Bara no Komichi is an atelier and garden cafe in Ageo City in central Saitama. Bara is the Japanese for rose and Komichi means pathway or small passage. As you might guess from the name, the showpiece of the garden is its roses. But the garden and cafe are open all year round, not just in rose season.
Garden Cafe in Ageo
There are several garden cafes in Saitama Prefecture that are particularly beautiful in the month of May, because roses are a key flower of their garden. Bara no Komichi atelier and garden cafe in Ageo City is one such place. For the last 12 years anytime we’ve been to Enomoto farm we’ve passed a sign for Bara no Komichi. I’ve always wanted to go, even tried once, but timed it wrong. I was so happy to be able to finally visit this cafe today. The garden was bigger than I expected. I thought they just a small display of roses, but there is actually a proper garden and even a small tunnel of roses. Its not huge by any means, but large enough to wile away an hour taking photos!
Atelier Bara no Komichi
Bara no Komichi is at least twenty years old. Its run by a friendly, warm woman and a very smartly dressed barista! The only reason I know that the cafe is at least 20 years old is because one of the customers I got talking to today, M-chan, has been going to Bara no Komichi for the last 20 years. And this month it was her third visit this year alone. Each May and October (when roses also bloom) she visits multiple times to enjoy the garden, the food and the good company of the owner. If that’s not a stamp of approval for the café, I don’t know what is!
The garden
According to M-chan, the garden is in its prime right now! Some of the roses are finished, some are finishing, but the vast majority are in full bloom right now. In addition, there are some clematis, cornflowers (one of my personal favorites) and begonia, to name but a few, in bloom right now. There are also hydrangea, but they won’t bloom until June. You can actually sit among the roses in a garden pagoda. In addition there are also tables on the patio, which is shaded in part. The tables are covered in bright red table cloths and the furniture is mainly retro white metal garden furniture. There are also some wicker chairs, one of which is a rocking chair too!
Atelier
The inside of the cafe is just as interesting as Bara no Komichi is also an atelier cafe. You can see dolls and paintings on display. I heard from one of the customers today that the owner actually makes the dolls herself. The inside is very elegant with high ceilings and antique furniture. There are two tea rooms, one of which also has a small bar in it. There is a view of the garden from both of the tea rooms. If you are sitting indoors you take your shoes off in the porch. They have slippers out for patrons to use.
The Menu
A drink costs 500 yen. They have a relatively good choice of tea and coffee. I have only tried the coffee so far. It was very good. It comes in a small pot when you order the set – I got about three cups out of it so I found the set very reasonably priced. The food menu is quite small, with just a choice of curry or hamburger sets. In addition, they also sell slices of cheese or fondue cake. You can get the toast or the cakes with a drink for 880 yen. I got the toast set, which you can see in the photo!
Bara no Komichi Information
Address: 400-3 Ryoke, Ageo, Saitama 362-0066
Phone: 0487810538
Hours: 11 am to 6 pm from Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays and national holidays.
Cost: reasonable. For example, you can get a cake and coffee / tea set for 880 yen.
Access
The nearest interchange is the Okegawa-Kitamoto Interchange of the Ken-o expressway. Take route 17 about 4 kilometers south, where you turn on to a minor country road. There is parking for five cars.
By public transport you can get a Tobu bus from the west exit of JR Ageo Station, bound for Nishi Ageo Garage. Alight at the Kominkaniriguchi Bus Stop, which is about a 7 minute walk from the cafe. The Ageo City “Hirakata Maruyama Line” loop bus also stops relatively near the cafe.
Map below the “In the area” section.
In the area
Locations on this blog that are within walking distance (less than 2 kilometers away) of Bara no Komichi.
- Tokushoji Temple is just down the road and around the corner!
- The excellent Enomoto Farm is across the road from Tokushoji Temple.
- Ageo Maruyama Park is a little bit further, but the North end of the park is only about 1.5 kilometers away. All three locations are south of the cafe.
Other garden cafes in Saitama Prefecture
This is just a small sample, you can find even more by using the search engine on this blog.