Otera Cafe is a lovely little cafe located within the grounds of a temple on Suo-Oshima Island. The name literally translates into “temple cafe.”
I visited this cafe before and enjoyed some matcha and a sweet, but I had been wanting to go back to try their lunch set. Last month, I finally got my chance. Otera Cafe is my favorite cafe on Oshima Island. Everything I have tried has been really good and I love the atmosphere. It’s quiet and the decor is simple, yet beautiful.
Reservations are required if you want to have lunch here, but you can enjoy beverages and Japanese sweets anytime they are open. They only have one lunch set, and it is a three-course meal that includes a different tea with each course.
My first course was greens (similar to spinach) tossed in a miso sauce, with freshly shaved katsuobushi (bonito fish). The freshly shaved katsuobushi went really well with the spinach and miso sauce, and the cold green tea was very refreshing. 
The main dish that day was a yuba, yamaimo, and avocado domburi (rice bowl). Yuba is the thin layer that forms on top when making tofu, and yamaimo is a Japanese mountain yam. It was served with a very delicious bowl of broth, and some wasabi shoyu (soy sauce) to pour over the rice bowl if we wanted to. 
A delicious hot tea was served with our main course. 
After the simple, yet delicious rice bowl we couldn’t wait for our final course of matcha and sweets. We had no idea what a treat we were in for!
The lovely lady who runs the cafe came out with some wooden molds that had something in them. She proceeded to explain that we were going to experience removing the sweets from the mold as part of our final course. 
These Japanese sweets are made from wasanbon sugar, which is made from special sugar canes grown in Shikoku.
The wasanbon sweets went perfectly with the matcha, and it was a nice way to finish off the lunch.
Otera Cafe also offers tea ceremonies, and classes on flower arranging, calligraphy, and wasanbon sweets. All require reservations in advance. You can make reservations for lunch, tea ceremony, and classes on their website
They are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If you just want to enjoy the atmosphere and have some tea, the cafe portion is open to everyone from 1300-1700. From 1130-1300 it is only open for those who have lunch reservations. You will also have to remove your shoes and sit on the floor. Some of the tables have a thicker floor cushion that makes it a little more comfortable. Please make sure you have yen cash on you as they do not accept credit cards.
Here is the pin
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