The path of lanterns lined with bowing deer takes you directly to Kasuga Ninaijaya, the garden café, which stands right next to the botanical garden. The traditional tea house is in Nara, a few minutes from the famous Nara Park. Kasuga Ninaijaya sits near the main gate to the beautiful Man’yo Botanical Garden and the Kasugataisha Shrine. You can sit outdoors, feeling the cool breeze, or inside, watching the deer walk by while enjoying an authentic cup of matcha. Inside the garden café, you can order and sit at any seat. After visiting the Man’yo Botanical Garden, we sat beside a large window to sightsee the fabulous Nara and all her wonderful deer.

More than just tea

Although this garden café is a tea house, Kasuga Ninaijaya still offers coffee if you’re not too keen on tea. Kasuga Ninaijaya has a superb menu that you won’t find anywhere else. This is a great place to start if you’re visiting Japan and want to experience authenticity. Before discussing their wide range of dishes, here are their drinks! This tea house offers Tea, Coffee, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, and Coca-Cola (all for ¥495). They have Coffee Floats and Cola Floats for ¥550, Iced and Sweetened Powdered Green Tea for ¥495, Japanese Sake for ¥550, and Beer for ¥660.

Now, meal-time!

Kasuga Ninaijaya has eight options to choose from. Their popular recipe, Manyou Gayu, dates back to the Nara period about 1,300 years ago! Manyou Gayu is a Japanese Rice Porridge flavored with seasonal herbs. Good news for you if you’re unsure about ordering but want to try. You’re able to flavor-taste this item before ordering. Other items on Kasuga Ninaijaya’s menu are as follows:

Cake Set (with drink)

  • The cake served is a Persimmon pound cake. Persimmon is a specialty in Nara!

Zenzai (served cold)

  • Zenzai is a sweetened red bean soup with Shiratama Dango and green tea ice cream.

Iced and Sweetened Powerdered Green Tea Set

  • As I mentioned in the drink section, you can order the Iced and Sweetened Powered Green Tea on its own, but there is an option to order this item as a set! With the set, it comes with Kudzu root jelly with drown sugar syrup and soybean flour.

Kudzumochi

  • Kudzu is a Japanese arrowroot! As well as the Iced and Sweetened Powdered Green Tea Set, Kudzumochi serves Kudzu root jelly with drown sugar syrup and soybean flour!

Yomogi Dango (only during Spring and Autumn)

  • Dumplings mixed with Japanese mugwort yomgi herbs, with sweet red bean paste or sweet soybean flour.

Matcha (which is what I ordered!)

  • This is essentially hot powdered green tea, Persimmon Monaka, or deer-shaped pastries. Persimmon Monaka is a wafer cake filled with sweetened Persimmon paste).

Ninai Jaya serves tea to shrine visitors. Ninai Jaya comes from a unique style of vending. According to Edo period texts, vendors would serve tea by making a fire with a bamboo blowpipe to boil water. This garden café uses local tea from their very own Nara– Yamato tea! If you plan to visit, Kasuga Ninaijaya is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during April, May, October, and November. They are closed every Monday in January, February, March, June, July, August, September, and December. Before you end your day at this magical tea house, follow the path toward the Man’yo Botanical Garden and the Kasugataisha Shrine! The deer will thank you!