Vegan-friendly
Japanese
Beer/Wine

In a traditional house setting. Offers vegetable kaiseki: traditional Japanese, multi-course dish, vegan shojin. NOTE: Reported May 2023 to have limited vegan options and many dishes contain fish stock – please send updates to HappyCow. Open Mon-Sun 11:30am-3:00pm, 5:30pm-9:00pm. Last orders 1:30pm and 7:30pm.


Venue map for Kakusho
© OpenStreetMap contributors

6 Reviews

First Review by Obwaldner

FrankRietkerk

Points +33

Vegetarian
13 May 2023

Out of this world

Simply amazing. What an experience. The food was out of this world. A bona fide haute cuisine vegan experience. Well-worth the big expense. The service was great, the food was supreme, just an extremely wholesome experience all together. If you have the time and are willing and able to spend extra for it, this experience is so very much worth it. Simply unforgettable.

Pros: Every bite was a treat in and of itself, Service was great , Serene experience

Cons: I would have liked to spend a little while longer

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cowcowbunny

Points +162

Vegan
20 Jun 2020

Art of Shojin Kaiseki in serenity

Enjoy the art of Shojin culinary which runs over 175 yrs in the 200 yrs heritage of registered cultural properties of Takayama City. The head chef is it’s 12th generation and he serves the Shojin unique to mountain culinary culture of Takayama with seasonal wild vegetables and seasonings. You’ll have private room open to beautiful garden.

Pros: Mountain Shojin Culinary course meal, Beautiful garden in a private room, Authenticity

Cons: High price point

Veggiechiliqueen

Points +123

Vegetarian
28 Jan 2019

Once-in-a-lifetime experience

I have studied, eaten, and written about shojin ryori, Japan's vegan temple cuisine, for the last decade or so, including in Kyoto, Kamakura, Koyasan, Tokyo and Nagano.

I decided to splurge on Christmas on both a kimono rental and dinner at Kakusho; I reserved the private Hanare tearoom in the stunning garden.

In the same family for 12 generations (the owner is the 11th and her son, the head chef, is the 12th), Kakusho is housed in a 250-year-old residence near the temple district (about a 20-minute walk from Takayama Station).

Like many shojin ryori resturants, there is really no "lunch" menu, so expect to spend around $140 (not including drinks) per person on a 10-course shojin kaiseki feast.

And what a feast it was - course after course of the most immaculately plated and presented morsels, from perfectly fried vegetables in puffed rice batter and handmade soba to kuromame, tofu mayonnaise with accompaniments, clear soups, delicate skewers of tofu, konnyaku and vegetables, rice with mukago and mushrooms, and fresh fruit and hojicha to close.

For those not familiar with shojin (and shojin kaiseki), you will likely be put off by the unfamiliar textures and flavors. However, the owner speaks beautiful English and explained the various dishes in English and Japanese between courses (I had three servers total during my meal, which lasted about 2 hours).

Pros: Beautiful presentation and tableware, Private dining room , Stunning building and garden

Lisch

Points +32

Vegan
10 Apr 2018

Traditional Japanese Vegan

As mentioned in the other reviews, traditional Japanese dinner and serving. We had a private room, with a view of the garden. Unique experience I can totally recommend.
They offer 3 set menus, $100 +, $140+ and $170+
The menus have the same amount of courses (about 9), the difference is mainly in the quality of the food they offer.
Service, private room, friendliness, food is impeccable.
I advise to make a reservation, they do not accept walk-ins, you can make reservation the day off, which is what we did.
They do NOT offer any meat products and our dinner was completely vegan, they did not make any changes for us.
Totally recommend it!

Pros: High Quality Food, Unique Experience, Great Sevice and atmosphere

Cons: Expensive

Kevin_C

Points +75

Vegetarian
22 Oct 2014

Excellent High-end Experience

Very expensive (10,000+ pp for dinner) but worth every penny. This is high-end Japanese cuisine and a very traditional experience.

If you want to splash out on something special on your trip, this is it.

Pros: Great Food, Beautiful Old Building, Excellent Service

Cons: Expensive, Reservations Required For Dinner

Obwaldner

Points +22

Vegetarian
13 Oct 2014

Amazing Japanese Course Set Meal fully Vegan

If someone wants to experience one of the famous Japanese multi course set meals of highest quality but fully vegan, this is the place to go!

It is a traditional and exclusive Japanese restaurant, which is family-run in the 12th generation. It is located in an ancient building, surrounding a beautiful Japanese garden. They are specialized in cooking vegan dishes after the ancient Japanese Buddhist traditions (Shojin-Ryori), while at the same time they are maintaining a very high quality level.

The settings are traditional Japanese, where individual rooms or common rooms for eating are available. They can also provide chairs if sitting on the floor is too bothersome.

We had a fantastic nine-course dinner with a large variety of vegetables and tofus, each one delicious on its own and as an individual contribution to the meal.

I recommend to make a reservation or to go there in advance and explain them your requirements.

Pros: Food Experience, Unique Personal Service, Quality




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