Kocha Romankan Shimano Tea Room in Kawagoe

There is a huge choice of cafes in Kawagoe, but only a handful of traditional Kissaten. Kissaten are a traditional Japanese tea drinking shop. If you would like to experience and Kissaten and / or if you prefer tea over coffee Shimano Tea Room could be an option for you on your visit to Kawagoe.

Shimano Tea Room

Shimano Tea Room has won a place in my heart as it reminds me of tearooms I visited with family during my childhood in Dublin. The servers are dressed in the old traditional wear of black tights, black dresses and white frill aprons. They even wear the white laced head piece.

Menu

The selection of tea is fantastic and their sandwiches are decent. But its the scones you really want to try! They have about 20 different scones in their repertoire, but they only serve about three a day. However, as it changes every day it gives you the excuse to go back again! I recommend trying the tea here, but if it’s not your thing they also have coffee and soft drinks.

In the morning you can get a boiled egg in a breakfast set. This is actually really rare in my experience in Japan. The breakfast set comes with either toast or sandwiches. From early afternoon they also have some rice dishes available.

Tea

Apart from being able to get several different flavors of tea, they also have some unique tea blends including dessert tea with cream and fruits. The tea comes with a timer and strainer so you can make a perfect cup of tea. Tea averages at 580 yen a pot (about 3 cups to a pot).

Shimano Tea Room Information

They are open every day of the week. They have a smoking area which seemed quite well ventilated. There is one toilet with an old pull chain. There are steps in the tea room and the toilet is very narrow so it is not suited to people in wheelchairs. They offer a 10% discount off your bill if you have a Mama and Papas card for Saitama.

Kocha Romankan Shimano is located just before the start of “Ichibangai” the main tourist strip of Kawagoe’s old storehouse and Edo period building area. It is about a ten minute walk from Hon-Kawagoe station, 12 minutes walk from Kawagoeshi and about 15 minutes from JR / Tobu Tojo Kawagoe station. You can also get any of the tourist buses to the area and alight at Nakamachi.

There is no official parking but there are dozens of coin parking lots.

There are many more fun, unique, quaint, chic and cozy cafes in Kawagoe. I hope to feature more over the coming weeks. If you have a favourite or a place you’d like to share, please do comment. Comments are always welcome. 🙂 Here are some others I recommend as a local guide:

• Hatsuneya Garden Cafe | KAWAGOE
• Foot spa cafe and shop “Tsubaki No Kura” 2020
• Kawagoe Bakery Raku Raku