After spending time with the deer at Nara Park, we headed to a traditional Japanese sweets shop that I had wanted to visit for a long time: Kashiya (樫舎). The shop is located not far from Nara Park, in a quiet area of Naramachi lined with traditional Japanese townhouses. Its simple white noren curtain and beautifully restored machiya-style building immediately caught our attention. When we visited, the shop was very popular and there was a line outside. A Highly Regarded Wagashi Shop in Nara Kashiya is a well-known wagashi shop in Nara and has been selected for Tabelog's prestigious Hyakumeiten list. The shop is also known for producing traditional sweets connected with important Nara temples and shrines, including Kasuga Taisha and Yakushiji. Japanese singer-songwriter Masashi Sada has also publicly spoken about his fondness for the shop. Despite its reputation, the atmosphere inside was relaxed and welcoming. The traditional wooden interior had the warmth of an old Japanese townhouse, and the staff were very kind. Both eat-in and takeaway were available during our visit. The Popular Wagashi Course Was Not Available During Our Visit One of the special experiences at Kashiya is its seasonal wagashi tasting course. Unfortunately, the owner was away in Tokyo for an event at Takashimaya when we visited, so the wagashi course was not being served that day. It was a little disappointing, but we had come all this way, so we decided to buy some sweets to take away instead. Beautiful Cherry Blossom Nerikiri We chose this seasonal cherry blossom-colored nerikiri. ...