If you have a few days in Tokyo and are already tired of the mainstream areas, such as Shinjuku and Shibuya, consider allocating a day to Jiyūgaoka (自由が丘). The neighborhood named Liberty Hill has a relaxed atmosphere. In addition to famous sweet shops and stylish cafes, many of its boutique shops sell items in the latest trends. From places perfect for taking a break during a date, to photogenic places, and even solemn temples and shrines to pray for relationships, Jiyūgaoka is where you can have a taste of Japan’s capital without being pushed around!
Table of Contents
- The Must-Visit Shops in Jiyūgaoka
- The Top Cafes in Jiyūgaoka That Are Worth Visiting in Jiyūgaoka
- The Recommended Sweets Shops in Jiyūgaoka
- Where to Find Vegan-Friendly Spots in Jiyūgaoka
- JIYUGAOKA de aone (自由が丘 デュ アオーネ)
- Tecona Bagel Jiyugaoka (テコナベーグル 自由が丘)
- BABBO ANGELO (バッボアンジェロ)
- We Love Donut (we♡donut 自由が丘)
- MONT-NOM (モンノン)
- La Vita Jiyugaoka (ラ・ヴィータ 自由が丘)
- Jiyūgaoka Kumano Shrine (自由が丘 熊野神社)
- baguette rabbit Jiyūgaoka (バゲットラビット自由が丘店)
- Kuhonbutsu Jōshin-ji Temple (九品仏淨眞寺)
The Must-Visit Shops in Jiyūgaoka
If you have a day in the stylish town of Jiyūgaoka, shopping is something that you will inevitably do. With so many boutique stores lining the sides of the streets, which ones are the most-go? If that’s your question, read on! Jiyūgaoka has several good shops scattered throughout the small town. You wouldn’t want to miss out on any of them!
For more information, refer to our article on The Must-Visit Shops in Jiyūgaoka!
The Top Cafes in Jiyūgaoka That Are Worth Visiting in Jiyūgaoka
If you have a day in Jiyūgaoka, in addition to shopping and taking photos, spending a few hours in one of the cafes in town is highly recommended. It is one of the best ways to appreciate the town’s relaxing but refined ambiance.
As there are many cafes in town, refer to our article on The Top Cafes in Jiyūgaoka to decide which one to visit!
Where to Find Vegan-Friendly Spots in Jiyūgaoka
Those who know about T’s Tantan would know that the vegan noodle restaurant chain started in Jiyūgaoka. If you have a day allocated in this stylish but relaxing part of Tokyo, the town has a couple more vegan-friendly cafes and restaurants for you to fill up your stomach with delicious food. Each of them offer something different, giving you the options you need to try something different while traveling.
For more information, refer to our article on Where to Find Vegan-Friendly Spots in Jiyūgaoka!
The Recommended Sweets Shops in Jiyūgaoka
Jiyūgaoka in Tokyo is recognized as the prefecture’s hotbed of sweets. Whether it is the Japanese traditional confectioneries or the Western sweets, there are several spots in the relaxing town that can satisfy your craving for sweets and desserts.
If you don’t have time to try each of them out, refer to our article on The Best Sweet Shops in Jiyūgaoka to Visit for some delicately made confectioneries to bring home for friends and families or an elegant afternoon tea!
JIYUGAOKA de aone (自由が丘 デュ アオーネ)
If the weather isn’t ideal or you need a break, JIYUGAOKA de aone is where you can spend a couple of hours. The commercial facility located about a two-minute walk from Jiyugaoka Station has around 30 shops and cafes stationed.
The spacious terrace area on the third floor is where you can rest while sipping a drink and overlooking the cityscape. Depending on the weather you may even see Mt. Fuji from the rooftop, albeit small!
Tip: To get to the rooftop, take the stairs from the third floor to the fourth floor shown in the fourth photo in the Instagram post.
Ristretto＆croissant Laboratorio
If you like croissants, head to JIYUGAOKA de aone’s 2nd floor for Ristretto＆croissant Laboratorio. The bakery cafe takes pride in its croissants and has various ways to enjoy them on its menu. In addition to having fillings and having cheese or sweet paste or syrup poured over before baking, you can also dip the croissant into whipped cream and hot chocolate.
JIYUGAOKA de aone’s Opening Hours and Access Information
- The 1st floor is open from 10 am to 8 pm.
- The 2nd floor is open from 11 am to 8 pm.
- The restaurants are open from 11 am to 10 pm.
