Tender pork cooked in wine sauce. (Photo: Sherilyn Siy)

Fine Dining For a Good Cause

Eat well and support people with disabilities

Sherilyn Siy   - 1 min read

I visited Wakuwaku Mura Restaurant upon the recommendation of the manager of Fuwa Fuwa Bakery Cafe. She said that the restaurant hired a French chef to train the kitchen staff (which included people with various disabilities from the Kawasemi NPO) and that the menu has been changed from previous simple offerings like plain udon. I went there for lunch with my husband and I thought surely, there must be a mistake with the menu: How can a meal with a generous main dish, rich French onion soup, and salad cost only ¥780? But sure enough, everything arrived as we ordered. It was as delicious as expensive fine dining restaurants I've been to. The vegetables were grown and harvested by staff members The only downside to this restaurant is that they are only open for lunch for a short period of time and only on weekdays. But if you happen to be free then, you're in for a treat. The restaurant is decorated with art made by staff members, one of whom loves trains and renders them with photographic detail.

Getting there

While it's possible to reach this restaurant by walking from either Koma Station (Seibu Chichibu) or Komagawa Station (JR), driving might be the most convenient. Parking spaces are available.

Sherilyn Siy

Sherilyn Siy @sherilyn.siy

For Sherilyn Siy, Asia is home. Born in Hong Kong, Sherilyn spent time in the Philippines, China, and now lives in Japan. She speaks English, Filipino, Chinese (or putonghua), and Hokkien, her family's local dialect. Running is one of her favorite ways to explore Japan. She proudly finished the 2...