Cafe Mocha
Ise-cho 3-chome, 9-9 at the far-end, lefthand corner of the third block of grand avenue, which runs north from jr ashikaga station. open f-w closed th 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. founded in 1974 and run by a father and his two sons who roast their own beans and make their own blends ranging from soft to bitter, mocha is family-friendly, conversation-friendly, and smoker-friendly. the background music is most likely to be jazz. a cup of coffee costs about ¥450.
Café de Furukawa
Shåhei-cho 2360 on a flagstone-paved side street linking two similar streets leading into the top tourist attractions, ashikaga gakkå and bannaji temple, tel. 0284-42-1151. open th-tu closed w and half-day tu 6:30 am to noon, 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. founded in 1975 and run by a middle-aged couple who roast their own beans and make their own blends, furukawa caters to those who want to savor their coffee while reading, listening to classical music, or conversing softly in an elegant, library-like atmosphere. no smoking, cell-phones, laptops, or cameras. a cup of coffee costs about ¥600. cafe furukawa in ashikaga
Yakitori-kun
ããã¨ãå, tåri 2-chome, nakabashi-dåri in the middle of the first block north of the watarase river bridge called nakabashi; the tåbu ashikagashi station complex lies at the opposite end of the bridge. open daily 6:00 to 10:00 pm. a well-known hangout for neighborhood regulars throughout the week, and for english teachers and other foreigners on weekends and on wednesdays when most other small eateries and drinking spots take their regular day off. in warmer weather, tables appear on the sidewalk in front of the small stand.
Izakaya ShÅhei
å± é å±æå¹³, shåhei-cho 2364 on the righthand side near the start of the flagstone-paved street leading into bannaji, tel. 0284-41-4828. open th-tu closed w 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. specialty snacks include various udon, donburi, and curry dishes for ¥600-800, horse sashimi ba-sashi for ¥1200, and giant umeboshi for ¥100 each. the beer of choice is sapporo and the cold sake is akagi, at ¥500-800, depending on size.
Le Vent Vert
Tåri 3-chome on the ground floor of the former ashikaga bank building that is now a city museum. founded in 1995 but reopened in the new city museum in 2006. a cup of coffee costs about ¥500.
Yanagi-ya
æ³åº, eiraku-cho 4-3 on the right in the first block of route 293 after it crosses main street running north through the heart of town, tel. 0284-41-2724. open m-sa closed su 5:30 to 9:30 pm. this is a combination fresh seafood restaurant, izakaya, and sports bar, especially for fans of the hanshin tigers and sumo. all the sake glasses, even those for tiger sake, have the names of sumo wrestlers on them. the dishes are well presented and tasty, but there is no english or picture menu. just ask for the day's specials osusume or point to the more reasonably priced items on the wall menu. snacks range from ¥500 to ¥1200; glasses of tiger or local sake are ¥500.