Ueshima Coffee Shop at Nikko Toshogu

At the time, I didn’t realize that Ueshima Coffee Company was a chain. I was just hungry and looking for a place to get a bite in overly crowded Nikko without having to wait in a line. I wanted to try yuba (tofu skin) or eat at a tiny bustling place but it looked like it’d take forever to get a seat. So, I settled with Ueshima Coffee Shop which was located near the Nikko Toshogu Museum.

I think I should have waited in line for real food elsewhere. It was a mistake to “grab a bite” here because it’s a coffee shop. Like, what did I expect from a coffee shop? Lol

I was pleasantly surprised to see an English menu along with menus in other languages. I don’t know if they do this at their other locations but it seems to make sense at this specific location, being located in tourist ridden Nikko after all.

I opted for food that wasn’t food. One mochi and one melon cream soda. This was not what I wanted to eat… But I didn’t have much of a choice and I honestly wasn’t too thrilled with what I ended up settling for. Kinda disappointing but at least the employee was nice overall.

After getting my desserts, I sat down only to feel very uncomfortable by the people sitting next to me. No, we weren’t sitting at the same table. They were however sitting in a table near me. They kept looking at me and it didn’t seem welcoming. This seemed to be a trend with many of the natives in Nikko regardless of their status as visitors or employees. This is the main reason why I’m not so fond of Nikko and I think my reason is justified. It’s honestly disgusting how rude some of these people can be to a complete stranger. Well, I don’t want to have anything to do with them…

Back to the food, now. In regards to taste, the mochi was mediocre. The weather was relatively cool so I wasn’t really feeling the drink. I mean, I wasn’t feeling both items to begin with since I wanted REAL food. So, it’s possible that I may have liked the drink and mochi had I been in the mood for dessert.

I don’t blame Ueshima Coffee Shop at all for this. In fact, the exterior looked nice and the interior had a nice, open and modern floor plan. It’s one of those places you’d want to hang out at if it wasn’t bustling with people.

Bonus #1: I managed to find a seat for myself despite it being relatively full of people.

Bonus #2: The mochi may have been a limited time offering. I could be wrong but I don’t think they’re offering it anymore.

Bonus #3: If you want to escape the crowd at Nikko Toshogu Shrine, this is a good place to escape to. You can visit the museum, if applicable afterwards as well. Both the museum and cafe are low key compared to the shrine.