Look for items making time at home elegant and relaxing! 3 recommended souvenir shops in Tachikawa

The surrounding area of Tachikawa Station is filled with department stores and shopping complexes, eateries where lots of local people visit and so on. In this area which is said to be the center of Tokyo’s Tama area, you can come across various unique shops and eateries from old-established ones to new stylish ones.

This time, we’re going to introduce 3 recommended shops with items making your cafe time or mealtimes at home special from among souvenir ones near or in the areas surrounding Tachikawa Station.

“Kikugawaen” allowing you to find your favorite Japanese tea leaves while tasting their original tea

“Kikukawaen (菊川園)” has been loved by local people as a place for rest and refreshment since its founded year of 1970. It’s a specialty store of Japanese tea leaves with a very homely atmosphere, and the owner is kind to make some tea and tell you useful little tidbits of Japanese tea. Looking around this shop with a great variety of Japanese tea leaves, you can find traditional wooden tea shelves. Brown rice tea and Karigane (tea made from twigs of high-quality tea plants), Chiyo Midori (green tea) and so on are stored in each drawer, and they sell them by weight. Above all, ‘Tokumushimeicha (特蒸し銘茶, special steamed tea)’ is the owner’s recommendation, which is tea leaves directly sent from Kikukawa city in Shizuoka prefecture and processed by their original method. Its feature is that aroma and taste change every time brewing. Besides, you can also get products collaborated with ‘A Certain Forbidden Magical Index’ which is set in Tachikawa.

Opening Hours	9:00AM – 10:00PM　Closed on the first Sunday
Address	2-5-6 Shibasaki-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo Prefecture
Access	A 3-minute walk from Tachikawa Washington Hotel
URL	https://www.annex-tachikawa.com/tach0617/

“Mikami Bonito Flakes Shop” selling various kinds of fresh bonito flakes that differ in types of used fish and how to cut

Located along Tachikawa-dori street full of buildings, “Mikami Bonito Flakes Shop” whose wooden signboard and roofing tiles stand out is an old-established shop specializing in bonito flakes. It was opened in 1934. They purchase additive-free bonito and mackerel from Kagoshima, Kochi and Shizuoka etc and shave them in the morning every day to offer bonito flakes with rich flavor. In addition, it is also attractive they sell bonito flakes differing in not only types of fish and production areas but also how to cut: ‘thick bonito shavings (鰹厚削り)’ perfect to simmered dishes and noodle soup base, ‘Bonito Powder (鰹粉)’ goes well with Ohitashi (boiled vegetables) and Onigiri (rice balls), and more. They are also suitable for Western dishes such as pot-au-feu, risotto and terrine as well as Japanese dishes. Mikami’s bonito flakes brings out umami of ingredients, so your mealtimes at home will become a little special.

Opening Hours	9:00AM – 7:00PM　Closed on Monday
Address	1F Mikami Building, 2-8-30 Akebono-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo Prefecture
Access	A 10-minute walk from Tachikawa Washington Hotel
URL	http://m-katsuo.com/

“Cafe&Coffee Mamekichi” roasting coffee beans by one of the 60 roaster machines ever manufactured in Japan

“Cafe&Coffee Mamekichi” where you can get rare coffee beans roasted by ‘coffee roaster GRN-1 Tb’ which roasts them evenly to the core with the hot air of about 200 degrees. The roaster makes high-grade coffee beans fluffy and glossy. All of coffee beans roasted by it have a crisp and non-bitterness taste, so those who don’t like coffee can easily drink them. Moreover, you can fully savor a different flavor depending on each type of coffee beans because the owner carefully checks the condition of coffee beans again and again while roasting them. Decaffeinated coffee is recommended as a souvenir for expecting mothers. By the way, its coffee-making factory and cafe are built by the owner. Inside the building with the warmth of the wood and at the terrace with many plants, you can feel a cozy ambiance.

Opening Hours	10:00AM – 6:00PM　 Closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and public holidays ※If Saturday or Sunday is a public holiday, the shop does business.
Address	6-36-11 Sunagawa-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo Prefecture
Access	A 15-minute walk from Tamagawa-josui Station which is 6 stations away from Tachikawaminami Station on the Tama Toshi Monorail
URL	https://www.mameya-mamekichi.com/