Japan and Its Culinary Stroll Through Lausanne

May 25, 2020

Written by Ben

Japan fills thousands of people with dreams thanks to its culture, cuisine and landscapes. In Lausanne, several addresses let you travel there without leaving the city.

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Uchitomi

The Japanese Delicatessen

Uchitomi is a Japanese grocery in central Lausanne. Run by the family of the same name, it offers a wide range of Japanese products. On the ground floor are the food products: noodles, sauces, fresh and frozen products, and sake. Upstairs, it is tableware and various objects. The brand also has two shops in Geneva, where the adventure began in the early 1990s.

Shopfront of the Japanese grocery Uchitomi in Lausanne Shelves of Japanese food products at Uchitomi Japanese noodles and sauces from the Uchitomi grocery Bottles of sake and drinks from Japan Japanese tableware upstairs at Uchitomi Objects and decoration from Japan at Uchitomi Lausanne

Rue Grand-Saint-Jean 4, 1003 Lausanne
Website

Marutcha, a Drink from Japan

The Tea Room

Marutcha is a traditional Japanese tea room, founded by Tomoko and David. Small in size but big in flavour, it offers real teas from the Land of the Rising Sun. Matcha is king, alongside sencha, genmaicha and hōjicha. For sweets, homemade mochis and dorayakis sit alongside ice creams with Asian flavours. The shop also offers workshops on Japanese art.

Marutcha Japanese tea room in Lausanne Traditional matcha served at Marutcha Homemade mochis from the Marutcha tea room

Rue de la Grotte 4, 1003 Lausanne
Website

Osio

Japanese Pastry

Osio offers homemade Japanese pastries and biscuits. Long present as a small stand, Osio (in French) has now settled in Prilly. The shop and its tea room occupy a former safe-making workshop. Matcha, azuki, yuzu or sesame flavour taiyakis, dorayakis and mochis. To discover these flavours, it is best to come early, before everything is gone.

Japanese matcha pastries from Osio

Avenue du Chablais 23, 1008 Prilly
Website

Hokaido Chailly

The Neighbourhood Restaurant

In the Chailly district, Hokaido offers several sushi tray menus. The address is modest but generous in flavour. For those in a hurry, three menus with a drink allow a quick order. For the undecided, the menu tempts with various Asian flavours. The fresh fish is prepared on site, so the wait is always short. For a bowl of noodles, Black Market Ramen (in French) makes artisan ramen.

Takeaway sushi from Hokaido in Chailly

Avenue de Chailly 19, 1012 Lausanne
Website

Bonus ; Japanese Cherry Blossoms

A Japanese Stroll

Not far from the Olympic Museum (in French), a little avenue of cherry blossoms (in French) takes you to Japan in a few steps. Popular with photographers and Instagrammers, it is adorned with shades of pink. This place is a little ode to Japanese culture. To make the most of the blooming trees, early spring is ideal.

Avenue of cherry trees in bloom near the Olympic Museum

Japan and Its Culinary Stroll Through Lausanne