Local Guide
Unique cafes in Towada & Oirase to stop by on a drive

Towada City, which covers a wide area from the city center to Oirase, offers a wide variety of cafes. From old private house cafes to modern stores where you can immerse yourself in art and enjoy the scenery, here are some of the most attractive places to go, even if you have to drive a little farther.

orta Lunch set 1,200 yen. Pasta can be changed to handmade pasta for +200 yen.
orta Lunch set 1,200 yen. Pasta can be changed to handmade pasta for +200 yen.

A Cafe & Italian Restaurant where you can taste organic vegetables from our own farm and natural ingredients from Towada. The chef recommends the "orta" lunch set, which includes three petite appetizers, a choice of two types of pasta, natural yeast bread, dessert, and a drink, and is a great way to enjoy plenty of their prized vegetables. For example, in spring, appetizers such as an omelette using long potatoes and pasta with spring cabbage are available, and in summer, colorful summer vegetables such as zucchini and bell peppers are available. All of the menu items have a gentle flavor that evokes the deliciousness that only seasonal vegetables can offer.

About 100 kinds of organic vegetables are grown here.

Fresh vegetables from our own farm are full of flavor and give you a sense of the power of the ingredients.
Fresh vegetables from our own farm are full of flavor and give you a sense of the power of the ingredients.

The chef grows a variety of vegetables, including familiar ones such as tomatoes and eggplants, as well as Italian vegetables such as black cabbage (carboronero) and chima di rapa (a type of rape flower), and herbs. There are about 100 varieties, and some of them are even wholesaled to local supermarkets and roadside stations under the farm name "Yu Farm. Although organic cultivation requires a lot of time and effort, the chef says that it is because the vegetables are grown with care that he is able to enjoy cooking them.
The interior of the restaurant has a warm and inviting feel that matches the heartfelt cuisine. Originally, there used to be a long-established general store that the chef frequented, so there are still some miscellaneous goods and decorative shelves that were given to him.

Local Guide Comment
In addition to homemade natural yeast bread, the store also sells home-grown aged garlic and additive-free handmade jams.
Farm Cafe Orta
  • Address 15-16 Inao-machi, Towada-shi, Aomori MAP
  • Bus Direction From Misawa Station, take the Towada Kanko Dentetsu bus bound for Mikko Seimon-mae (Miwada High School) (approx. 29 min.), get off at Towada-shi Chuo bus stop, and walk approx. 1 min.
    From Shichinohe-Towada Station, take the Towada Kanko Dentetsu bus bound for Sanbongi or Towada-shi Chuo (approx. 26-50 min.); approx. 1 min. walk from the Towada-shi Chuo stop.
  • Business hours 12:00 - 16:00 (L.O. 15:00), 18:00 - 22:00 (L.O. 21:00)
  • Closed Mondays, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays (open if the regular closing day is a national holiday or a private party, closed the following weekday), Tuesday-Thursday lunch from April to October
  • TEL 0176-25-0185
  • Parking Free of charge
Hot and Sando
Hot and Sando" and "Ginger Milk" are 450 yen each (tax not included). A total of four hot sandwiches are available.

The café is a renovated old private house built in 1912.
The food menu includes curry as well as hot sandwiches, and the "hot ansando" is especially popular among fans. The bread is thin and toasted crispy and savory. The an (sweet bean paste) is made with a moderate sweetness and blended with five kinds of spices as a secret ingredient. The volume of the bread and red bean paste is exquisite, and the taste is further enhanced when served with the accompanying vanilla ice cream.
As for drinks, in addition to the original blend of coffee and other beverages, "ginger milk" is also recommended. It is made with fresh ginger and is a specialty of the store.

Woody interior design by the nature-loving owner.

Seating on the first floor; the restaurant, opened in 2010, is decorated with natural tastes.
Seating on the first floor; the restaurant, opened in 2010, is decorated with natural tastes.

The store is a two-story space that was renovated by the owner himself. The owner, who loves the outdoors, designed the space to be cozy and filled with the warmth of wood. The second floor seats are especially popular because of their sunny location, and you can enjoy a sense of seclusion, as if you were in a mountain cabin.
The store corner on the first floor carries a wide range of items, including coffee supplies and outdoor fashion items. The owner used to run a general store before opening the café, so the shop offers a lineup of tasteful items. Original T-shirts with the store's logo are also available.

