Magnolia

( Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — ⁷⁄₁₀₀)
Magnolia is literally a rare gem that will take some wit to find, unless you’re really curious and determined (and resourceful, like use the Unilocal mobile app). It is disguised as a café, but it’s actually an antique shop featuring pottery and ceramics dating back over 500 years or more!
Early warning: Please don’t come if you are suffering from hay fever or have a cold as it is VERY easy to sneeze and «accidently» knock some rare item off the shelves.
That said, the gallery is in the basement of a house, and there is no indication of the surprise that awaits once you descend the stairs. Well, OK, there are a couple items displayed at street level, in the wall alcove at the bottom of the stairs and some items on the stairway leading up the opposite way once you are at the bottom.
Stepping inside is like walking into someone’s vault of period-​specific wares. LOTS to browse and buy, with a full range of prices from a few hundred yen up to a few MILLION yen. I noticed a Meiji-​era piece going for half a million DOLLARS. Ummm, yes, I think I’ll just LOOK at it from a safe distance.
Did I say it’s also a café? Well, it is and they serve light lunches, but the real focus is on the afternoon cup of tea or coffee, plus some home-​made desserts — cakes, pies, pancakes. The food and beverages are pretty good and carefully prepared, but the point of coming here is enjoying two main features of the space: Admiring the endless stacks and displays of rare and beautiful period ceramics, tea cups, plates, etc. Some amazing works here — ALL hand-​made.
The other point? Enjoying the view, your dessert/​coffee at a table next to a REAL fireplace. It is really rare to find any house in Japan with a Western-​style fireplace, and the day we visited, it was lit. How can you describe that smoky aroma, crackle and sparks of a real fireplace? Wish they offered liquor so I could order a nice glass of brandy, a pipe and classical music in the background, ha, ha.
I’ll refrain from describing the place in too much more detail — just prepare for a literal time travel experience, take a moment to have a cup of tea or coffee and hopefully, you can take it all in while being warmed by the fireplace. There are more little surprises both inside and outside the shop; I’ll leave them for you to discover.
P. S. Access is pretty simple if you use the Unilocal mobile app. The location itself is very close to Sarasha Café (see separate Review) — just keep walking along the same street heading away from the main road that will take you towards Inokashira Park. You’ll find the Magnolia on the right.