Honke Owariya's Sweets

Honke Owariya is a soba confectionery shop representing Kyoto for centuries.

Owariya's soba confectionery connects us
with both history and nature.

Soba mochi, the family's trademark sweet, was invented near the end of the Edo Period (late 1860s), devised by the 13th generation head. Long beloved by the people of Kyoto, soba mochi is a simple dessert, round-shaped, composed of red bean paste at its center and baked in a thin layer of dough made with roasted buckwheat flour. The 14th generation created soba-ita, and the 15th generation created the original soba-warabi mochi , and introduced soba-boro as our interpretation of one of Kyoto staple desserts. Recently, the 16th (and current) generation proposed a new buckwheat soba-karinto, flavored with cinnamon or sesame. Collaborating with confectioners and award-winning chefs, we are taking on the challenge to create new soba-confectionary treats that can connect Kyoto with the world.

Floating in the Background of Sweets
Pure Natural Scenery

Soba is a kind of nourishment for the body and mind compatible with the training and meditation found at Zen temples. For centuries, Owariya has been a source of both soba and confectionery to the city's numerous shrines and temples. Our buckwheat and red beans are grown in Hokkaido's deep countryside. Kyoto's groundwater is said to have almost the same volume as Lake Biwa (the largest lake in Japan). Soba confectionery is a crystal melange of water, wind, and soil. We hope that you will feel the pure scenery of Japan when you eat our sweets.

Photo: Takumi Ota

A Cup of Tea,
a Cup of Coffee and Soba Sweets

Soba treats can be enjoyed with various kinds of teas and coffee. For that reason, we created the Honke Owariya Confectionery Shop next to the main store. Composed of traditional earthen walls and designed in a contemporary manner with an adjoining garden, it is a comfortable, welcoming place to view the different soba sweets introduced by various generations. The garden is a lovely place to enjoy your moment with a soba-treat and a cup of coffee or tea with a friend or meditate on your own. Owariya's soba-sweets are wonderful treats for modest or satisfying moments.

Soba Rice Cake

Soba rice cakes are one of the most representative sweets of Owariya. In olden days, dumplings made of buckwheat flour and grilled over a fire were called soba mochi or “soba rice cakes”. In the early Meiji period, the 13th generation owner invented baked sweets using buckwheat flour in its wrapping, just as the original name suggests. The combination of the sweet aroma of buckwheat flour and red bean paste from Hokkaido was excellent, and soba rice cakes have been loved ever since. At our original shop at Kurumaya-cho/Nijo, they are still carefully made daily one by one with the same traditional techniques.

Soba-ita

Soba-ita is a confectionery unique to Owariya. This fragrant sweet is made by first kneading the dough thinly as if making soba, then cutting it into small strips, and finally crisply baking them in ichimonji-gama (iron pot used during tea ceremony). It brings out the aromas exclusive to buckwheat flour without being overly sweet. There are four varieties: the original flavor, sprinkled with black sesame with the rich taste of soba; green tea flavor using tea leaves from Uji, near Kyoto; and peanut flavor. We occasionally make limited editions of different flavors such as kuroshichimi (seven black spices) flavor, and Shiro-miso. All flavors come wrapped in five pieces.

Soba-Boru

Soba-boru has become one of the most popular souvenirs of Kyoto. Influenced by Europe, “Boru” is a baked sweet made of firmly whisked eggs mixed with sugar and flour. By adding buckwheat flour to it, Owariya has nurtured it to become one of the most popular soba sweets. Owariya’s soba-boru has a very light texture that melts in your mouth, and it is very popular among Kyotoites for its rich soba aroma and charming shapes. They are delicious with Japanese and Western tea or coffee, a nice addition at teatime.