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Fuji-Hakone-Izu NP, Kanagawa
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An 1820s route map marks 13 amazake huts at 9 stops on Hakone’s east slope, including 4 at Ōdaira, where this tea house stands. The cluster also had stables and courier bases; this is the sole survivor, now in its 13th generation.
Rice koji does the sweetening: its enzymes turn rice starch into glucose, so this amazake needs no added sugar and contains no alcohol. It was also a summertime refreshment for travelers climbing Hakone.
Local lore places retainer Kanzaki Yojuro here: after a packhorse handler provokes him, Yojuro writes an apology and leaves on his mission. The tea house keeps the story alive with a Yojuro festival on December 14.
The tea house looks centuries old, but its present thatched building was rebuilt in 2009, using reclaimed beams and fittings. The historic shop once stood across the highway—so the old-time atmosphere comes with a modern chapter.
Look inside for a small local-craft detail: the frame in the alcove is custom-made from Hakone yosegi-zaiku, the region’s patterned wood marquetry, by a craftsman from nearby Odawara.
The shop pounds its mochi early each morning, then grills it over charcoal. Toppings include green-soybean kinako and freshly ground black sesame, made in a limited quantity.
Behind the tea house, the old Tōkaidō’s stone paving dates to 1680. It helped keep Hakone’s steep, rainy mountain road from turning into a muddy track—and parts of that historic route can still be seen today.
