Kirinomori Daifuku

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Recherche et rédaction Hinato

Kirinomori daifukuShingu teaShikokuchuomatcharoadside station

Photo: Dokudami / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · original

Shingu, in the mountains of Shikokuchuo, grows tea without agricultural chemicals, and the daifuku made from it has become one of the more sought-after sweets in Japan. It is built in four layers: cream at the centre, then smooth red bean paste, then a mochi skin with matcha kneaded into it, and finally a dusting of matcha over the whole thing.

It is difficult to buy. Mail order runs months behind and the shop regularly sells out before closing, which has given it a reputation as a phantom sweet — a description the maker has not discouraged. The roadside station at Kirinomori sits beside the Shin-gu interchange with a tea house, a restaurant, a natural hot spring and cottages, so the trip is not wasted if the daifuku has gone. The confectionery workshop is in the village itself.

Informations essentielles

Horaires d'ouverture

10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Fermé: Closed Mondays, or the following day when the Monday is a holiday | Open daily April–August

Tarif d'entrée

Daifuku priced by the piece or box — confirm current prices in store

Meilleure saison

Year-round | Morning, before it sells out

Durée de visite

30–60 minutes | Longer with the roadside station and hot spring

Comment s'y rendre

Informations d'accès

Kirinomori Kashi Kobo Shingu Honten, Umatate 4491-1, Shingu-cho, Shikokuchuo. Beside the Shin-gu interchange on the Kochi Expressway. Closed Mondays, or the following day when the Monday is a holiday; open daily from April to August. Mail order runs several months behind and the shop frequently sells out before closing. The adjoining Michi-no-Eki Kirinomori has a tea house, restaurant, hot spring and cottages. Phone.

Guide d'initié

**It sells out.** Regularly, before closing. Arriving in the morning is the only reliable approach, and even then there is no guarantee. **Mail order is months behind.** Ordering online is not a shortcut — the waiting list runs into months. **Four layers.** Cream, red bean, matcha mochi, matcha dust. Knowing the construction before you bite into it is worth doing. **Closed Mondays except in summer.** Open daily from April to August, closed Mondays the rest of the year with a holiday shift. **The roadside station makes the trip worthwhile anyway.** Natural hot spring, restaurant, tea house and cottages beside the expressway interchange. If the daifuku is gone, the rest is still there.

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