Take a stroll through KameyamaCity and Sekijuku Tokaido, a town full of emotion! I enjoyed a shop selling Mie souvenirs, a newly opened cafe, and a cooking experience♪

We have arrived at Sekijuku KameyamaCity, which is full of historical atmosphere and is lined with townhouses built from the Edo period to the Meiji period!
When you step into Tokaido, just off National Route 1, you'll feel as if you've traveled back in time.

As I was enjoying walking around the photogenic townscape, I came across Sekimise Kichiemon on the corner of an intersection, which is marked by a large orange noren curtain!

Let's go to the store now♪
An illustrated map of Tokaido Sekijuku is posted on the wall right next to the entrance, showing the highlights of Sekijuku and the characteristics of the buildings in Sekijuku.
In fact, it is the only place in Mie Prefecture that has been selected as one of the "National Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings" where historical and traditional buildings and their beautiful villages are selected. Sekijuku
You can see that the beautiful townscape is highly valued.

The store carries souvenirs not only from Kameyama but also from all over Mie Prefecture, from north to south!
Since many customers from the Kansai region pass through KameyamaCity to visit Mie Prefecture, the store sells souvenirs from all over the prefecture so that they can stop by on their way to and from Mie Prefecture, which serves as the "west gateway to Mie."

Originally, Sekijuku didn't have many shops where you could easily buy souvenirs.
``I want people to get to know Sekijuku and enjoy walking around the town, and use this store to spread the word about Mie Prefecture,'' said Kichiemon Sekimise, the 14th generation owner of Sekijuku 's long-established Japanese confectionery shop, ``Fukawaya.'' It is run by Mr. and Mrs.
Of course, there was also Tokaido 's Sekijuku famous confectionery "Sekinoto "♪

"Kajiga Aburi" is a smoked food that has been eaten by fishermen in OwaseCity Town, Owase City for a long time.

``Noda Arare'' by Noda Beika from neighboring TsuCity.
There was also a large collection of other delicious foods from Mie Prefecture that Kichiemon would recommend, such as Ise-Udon, Matsusaka beef shigureni, and Kumano mandarin orange juice!

We also sell traditional crafts from Mie Prefecture, such as Banko-Yaki from YokkaichiCity, hinaga fans, Ise katagami, and Owase Wappa.
While staying in Sekijuku, you can discover the charms of all over Mie Prefecture.

There are also products collected from all over the country, such as Fukuoka Prefecture's Tyrolean sweets, Kagawa Prefecture's Oiri, and a corner of Kumamoto products that donates proceeds to recovery from earthquakes and floods in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Mr. Hattori's desire to introduce and spread the word about delicious food from all over Japan is reflected in this product.

From the `` Sekijuku Karuta'' for sale, you can see that Sekijuku is one of the three checkpoints that have separated Japan's Kanto and Kansai regions since ancient times!
As Mr. Hattori says, ``I want people to come to Sekijuku during their various travels and take home some memories,'' this is a shop where you can discover KameyamaCity, Mie Prefecture, and the whole country.

Next, I visited Sakurasabou, a cafe that just opened in March 2021 next to Sekimise Kichiemon.
This café, run by the same Fukagawa-ya owner as before, offers Sekinoto along with a variety of specialty coffees, Ise GreenTea and light meals.

The calming warehouse is covered with pure white curtains, giving it a Japanese feel!
The door with colorful glass art pasted on it is also stylish♪


Chakura Sabo has separate entrances for eat-in and take-out.
When you visit, what you should definitely pay attention to is the garden, which has a counter for ordering takeout!

This is the garden!
The entire white wall is decorated with art by SHETA, a graphic artist who collaborates with famous domestic and international brands, creating a pop space that you wouldn't expect from the chic atmosphere outside.

A design that combines numbers representing the flow of time and a key that opens a new door and moves forward!
He asked SHETA to do this art because he has known him since his junior year.
This art can also be viewed from the counter seats inside the store.

The store is divided into the first and second floors.

