Kai Terrace

Kai Terrace is a gallery-like shopping facility that brings together, under one expansive roof, products that the city of Kai and wider Yamanashi have long been renowned for. Opened in 1985 and now welcoming more than 200,000 visitors each year, it is housed within a specially constructed building that lets its contents shine.

Inside, interior decor worthy of a luxury brand flagship reaches to the lofty, chandelier-adorned ceiling. The considerable floorspace is divided into four main areas, dedicated to jewelry, food, brewing, and craftsmanship.

The jewelry section draws upon both the Kofu Basin’s supply of precious quartz and other crystals, and the skills of local ateliers whose reputations date back over a century, to offer captivating pieces to suit all budgets.

In the food area, you can pick up examples of the many and varied products that are emblematic of the region, including charmingly packaged shingen mochi rice cakes, and hoto, a miso soup-based stew.

Yamanashi’s reputation as the heartland of Japanese wine production is well established, and Kai Terrace’s brewing section offers bottles from around half of the many local wineries. Wines can be sampled before purchasing. There is also a selection of sake.

Finally, the craftsmanship section showcases inden, a centuries-old method of decorating deerskin items with lacquerwork patterns, along with washi paper, textiles and knits, hand-engraved personal seals, and more.

Head up to the second-floor restaurant for a menu of wine-friendly dishes, along with panoramic views out over the surrounding countryside.