"Yamanaka Terrace" just opened on April 413, 2024 in the plains of Yamanakako Village along National Route 4. It blends in perfectly with the rich natural surroundings, and stands there as if it had been there forever.

If you spot the sign, you'll be tempted to just walk in, but in order to allow children and dogs to run freely around the vast grounds, cars are not allowed inside the cafe. If you park in the large parking lot along the road about 100 meters away and walk to the far end, you will find a cafe.
In the garden, you can see a mysterious "tensegrity structure" pavilion that is still under construction and appears to be floating in the air, as well as a large covered event space.
When you go up the stairs to the second floor, there is a cafe. This is also a bigger space than I imagined!

"Yamanaka Terrace" is based on the concepts of "Sustainability," "Glocalization (Global x Local)," and "Enjoy the Outdoors."
The large windows offer a magnificent view and a sense of openness that makes you feel like you're outdoors. What a luxurious and extraordinary experience! Mr. Koichi Morita, the representative of ``Happy Life'', who runs this business, said that when he saw Mt. Fuji towering over Lake Yamanaka, it reminded him of his favorite scenery of Mt. Taranaki in New Zealand, so he decided to move here.

The grand design is by Erika Nakagawa Design Office, the logo and sign design is by Kazunari Hattori, the coffee is by Kawahide Kawa, a roaster who is a qualified Arabica grader, and the sweets are a baking class focusing on American baking.” Everything is made by hand using recipes and guidance from Megumi Yamaguchi of ``Kathy's Kitchen,'' and everything is top-notch and authentic. Their books were casually placed there.

The cookies and baked goods lined up on the counter all look simple and delicious.For the home-roasted coffee, Mr. Morita recommends the ``Flat White,'' which is popular in Oceania.

Flat white has a high proportion of espresso coffee and has a thin milk foam, making it light and has a great balance of bitterness and sweetness.
I decided to have it with a rich and heavy cheesecake made with plenty of cream cheese. I was blown away by the splendid pairing, which was like the pieces of a puzzle coming together perfectly.

``Coffee Cherry Tea'' is made by carefully drying the skin of bright red coffee cherries, and has a soothing fruity taste that makes you realize that ``coffee is actually a fruit!''
Blonde brownie baked to a beautiful blonde color. It's rich with butter and brown sugar, and has a fun texture that's somewhere between a cake and a soft cookie.

The store also sells nuts and dried fruits by weight. They carefully select the best products possible based on the criteria that they can be safely fed to their children, making them perfect as snacks for children.

If you look closely, there are beautiful cross sections on the sweets pedestals and counters... This product is made of colored recycled paper and wood from Hokkaido. They are also working on ``Sustainability'' by converting food waste into fertilizer using homemade compost, and are currently building bee hives.
In the future, they plan to start offering breakfast and lunch services, so keep an eye on Yamanaka Terrace as it continues to evolve!