Enjoy Japanese Chocolate in a Traditional Townhouse at Chocolat Bel Amer Kyoto Bettei

The chocolate lined up in the case looks like jewelry! It will definitely catch your eye.

What kind of shop is Chocolat Bel Amer Kyoto Bettei?

Chocolat Bel Amer is a popular chocolate specialty shop that aims to make chocolates that match Japan while understanding the importance of the seasons. The chocolate branch is named Chocolat Bel Amer Kyoto Bettei, and they offer chocolates made to match Japanese topography and seasons via careful selection of their ingredients in this traditional and international city of Kyoto. 

The building itself is also very Japanese!

This shop is housed in a machiya, a traditional merchant's house in Kyoto. The building itself is over 100 years old and was renovated to its current form. If you visit the shop, the red curtains called noren in the front are a conspicuous marker.

When you walk through the noren, you'll immediately find a small courtyard. There are granite rocks shaped like cacao so you can appreciate the playful design of this chocolate shop.

The shop is a comfortable space that matches a luxury chocolate shop while retaining the machiya atmosphere. The first floor is a shop, while the 2nd floor is a cafe space called Chocolat Bar where you can enjoy desserts and drinks using the brand's chocolate.

Chocolates made to match Japanese topography

1. The Mizuho no Shizuku the series from Kyoto sake chocolat

The Mizuho no Shizuku series is a popular series in which chocolate made to look like a "masu" (a square vessel made to measure items like rice or sake) is filled with a jelly made of carefully selected Japanese ingredients.

This particular product is filled with a jelly made from sake produced by Kyoto's representative sake breweries. The chef chocolatier sampled each kind of sake to properly ascertain its characteristics in order to produce a chocolate that matched it best. The juiciness of the jelly and the melt-in-your-mouth of the chocolate matches well to make a delicate flavor that spreads through your mouth. It's also so beautiful that many people feel like it's a waste to eat them.

*From left to right, the chocolates pictured are "Iwai," "Karaku," "Tsuki no Katsura," "Miyakozuru," and "Shinsei," (Each chocolate is 260 yen.)

2. The Mizuho no Shizuku chocolate series made with domestically produced tea

This is a similar series that uses tea. The jelly is made with different types of carefully selected tea from around Japan, such as matcha (powdered green tea) and hojicha (roasted green tea), that were then matched with different types of chocolate. The balance of each ingredient is measured perfectly so you can enjoy an extremely aromatic flavor.

*From left to right, the chocolates pictured are "Matcha," "Hojicha," "Fukamushi Ryokucha" (deeply steamed green tea), "Koucha" (black tea), and "Shingucha" (a type of organic tea). (Each chocolate is 260 yen.)

What is a popular choice among foreign tourists?

The Stick Chocolate is a product that is quite popular with foreign tourists. It looks like a popsicle, so it's great for carrying around and eating on the go. Some particularly popular flavors are the Matcha Azuki, made with a matcha-chocolate biscuit with azuki red bean flavoring, and the Hojicha, which has hojicha-flavored milk chocolate matched with roasted mochi pieces, sesame paste, and almonds. There are 12 standard flavors, and 3 seasonal flavors are often available as well, so definitely check them out when you visit!

*From top to bottom, the chocolates pictured are Hojicha and Matcha (both 540 yen each).

Other than these products, this shop also offers baked sweets, seasonally limited goods, and more for a wide variety that you should definitely check out if you're in Kyoto!