New matcha crepes in Nara serve up good luck with traditional Japanese patterns

A unique way to taste Nara’s local ingredients, including its ancient green tea.

Japan might be world-famous for its traditional food, but these days it’s becoming just as well known for innovative sweets. Now, there’s a new store called Mikuriya that’s set to steal the limelight with its stunning lineup of crepes.

▼ Located in Nara City’s popular Higashimuki Shopping Street, this Japanese crepe specialty store is set to open on 1 February.

Mikuriya stands out from the crowd by serving what they claim to be “Japan’s first Japanese pattern crepes“. Traditional Japanese patterns not only look beautiful but are said to bring good luck, so you could argue that these are the luckiest crepes in Japan.

The store recently shared images of three crepe varieties ahead of opening day, with the bright green Matcha Tiramisu and the darker green Azuki Strawberry Shiratama Matcha featuring a “seigaiha” wave pattern, which is said to bring rising surges of good luck. The bright red Matcha Strawberry Daifuku is another harbinger of luck, as the “daifuku” sweet rice cake literally means “big luck” and the “asanoha” (hemp leaf) pattern brings fortune by representing strength and vitality.

▼ Adding even more auspiciousness is the red plum knot tied around each crepe, which improves fate as it symbolises the flower that blooms ahead of spring.

While the crepes look beautiful, they’re also made with quality ingredients, as fresh milk is provided by Nara’s Uemura Ranch, one of Japan’s oldest dairy farms with a history of over 100 years, and the green tea used is Yamato tea, so-called as Nara Prefecture was known as Yamato Province from the 7th century until 1871. Nara is particularly famous for green tea as it’s the site where consumption of green tea in Japan was first recorded, in 729.

▼ Yamato tea, or “Yamato-cha” as it’s known in Japanese, is a famous specialty that’s used in local sweets like this one.

Photo©Soranews24

The local ingredients used in the crepes allow you to taste the terroir of the region, and each one is wrapped in paper that features arabesque patterns found at Shosoin, the treasure house of Nara’s famous Tōdai-ji Temple.

▼ The shop’s logo also takes its design cues from Shosoin, so you can fully immerse yourself in the culture of Nara.

With each crepe priced at 1,200 yen (US$7.74), this is an affordable luxury that’ll enhance your connection to Nara, while bringing you a dose of good luck along the way. Whichever flavour you choose, it’s bound to be a feast for the senses, and especially handy for those who aren’t able to try the Japanese garden green tea crepes in Tokyo.

Store information
Crepe Masakura-in Kikuriya / クレープの正倉院　美くりや
Address: Nara-ken, Nara-shi, Higashimuki Minamimachi 1 Ami Building 1F
奈良県奈良市東向南町１ AMIビル１階
Open: 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Website

Source, images: PR Times (unless otherwise stated)
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