Visit Nara

While traditional Japanese sweets can be an acquired taste, this famous wagashi shop is worth visiting for the atmosphere alone. Nakanishi Yosaburo has operated from a machiya in Naramachi for around 150 years and supplies many of the top restaurants including the Nara Hotel. The beautiful sweets are handmade every day; the designs changing monthly to match the seasons. Moving past the front sales area, there is a large gallery space with many of the original wooden presses and molds for shaping monaka and higashi. There is also a Taisho-style tea room serving green tea, sweets and light meals. Once a month, they offer a sweets making class, which needs to be booked in advance (class size is limited to 16 people). One of the staff members can speak English and will help anyone who would like to learn.