- The complex is a 3-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
Tecona Bagel Jiyugaoka (テコナベーグル 自由が丘)
If you go past JIYUGAOKA de aone and walk along Maple Street, you will see Tecona Bagel on your left. Its stylish entrance will draw you in. The bagels and baked goods will definitely whet your appetite. Inside the store, rows of delicious, freshly baked bagels lined the shelf. On any given day, there are always over 20 different kinds of freshly baked bagels, so you are sure to find the one you like.
For more information, refer to our article on Tecona Bagel Jiyugaoka!
BABBO ANGELO (バッボアンジェロ)
If you are looking for an extraordinary Italian dining experience in Jiyūgaoka, look no further. BABBO ANGELO offers an unforgettable culinary journey that captures the essence of authentic Italian cuisine. The food is simply excellent. Each dish is a testament to the chef’s dedication to authentic, delicious flavors. The restaurant is not only loved by the locals but also by Italian tourists!
BABBO ANGELO’s owner-chef, Cozzolino Angelo, appears on Japanese TV shows multiple times. You can tell how much he loves cooking and food once we start talking about cooking. Unlike many Italian restaurants, Cozzolino crafts mouthwatering Italian cuisine using fresh ingredients sourced throughout Japan. In fact, he worked as a local ambassador of a couple of towns or prefectures in Japan, promoting the delicious ingredients of the region’s produce. While Cozzolino worked as a local ambassador, he successfully built connections with local producers. Now, delicious seasonal ingredients are delivered to Babbo Angelo from all over the country!
Coming from southern Italy, Cozzolino’s childhood was spent in a world where organic, handmade and slow food is the norm. So, the ingredients used in his restaurant are processed like how it was done in the good old days. This is why things as simple as the tomato sauce used for pizza and pasta taste amazing. Of course, pizza dough and pasta are freshly made each day.
Tips:
☛ The gnocchi here is the best!
☛ The restaurant is popular. It is best to make a Reservation.
BABBO ANGELO’s Business Hours and Access Information
- BABBO ANGELO is open from
- 11:30 am to 2 pm (L.O.) for lunch
- The restaurant is open from 2:30 on weekends.
- 5:30 pm to 10 pm for dinner
- Please note that children under elementary school age won’t be allowed on weekends and public holidays.
- The bakery is a 5-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
We Love Donut (we♡donut 自由が丘)
Donuts are one of the most-loved comfort foods in the world. If you want one in Jiyūgaoka, the We Love Donut is the place to go. It is the popular Osaka-originated donut-maker’s first shop in Tokyo. Their donuts aren’t overly sweet, making it easy to have one after another. They aim to create donuts that customers crave and want to eat every day. At the Jiyūgaoka store, you can see the staff busy making more donuts in the kitchen at the back.
We Love Donut is known for its soft and fluffy fresh donuts made using 100% domestic wheat flour. The dough is aged at a low temperatures for a long period of time to give it a rich flavour. Besides the typical round-shape donuts, the heart-shape donuts are perfect as a snack during a date!
If you are unsure what to choose, how about a pistachio donut (ピスタチオドーナツ)? It is coated with pistachio chocolate and had a subtle sweetness and a refined taste! For those who love cream or prefer something that tastes less oily, the fresh custard cream (生カスタードクリーム) is good. The pistachio also has a cream version.
Seasonal flavors are also available. For example, the Pumpkin Pudding (パンプキンプディング) is a limited-edition donut that lets you enjoy the taste of fresh pumpkin. It is filled with rich pumpkin cream and topped with caramel that brings out the mellow pumpkin flavor, giving it a taste similar to pudding.
Refer to HERE for We Love Donut Jiyūgaoka’s menu.
We Love Donut Jiyūgaoka’s Business Hours and Access Information
- We Love Donut Jiyūgaoka is open from 10 am to 8 pm or until sold out.
- The donut shop is a 3-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
MONT-NOM (モンノン)
Further north from Jiyūgaoka Station, MONT-NOM is a bakery worth checking out. They are very particular about only serving freshly baked items made from high-quality ingredients. Opened in 2022, the bakery is known for its Pain Suisse. The traditional French pastry, crafted by the owner-chef, resembles an artwork. No matter which flavor you choose, it just looks much more colorful and delicious than the Pain Suisse sold elsewhere!
The bakery is named after the owner-chef Yamana Norihito (山名 範士) by directly translating his family name to French, where Mont means mountain (山) and Nom means name (名).