Local Guide Comment
It is a cozy place, so we recommend a leisurely visit when you have time. It is a place where you can unwind with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Cafe Mill Mountain
  • Address 22-35 Inau-cho, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approximately 22 minutes by cab from Shichinohe-Towada Station
    Approx. 26 min. from Misawa Station by cab
  • Business hours 11:00～L.O.18:00
  • Closed Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday) and Tuesdays
  • TEL 0176-22-1878
  • Parking Free of charge
Fluffy cheese pancake 800 yen
Fluffy cheese pancake 800 yen

The café is a place where you can spend time with cute bunnies. The store is a rare one in Tohoku, and is popular on weekends, attracting people from outside the prefecture as well. Not only those who cannot keep rabbits at home, but also those who bring their own rabbits, creating a friendly atmosphere inside the store.
In addition to lunch dishes such as "Beef Curry," the restaurant offers a variety of sweets, including homemade pudding, and many people spend time here relaxing while enjoying their meal.
A popular item is the "fluffy cheese pancake" topped with seasonal fruit. The pancake is made with four eggs' worth of meringue and is so light that it disappears in the mouth, making it worth the trip.

Cute rabbits make hearts swoon!

Stella
Stella" is a 5-year-old Holland lop. She can be taken out of her cage and interacted with in a dedicated space.

There are seven cute bunnies in the store, including a Holland drop with leaning ears and a mini lekkis with beautiful velvety fur.
The rabbits have lovely names as well, such as "Stella," which looks like a sponge cake, "Gian," who is bossy, and "Mop," whose fur is soft and fluffy. They are not good at being held, but they love to be stroked. Whether it is the way they close their eyes when you stroke them or the way they eat the food (100 yen) that you give them, every gesture is soothing.

Local Guide Comment
The friendly atmosphere makes it easy to come in even if you are alone. You can feel the love for rabbits!
Bunny Cafe Lovely's
  • Address 50-25 Nishijusanbancho, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approximately 24 minutes by cab from Shichinohe-Towada Station
    Approx. 31 min. by cab from Misawa Station
  • Business hours 11:00-18:00 (L.O. 17:30)
  • Closed Tuesdays, 2nd and 4th Wednesdays (open if the day falls on a national holiday)
  • TEL 080-9628-4465
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Reservations: not accepted
Aomori special sweets: 680 yen. Gelato: choice of miruku or apple flavor.
Aomori special sweets: 680 yen. Gelato: choice of miruku or apple flavor.

This café and store is located inside the Towada Museum of Contemporary Art. At the café, you can enjoy light meals and sweets made from local ingredients.
Recommended is the "Aomori Special Sweets," a set of "Towada Fujiya Hotel's" popular apple pie made with "Benidama" apples grown in the prefecture and gelato made with milk from cows raised in a stress-free environment. The most popular drink is coffee, which can be enjoyed in the store's original mugs.
In addition, limited-time-only sweets inspired by artworks are available for each of the museum's special exhibitions, and every Friday through Sunday until mid-October, a lineup of menu items related to the "Passage" exhibition commemorating the museum's 10th anniversary is available.

Local Guide Comment
The design of the restaurant, including the vibrant flooring, is also attractive. It is a space where you can savor art.

Both the building and the design of the café are entirely artistic!

The painting on the floor was created by a Taiwanese artist. Untitled (Michael Lin) / Photo: Kuniya Oyamada
The painting on the floor was created by a Taiwanese artist. Untitled (Michael Lin) / Photo: Kuniya Oyamada

The café space itself is a work of art, with an apple tree painted by the famous British artist Paul Morrison on the exterior wall of the building. The floor is decorated with a floral pattern based on the traditional Towada City textile "Nanbu SAKIORI" (Southern SAKIORI), and the pop design is eye-catching.
The store also offers a variety of artistic items, including museum goods related to the museum's permanent collection and sundries created by famous designers. The shop also carries works by young local craftspeople, and accessories and small items that are modern interpretations of traditional crafts are perfect souvenirs of your trip.

Oclear
Oclear" by Paul Morrison.
cube cafe & store
  • Address Inside Towada Museum of Contemporary Art, 10-9 Nishi Nibancho, Towada-shi, Aomori MAP
  • Bus Direction From Shichinohe-Towada Station, take the Towada Kanko Dentetsu Bus bound for Sanbongi Office (approx. 36-43 min.); a short walk from the Gendai Art Museum Mae bus stop (3-5 buses a day).
    From Shichinohe-Towada Station, take the Towada Kanko Dentetsu bus bound for Sanbongi Office (approx. 25-42 min.). 5 min. walk from Kanchogaidori bus stop.
  • Business hours 9:00 - L.O. 16:30 (Shop - 17:00)
  • Closed Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday), year-end and New Year's holidays *Closed temporarily for events, construction, maintenance, etc.
  • TEL 0176-22-7789
  • Parking Free of charge; in addition to the dedicated parking lot, parking is also available in the Nishi-Nibancho Parking Lot (free of charge when using the museum's Property).
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.