Specialty coffee shop Sarutahiko Coffee (猿田彦珈琲) will open "Sarutahiko Coffee Imperial Palace East Gardens Store" (猿田彦珈琲 皇居東御苑店) on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (a national holiday). The store is located in the Ote Rest Area (大手休憩所), a new facility opening inside the Imperial Palace East Gardens (皇居東御苑).
In a setting that overlooks the nature of the Imperial Palace East Gardens and the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan (皇居三の丸尚蔵館), visitors can enjoy specialty coffee along with seasonal Japanese-Western fusion food. The store offers drinks and products developed for this location, aimed at visitors to the gardens and the museum from Japan and abroad.
An Open Interior in Harmony with the Gardens
Rendering of the store interior. Renderings are for illustration purposes and may differ from the actual specifications.
The store is designed to harmonize with the wood-based interior of the Ote Rest Area. The tables and counters use hinoki cypress (檜), known for its warm wood grain. The large table in the store is made from precious hinoki that grew over many years in Misomayama (御杣山), the forest where timber for the Shikinen Sengu, the periodic rebuilding of Ise Jingu, is cut.
Seating includes small tables and high counter seats, where guests can relax while looking out toward the nature of the Imperial Palace East Gardens and the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan. The view extends from the cafe to the exhibition area, creating an open space with a sense of connection to the surrounding scenery and exhibits.
Store-Exclusive Drinks
In addition to the regular menu, the store offers drinks and food available only at this location.
Imperial Palace East Gardens Blend (皇居東御苑ブレンド)
This store-exclusive blend was inspired by the changing seasons of the Imperial Palace East Gardens, its flowers and trees, and its clear air. It aims for a flavor that shifts with temperature, a wide range of flavors, and a clear, transparent drinking experience.
For black coffee, guests can choose between two versions of the blend, dark roast and light roast.
- Dark roast: A scent reminiscent of violets spreads through the refined bitterness of dark chocolate, and the impression turns to grapes as the coffee cools.
- Light roast: Juicy fruitiness like orange and cherry combines with caramel sweetness, and the flavor shifts toward tropical fruits as the coffee cools.
The cafe latte uses the light roast blend, offering caramel sweetness and a refreshing aftertaste reminiscent of orange mousse.
Green Tea from Ryuoen Chaho (柳桜園茶舗)
The store also serves green tea from Ryuoen Chaho, a long-established tea shop in Kyoto. It has a deep flavor that combines refined umami with a refreshing bitter astringency, along with the rich aroma characteristic of Uji tea.
Drink prices (dine-in, tax included):
- Black coffee (Hot/Iced): Short ¥630 / Tall ¥730 (same for dark and light roast)
- Cafe latte (Hot/Iced): ¥680
- Green tea, Ryuoen Chaho (Hot/Iced): ¥630
Seasonal Showcase: Four Seasons × Japanese-Western Fusion
Product image is for illustration purposes. Actual products and serving style may differ, and the lineup varies by season.
The in-store showcase offers a wide range of food, including pies, cakes, baked sweets, and breads. It also features items made in collaboration with the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, fresh Japanese sweets (上生菓子) from the Kyoto confectioner Kyo-gashi-tsukasa Suetomi (京菓子司 末富), and Sarutahiko Coffee's regular items.
The theme is "Four Seasons × Japanese-Western Fusion." The lineup changes with the season, incorporating seasonal ingredients and the changing seasons, so there is something different to choose from on each visit.
Showcase food prices (dine-in, tax included; items vary by season):
- Pies: from ¥650
- Cakes: from ¥550
- Baked sweets: from ¥350
- Breads: from ¥400
- Japanese sweets (wagashi): from ¥495
Museum of the Imperial Collections Art Cake Set of 3
In collaboration with the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, this set includes three cakes with designs from the museum's collection printed on top. Guests can enjoy the cakes along with the artwork.
- Price: ¥720 (dine-in, tax included)
Store-Exclusive Takeaway Items
The store also sells coffee, sweets, and goods exclusive to the Imperial Palace East Gardens Store as keepsakes of a visit.