MONT-NOM’s Pain Suisse is made using seasonal ingredients and tailored to Japanese tastes. The matcha red bean paste and corn custard flavors are both good examples. The crispy outer layer contrasts very well with the moist layer underneath and the rich filling in the middle, making it hard to resist not taking a second bite.
Like the baked items sold at MONT-NOM, the bakery has an elegant shopfront. If you can’t wait to taste their bread, the wooden bench next to the front door is the perfect spot to enjoy it.
Other than the Pain Suisse, there are 20 kinds of bread in the showcase, including cakes, biscuits, and sweet, savory, and hard bread. MONT-NOM’s sweet bread is made in a way so the texture and taste are closer to pastry, befitting Jiyūgaoka, the town of sweets. If you have a sweet tooth, what is on the showcase will be irresistible!
If you enjoy wine, MONT NOM strives to create savory bread that pairs well with it.
MONT-NOM’s Business Hours and Access Information
- MONT-NOM s open from 9 am to 6 pm from Thursday to Tuesday.
- Refer to MONT-NOM’s Instagram Account for its business calendar. The bakery won’t open on the days marked in red.
- The bakery is a 5-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
La Vita Jiyugaoka (ラ・ヴィータ 自由が丘)
Speaking of the perfect spot for social media in Jiyūgaoka, it has to be La Vita Jiyugaoka. The commercial complex named Life in Italian was designed using Venice as a model.
The brick Western-style buildings, the small canal, the gondola, and the grey cobblestone streets will make you feel like you are strolling around the water city of Italy. Not only the bridge over the canal but also the outdoor table sets and street lamps are all photogenic spots in this block, known as Jiyūgaoka’s Venice.
While the houses look like private residences in Europe, they are actually shops.
Jiyūgaoka Kumano Shrine (自由が丘 熊野神社)
Although situated in Jiyūgaoka‘s bustling area, Kumano Shrine manages to retain its quiet and solemn atmosphere. The historic shrine is said to have been founded before the 12th century. The grounds at the end of the narrow approach are surrounded by lush greenery, creating a quiet and serene atmosphere that makes it a perfect spot to refresh yourself between shopping or walking around the city.
For more information, refer to our article on Kumano Shrine!
baguette rabbit Jiyūgaoka (バゲットラビット自由が丘店)
baguette rabbit is a famous bakery in Nagoya with long lines. Hence, its second store, located in Jiyūgaoka, is always bustling. After all, it is hard to resist the appetising scent of freshly baked bread. With the vast variety of baked goods on the table and the shelf, deciding what to buy can be hard!
At baguette rabbit, baked goods are displayed like art. With an aim to provide safe and delicious bread, they offer bread that is rich in calcium and dietary fiber, bread that is safe for people with allergies, and, of course, plant-based bread!
If you are unsure what to buy, Boule (ブール) has been the company’s signature product since its founding. Since it does not contain eggs, milk, butter or oil, it allows you to enjoy the natural flavor of wheat. The bakery is even more proud of this product since the taste and texture were improved in 2023. On average, they sell 300 boule each day. Betraying the stereotype, baguette rabbit’s boule is light and chewy. As a half-size Boule is also available, give it a try and come back for more if you find it to be your kind of bread!
Through the glass wall, you can see baguette rabbit’s bakers busily making bread. Depending on when you visit the bakery, you might see wheat carefully ground with a millstone in front of you.
baguette rabbit Jiyūgaoka’s Business Hours and Access Information
- baguette rabbit Jiyūgaoka is open from 9 am to 8 pm.
- The bakery is a 7-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
Kuhonbutsu Jōshin-ji Temple (九品仏淨眞寺)
In addition to the beckoning cat temple, Gōtokuji, there is another temple in Tokyo that is secluded from the capital’s hustle and bustle. Located west of Jiyūgaoka, Kuhonbutsu Jōshin-ji is an ancient temple with an enchanting dry landscape garden. It is a spot in the urban jungle that will make you feel like you are in Kyoto. The Pure Land Sect temple has a spacious ground filled with greeneries. Opposite the dry landscape garden is another garden with a pond. It is where tourists gather every autumn season.
For more information, refer to our Kuhonbutsu Jōshin-ji article!
Explore Tokyo’s Hidden Gem, Kichijōji
Kichijōji is another part of Tokyo where you can spend a relaxing day without being pushed around. The town is only a few stations away from Shinjuku.
While Kichijōji is in Tokyo, it still has its own vibe! Hidden in the urban jungle are many unique cafés and shops! We are sure that you will be pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood that was voted “The Most Desirable Area to Live” in Tokyo!
Refer to our Kichijōji article for more information!
