Yufuin cucuchi

Located along Yufuin's main street, "Yunotsubo Kaido," which is lined with restaurants and souvenir shops, Yufuin cucuchi is a Japanese-Western confectionery shop. The store stands out with its traditional appearance, housed in a relocated historic farmhouse from Hida Takayama in Gifu Prefecture.

The shop’s specialty is large dorayaki (Japanese sweet pancakes), roughly the size of a hand, which are carefully grilled by artisans. You can watch them work through the glass window. Their seasonal mont blanc dorayaki, made with fresh, seasonal ingredients, is a hit on social media. They also offer a variety of sweets, including monaka and kintsuba (traditional Japanese sweets made with sweet bean paste), as well as Western treats like baked mont blanc and cookies. Their jams, made with Kyushu-grown fruits like amaou strawberries and white peaches, are also highly recommended.

The adjoining café serves freshly made dorayaki, which pairs perfectly with single-origin coffee. There are terrace seats where you can enjoy tea while admiring the biotope garden. The premises also feature a soba restaurant where you can enjoy local sake, making it a great stop if you’re feeling peckish.