Imperial Palace East Gardens Blend (Coffee Beans and Drip Bags)
The Imperial Palace East Gardens Blend served in the store is also sold as coffee beans and drip bags for enjoying at home. The beans come in two types, dark roast and light roast, and the drip bags are dark roast.
The package is inspired by the Ninomaru Garden (二の丸庭園) in the Imperial Palace East Gardens, and depicts the long-finned nishikigoi (ヒレナガニシキゴイ) swimming in Ninomaru Pond, along with pine trees and stone lanterns. It expresses the calm scenery of a stroll through the garden, and each of the five drip bags in a pack is a different color.
- Coffee beans (light roast / dark roast): ¥1,500 per 100 g
- Drip bags (5 bags): ¥1,400 (tax included)
Museum of the Imperial Collections Blend Drip Bags (5 Bags)
This medium-dark roast blend has a smooth mouthfeel, gentle sweetness, and a gorgeous aroma, and is sold as drip bags. Five works from the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan are featured, one on each of the five drip bags, adding artwork to a coffee break at home.
- Price: ¥1,400 per 5 bags (tax included)
Suetomi × Sarutahiko Coffee Kyo Fusen (京ふうせん)
Kyo Fusen is a staple product of Kyo-gashi-tsukasa Suetomi, offered here in a limited design made in collaboration with Sarutahiko Coffee. Small fuyaki senbei (麩焼煎餅) crackers stand in for balloons, and the five sugar syrup colors of pale red, white, blue, green, and yellow are inspired by the "kasane no irome" (重ねの色目), the layered color combinations of Heian-period court ladies' attire. A branded stamp (焼き印) created for this collaboration is applied to the confections.
- Price: ¥1,620 (tax included)
Imperial Palace East Gardens Store Exclusive Vacuum Insulated Bottles
These tumblers come in 350 ml and 500 ml sizes, easy to carry around. The limited design is inspired by the scenery of the Ninomaru Garden and the long-finned nishikigoi, making them a keepsake of a visit to the Imperial Palace East Gardens as well as a companion for outings.
- 350 ml: ¥5,000 (tax included)
- 500 ml: ¥5,500 (tax included)
Store Information
- Opening date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (national holiday)
- Store name: Sarutahiko Coffee Imperial Palace East Gardens Store (猿田彦珈琲 皇居東御苑店)
- Address: 1-9 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0001 (inside the Ote Rest Area, Imperial Palace East Gardens)
- Seats: 46 seats plus 10 standing spots
- Business hours: In principle, the store follows the opening days and hours of the Imperial Palace East Gardens. Even when the gardens are closed, the Ote Rest Area can be used by visitors to the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, only, as long as the museum is open.
- Last order: 30 minutes before closing
- Closed: Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday or other holiday, and closed the following Tuesday instead); year-end and New Year holidays (December 28 to January 3)
Please note that at this store, stamps and points can be earned with the official app, but coupons, drink tickets, point redemption, the Coffee Pass, and discounts and benefits such as student discounts do not apply. The ¥30 discount for bringing your own tumbler, offered out of consideration for the environment, is available.
Imperial Palace East Gardens: Closing Days and Opening Hours
Closed:
- Mondays and Fridays, and December 28 to January 3
- Days when events or other unavoidable circumstances interfere
- Note: National holidays and other holidays, except the Emperor's Birthday, are open to the public. If a Monday is a holiday and the gardens are open, they are closed on the Tuesday instead.
Opening hours:
- March 1 to April 14: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last entry 4:30 PM)
- April 15 to August 31: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (last entry 5:30 PM)
- September 1 to September 30: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last entry 4:30 PM)
- October 1 to October 31: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (last entry 4:00 PM)
- November 1 to the end of February: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (last entry 3:30 PM)
Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan: Closing Days and Opening Hours
Closed:
- Mondays, December 28 to January 3, the Emperor's Birthday, and exhibition changeover periods
- Note: If a Monday is a holiday and the museum is open, it is closed on the Tuesday instead. It may also close temporarily for other reasons.
Opening hours:
- 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM (last entry 4:30 PM)
- On Fridays and Saturdays, the museum stays open until 8:00 PM (last entry 7:30 PM)