Inside the store, you can enjoy self-drip coffee and Ise GreenTea, which are still rare in Mie Prefecture!
They want people to enjoy the experience and aroma of brewing coffee or tea, so they designed it as a self-drip system. These come with one Sekinoto ♪

In addition to the "Chazo Sabo Blend" (550 yen, tax included), which is a unique combination of beans ordered from roasters all over Japan, there is also a colorful and cute marshmallow cafe au lait (550 yen, tax included) and Kumano orange juice (550 yen, tax included). You can also enjoy light meals such as yen (tax included) and Matsusaka beef hot dogs.

In addition, when you go up to the second floor, there is a rental room that can be used not only as a cafe space but also for dressing up, tea parties, exhibitions, etc.
In the future, they are planning experiences such as making glass art in this space♪ I'm looking forward to it!


Rental room use (all prices include tax)
・Sakura Room 1 hour 990 yen 1 day (8 hours) 6,600 yen
・EE room 660 yen per hour 4,400 yen per day (8 hours)

It's a cafe where you can enjoy new ways to enjoy Sekijuku, such as art and experiences, while enjoying a relaxing Sekinoto coffee and taking a break from your trip.


Chakura Sabo
Address: 1765-5 Shinsho, sekicho KameyamaCity 519-1111
Phone number/0595-86-5780
Business hours/10:00-16:00
Closed: Thursdays, other irregular holidays
Access by public transportation/10 minutes walk from JR Seki Station
Access by car/5 minutes from Seki Interchange on the Meihan National Highway
Parking lot/ Sekijuku sightseeing parking lot

Once you're a little hungry, your next stop is Aizuya, where you can enjoy wild vegetable rice cooked over an open fire and Kaido soba made with a special dashi stock.

The interior of the restaurant is a restored building that used to be a traditional inn, and has a retro atmosphere.
In addition to table seats and counter seats, there are also spacious raised seats.

Popular items include the ``Recommended Set Meal'' (1,600 yen, tax included), which includes Aizuya 's famous wild vegetable rice rice and warm soba noodles, two small side dishes that change daily, simmered dishes, sweetly cooked white beans, pickled vegetables, and fruit, as well as seasonal tempura. A very satisfying “Wild Vegetables Gozen” (2,250 yen, tax included)!


The soba is proud of its umami-rich soup stock made from Hidaka kelp and roughly shaved bonito flakes!
The rice that is cooked using the strong heat of a stove has a chewy texture! I look forward to seeing the contents change depending on the season, such as bamboo shoots in spring and chestnuts in autumn.

Also, pay attention to the ``Kamado Experience'' using Aizuya's stove, which has been passed down since the Taisho era!
Cook rice or grill fish over a fire made in the stove. After the cooking experience, you will enjoy the food you made.
This is the stove that is still in use today, where Aizuya 's delicious rice is cooked. It was restored in February 2020 and the experience space has expanded!

The stove experience starts with lighting the charcoal in the stove, placing branches on it, and making the fire bigger with a fire blower.
It takes about 20 minutes to start a fire, and it takes a lot of patience, but this is also because the food is delicious!

After starting the fire, we use the lit charcoal to grill fish on a charcoal stove and steam seasonal pesticide-free vegetables in a bamboo steamer.
In the summer, we have ayu rice with grilled sweetfish in a pot with sansho pepper, in the fall we have rice with saury and ginger, and in addition, we have chicken rice with grilled free-range chicken and rice with grated Japanese yam.The contents vary depending on the season. !

Nowadays, you can cook rice with just a switch on the rice cooker, but in the past, rice was cooked by lighting the stove.
Watching the heat, listening to the simmering and crackling sounds of the pot, and smelling the aroma of the rice cooking...
``I want people to learn through this experience that in the past, people used their five senses to cook food, and enjoyed even the effort involved, making it a feast,'' says owner Yamaguchi.


They seem to be popular with families with children and foreigners who don't know about the way Japanese people lived in the past.
You can learn the wisdom and ingenuity of traditional living that you can't easily experience in everyday life!

The experience is available from Wednesday to Friday from 11:00 to 14:00, and 5 or more people can apply.
In addition, small groups can apply for the kamado experience, which is held regularly!
Dates and details will be announced on Facebook, so be sure to check it out!




Experience the experience of enjoying local ingredients Reservation required
Price/Adult 5,000 yen (tax included)
Under junior high school students: 2,500 yen (tax included) per person
Under elementary school age: 800 yen (tax included) per person