It is the time year when resolutions abound and one of mine is to get as many drafts published as possible this year. In that vein, introducing Sanposha, a bakery in rural Kawagoe, which has been sitting in drafts for far too long! Although, it is a bakery, you can actually eat in or rather out, in the beautiful natural garden! There is a small eating area indoors too. They sell some delicious drinks. They grow their own blueberries so June is a great time to visit, but they use the blueberries as an ingredient throughout the year.
Sanposha
First things first, if you haven’t ordered in advance, you may have to wait quite a bit of time to be served, especially if you want to eat in. And they are unapologetic about it. With the result there are two extremes of reviews about the cafe online – regulars or people who are prepared to wait who give the cafe rave reviews, versus irate customers who were frustrated with the wait and give it a negative review. I’ve noticed recently that the positive reviews far outweigh the negative, but when I first visited it was the other way around. Personally, as I knew the situation in advance, I had no problem waiting especially as I was in good company, with my lunch buddy. They get a lot of repeat custom, because their food and drinks are worth the wait.
The menu isn’t that large either, but the bread really is delicious. Also, please note it is not uncommon for them to run out of bread. Sometimes they are sold out by 11 am! Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you order in advance. They used to have an online booking system, but I see that’s gone now and you have to ring. The phone number as well as any notifications about opening hours can be found on their Instagram page.
Nearby: the really fun Airjoy Trampoline Center is only a seven minute drive away (south of the bakery). In addition, there is the really trendy @Farm strawberry picking farm (with a cafe of its own) a seven minute drive North of the bakery.
Information
Cafe: Sanposha さんぽ舎
Season: all year round, but summer for the fresh blueberries and September to see spider lilies in the garden.
Hours: 11 am to 4 pm on Tuesdays to Thursdays, Saturdays (except the 1st Saturday of the month) and Sundays. They open for breakfast on select dates only.
Cost: from 540 yen
Venue: Sanposha さんぽ舎, 145-2 Shimomatsubara, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-1153. View on Google Maps.
Access
The parking for the bakery is at the adjacent factory “Taiyou no ie” 太陽の家. The closest station is Shingashi station which is about a 35 to 40 minute walk away! Kamifukuoka station is also about the same, maybe a few minutes longer. There is a bus from Kawagoe station that goes to ‘Imafuku-Yamada’ bus stop, it takes about 9 minutes. The bakery is about a 23 minute walk from the bus stop. It is not the easiest spot to get to public transport.
what a cool bakery! And it really does look hard to find!