The Japanese seem to have a knack for recreating virtually anything — from the adorable to the downright grotesque — into astonishingly detailed dishes and snacks. While many do so to showcase their artistic and culinary prowess, Usagi no Nedoko Cafe in Kyoto is offering small dishes made to look like brilliant rocks and minerals to allow guests to enjoy their beauty from a new, mouthwatering perspective.

The edible rock and mineral specimens are served in little glass jars, and though they might look real, they’re all made of ingredients like marinated vegetables and Japanese chicken meatballs that you would find on the menu of a local restaurant. 8 jars of these edible rocks and minerals will be offered on a wooden tray, reimagining amethyst, jade, cavansite, pork stone, sodalite, tektite, topaz, and okenite as delicious food. Even if you don’t know what half of these are, you’ll know once you start digging in.

Source: Usagi no Nedoko

Only 15 servings of the rock and mineral specimens will be prepared each day, and those interested in trying it will have to make reservations. Currently, it looks like they will only be offering this unique meal until March 25th, and only on certain days of the month. Reservations can be made through their website or over the phone.

Source: Usagi no Nedoko

Source: Usagi no Nedoko

The cafe provides a museum-like atmosphere where guests can gaze at numerous other specimens of minerals and plants. In addition to this, Usagi no Nedoko also runs a shopping and lodging facility which allow visitors to submerge themselves in the mysterious world of fauna and flora for more than just a few hours.

Source: Usagi no Nedoko

Source: Usagi no Nedoko

After a delicious meal, guests can take home one of Usagi no Nedoko’s popular Sola Cubes, a series of beautifully preserved plants, minerals, and microorganisms inside small acrylic cubes, as well as something from their new collection of sea urchin bone specimens. They can be appreciated separately or arranged in various patterns, and each is handmade by a Japanese craftsman to stunning perfection.

Usagi no Nedoko Kyoto

Address: 37 Nishinokyo Minamiharamachi, Nakagyo, Kyoto
Hours: 11:30AM〜8PM
Closed Thursdays
Official Website


By - grape Japan editorial staff.