Kineya, Himeji: Make Your Own Wagashi at a 115-Year-Old Sweet Shop

A sweet shop older than the castle crowds

Himeji Castle gets the fame, but the castle town around it has its own quiet institutions. In the Nikaimachi shopping arcade, about ten minutes on foot from the station and the castle, Kineya has been making Japanese sweets since 1911 — more than 115 years of wagashi.

The display case tells the seasons. In autumn it is kuri kinton — sweet chestnut paste shaped back into a chestnut — and jewel-like nerikiri, each one modeled by hand into persimmons, flowers and leaves.

• Kuri kinton: 3 pieces, ¥1,400 (plus tax)
• Nerikiri (seasonal set): 3 pieces, ¥900 (plus tax)

My take on the kuri kinton: it is properly sweet, yet the texture and flavor feel quietly luxurious — smooth on the tongue, with the chestnut itself coming through clearly.

The real prize: make wagashi yourself

What makes Kineya special for visitors is its wagashi-making workshop. Guided by a professional craftsman, you shape three seasonal nerikiri sweets of your own, in about 40 minutes.

• Sessions daily at 13:00 and 15:00
• ¥2,800 per person, reservation required (2 people minimum)
• Same-day booking is sometimes possible if you call in the morning
• Support available in English, Korean, Chinese and Thai

For travelers, this is the Himeji experience most people miss: the castle in the morning, sweets by your own hand in the afternoon.

More than wagashi

Kineya is also a Western-style confectioner (its signature is the Shosha Sennen-sugi baumkuchen) and runs a café-restaurant upstairs, so it doubles as a lunch or coffee stop between the station and the castle.

Shop info

• Name: Kineya Nikaimachi Honten (杵屋 二階町本店）
• Address: 95 Nikaimachi, Himeji (Nikaimachi shopping arcade)
• Access: About 7–10 minutes on foot from JR Himeji Station
• Hours: 8:00–19:00 (closed Jan 1–2 only)
• Phone: 079-285-3509 (workshop bookings: 079-267-2333)

By the author (Local Guide, based in Himeji & Hiroshima). Prices and workshop details as of November 2026; check before you go.

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