Vegetarian pancake: mixed berries. (Photo: Sébastien Duval)

Hotoritei Café

With vegan lunch option and Japanese garden

Vegetarian pancake: mixed berries. (Photo: Sébastien Duval)
Sébastien Duval   - 6 min read

At Hotoritei Café, warm staff welcomes foreigners with diverse tasty food including a vegan plate and a vegetarian pancake, coffee, local "natsu-mikan" summer orange drinks, Japanese & Western cosy rooms, and a Japanese garden. In Hagi city and Yamaguchi Prefecture for the first time, I enjoyed my casual lunch and chat with the English-speaking owner, and noticed that tourists with big bags, a stroller or a cane would be fine.

Building & Garden

Walk on small stones, put your umbrella in the stand, bow slightly while pushing the noren curtain aside, slide the door to enter the café, remove your shoes, go up one step, and admire the garden through glass walls while following the staff to a Japanese-style room with tatami mats and comfortable cushions or to a Western-style room with modern chairs and wooden tables. You'll be fine with big bags, a stroller or a cane but not with a wheelchair.

Entrance.
Entrance.
Tatami room.
Tatami room.
Western-style room.
Western-style room.

While waiting for your food & drink, go around the Japanese garden to observe its rocks, bushes, trees, stone lanterns, and pagoda from different angles. Travellers may experience it in many ways; for me, it was charming thanks to vivid lively cherry blossoms before, then during, the rain...

Japanese garden.
Japanese garden.
Cherry blossoms.
Cherry blossoms.

I lunched alone with a view of the sky and local art (notably Hagi pottery), near a couple of quiet joyful Japanese lovers, at some distance from a lively group of 8 Japanese mothers with kids. You should have enough space for your luggage, and the staff may allow you to charge your phone/camera; just bring your adapter and ask.

Hagi pottery.
Hagi pottery.

Food & Drinks

The Japanese menu includes highlights in English to help foreigners order: hamburger steak, meat plate, fish plate, tuna bowl, and curry bowl (around 1,000-1,700 yen). Although not listed, a simple vegan lunch plate is also available (rare in Japan); I got tofu with soy sauce, rice, salad, grated carrots, two types of mushrooms, potatoes, and other vegetables... and was impressed by their taste and texture!

Vegan lunch.
Vegan lunch.

For dessert (around 600-1,100 yen), you can get a matcha terrine (green tea + white chocolate), cassata (local "natsu-mikan" summer orange + nuts), affogato, chocolate cake, or cheese cake. On weekdays, you can also savour a home-made vegetarian Dutch pancake: matcha green tea, mixed berries, or caramel. The mixed berry pancake was great value for money, perfumed, colourful and tasty!

Vegetarian pancake: mixed berries.
Vegetarian pancake: mixed berries.

Drinks (around 600 yens) include cold/hot juice (natsu-mikan lemonade, natsu-mikan ginger ale), non-alcohol beer, Guinness, herb tea (rose & berry or apple & camomile), drip coffee (Colombia or Ethiopia), and coffee/caramel/chocolate latte. My warm coffee accompanied the pancake very well!

Good coffee.
Good coffee.

Recommendation

I recommend Hotoritei café to Westerners looking for a restaurant or tea shop in Hagi city. Its peaceful Japanese atmosphere, diverse menu, quality food (plant-based or not), and warm staff will suit you whether you want to relax alone or chat with friends. If you go, share your experience with the Japan Travel community in the comments :)

Getting there

Hotoritei Café is in Hagijo-kamachi (Hagi Castle Town) district, 5 minutes on foot south of the North Gate, and 15 minutes on foot west of Hagi bus centre. Walking is pleasant thanks to flat streets! If you get lost, ask a local to point out "Niwa Café Hotoritei" (庭園カフェ畔亭).

Sébastien Duval

Sébastien Duval @sebastien.duval

Certified tour guide (Tokyo City Guide, AISO) and Japan Travel community manager. I focus on unique wonders and sustainable tourism: local plant-based cuisine, road trips with electric cars... I enjoy hiking, outdoor hot springs, and vegan experiences. Feel free to get in touch... and come live i...