takuwan (pickled daikon radish) are used as a break from the main dish. In summer, chilled zenzai is also available.

Another item on the menu is the Uji Green Tea Roll Cake Set (1,210 yen including tax). The matcha roll cake is topped with shiratama dumplings, sweet chestnuts, black soybeans, mint, and lightly sprinkled with cherry blossom salt. The black beans and matcha are also sprinkled with gold dust. It is sure to bring you good luck! In addition to matcha, you can choose from coffee, matcha latte, hojicha latte, or cocoa, which can be served hot or iced.

Now, various temple experiences are also available at Honpukuji Temple. In addition to accepting visitors for the popular "art red seal" at the "Zenpo-Do," the temple also offers sutra copying, Buddhist copying, and zazen meditation experiences. Zazen is a form of Zen meditation called "Ajikan," in which one gazes at a hanging scroll with the character "A" on it. No keisatsu sticks are used, and meditation is done by correcting one's posture and focusing one's attention. In summer, visitors can also experience waterfall bathing at "Nakayama Ichinotaki Waterfall" on the temple grounds.

Location	2120 Miyaura, Kiyama-cho, Miyagi, Saga
Phone number	0942-92-2451
Business Hours	11:00-16:00 (OS 15:30)
store holiday	without a holiday
Official Site	https://www.honpukuji.or.jp/

Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture / Temple Cafe Hananobo (Myohoji Temple)

Afternoon tea in style
There are also many weekend events!

Shishiozan Myohoji Temple, located in Itsuki-cho, Karatsu City, is a temple of the Hokke school of Buddhism and was founded in 1960. Visitors can see the majestic inner sanctum of the main hall, one of the largest porcelain murals in the East, and a large chandelier with a motif of a linden tree. The grounds are vast, and behind the main hall is "Rakuyono-no-Sato," a place for lodging, meditation, and prayer. The "Hananobo" temple café is one of them.

In fact, Hana-no-Bo is a tenant, and the owner, Shinji Iino, began operating in June 2022 after his company's retirement. When the store was about to close in Corona, the head priest (the chief executive of the sect), who had become a close friend, graciously rented it to him. Mr. Iino has a wide variety of interests. He is a multi-talented person with a fourth dan in kendo, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, picture writing, Buddhism, qigaku, bodywork, and even piano playing.

He makes all of the menu items by hand, and is a one-man operation on weekdays. On weekends and holidays, I hire a part-timer," he says with a laugh. The popular "Afternoon Tea" (2,600 yen including tax for two people) is also made by Mr. Iino because he loves tea and scones. It is also because she wants her customers to enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea.

Perhaps because he is a multi-talented owner who even has his own grand piano in his store, the store's customers also come and gather from all walks of life. When someone plays guitar as a hobby, a woman flamenco dancer dances. Iino is attracted to Mr. Iino's picture-paper works, and eventually he is asked to exhibit his own works at the store. He accepts it with two words.

We find ourselves having mini-concerts, mini-flamenco shows, exhibitions of artwork, etc. on weekends. Events begin spontaneously, and "the gallery is fully booked until next December. It is probably because of her personality that she values her relationships with people. In addition to homemade cakes, there is a lunch menu that includes a "hot sandwich set" (1,300 yen including tax) and a "seasonal vegetable and beef-string curry set" (1,600 yen including tax), so you can spend as much time as you like.

In case you are wondering, "Myohoji Onsen Hiryu no Yu" (Myohoji Onsen, Hiryu's Hot Spring) was introduced in the "One-Coin Onsen" article.https://team-flat-michinoeki.com/spot/detail0056/The "Rakuyono-no-Sato" is located in this "Rakuyono-no-Sato". We hope you will make use of it together with Hananobo.

Location	530-4 Iwaya, Itsuki-cho, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture
Phone number	090-1927-5197
Business Hours	10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
store holiday	Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Official Site	Official site Myohoji Temple:https://myohoji.or.jp/ Flower Boy Installation:https://www.instagram.com/shinjiiino0610