In Minabe Town, Hidaka District — about 3 minutes by car from the Minabe IC on the Hanwa Expressway — the Kishu Nanko-ume specialty shop Kumahei no Ume relocated and reopened its Minabe Shop on August 1, 2025, and in October the same year a brand-new adjoining cafe, Kumahei Cafe, opened its doors. Set within the retail floor of the shop, the cafe serves set meals, udon, and curry that pair local ingredients with Kishu Nanko-ume, functioning as a culinary hub for Kishu plum culture.
The signature menu is the Plum Vinegar Karaage Set Meal. Built around fried chicken seasoned with plum vinegar drawn from Kishu Nanko-ume, the set comes with a tasting flight of nine varieties of pickled plums — a single dish that carries the retail floor’s plum expertise straight to the dining table.
This is your complete guide to the shop, its signature menu, access, and visitor voices, with Kumahei Cafe at center stage.
1. Kumahei Cafe (Kumahei no Ume Minabe): At a Glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Kumahei Cafe (Kumahei no Ume Minabe Shop) |
| Address | 173-16 Kesato, Minabe-cho, Hidaka-gun, Wakayama 645-0011 |
| Phone | +81-739-72-5223 (shop direct) / +81-120-01-2730 (head office, Inoue Umeboshi Foods) |
| Hours | cafe 9:00–16:00 (L.O. 15:30) - Morning 9:00–11:00 (L.O. 10:30) - Lunch 11:30–14:30 (L.O. 14:00) shop 8:00–17:00 |
| Closed | Tuesdays, New Year holidays (please confirm the latest via official Instagram (@kumaheinoume.minabe)) |
| Parking | Available (free; large tour buses accommodated) |
| Seats | Cafe seating available (please confirm) |
| Payment | Cash, credit cards, e-money, QR code payment all accepted |
| Official website | kumaheinoume.co.jp |
| Google Maps | Open in Maps |
| Official X | @kumaheinoume |
| Official Instagram | @kumaheinoume.minabe (Minabe Shop) @kumaheinoume (head office) |
| Official Facebook | kumaheinoume |
| Founded | Kumahei no Ume (retail): 1941 (Showa 16) / Minabe Shop relocation reopening: August 1, 2025 / Kumahei Cafe opening: October 2025 |
2. The Signature Menu: Plum Vinegar Karaage Set Meal
Kumahei Cafe’s signature is a karaage set meal that draws on plum vinegar produced from Kishu Nanko-ume. Fried chicken finished with the bright tartness of plum vinegar is paired with rice, soup, and side dishes — and the set comes with a tasting flight of nine pickled plum varieties as a complimentary feature. In a single set meal, you can sample almost the full Kumahei no Ume lineup that lines the retail shelves.
The lunch slate offers seven choices spanning karaage, ginger pork, curry, shirasu (whitebait) rice bowls, and udon, while the morning service (one item: a toast set) runs in the early hours.
Menu (as of May 2026)
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Toast Set (morning) | 600 yen |
| Plum Vinegar Karaage Set Meal | 1,200 yen |
| Plum Ginger Pork Set Meal | 1,200 yen |
| Plum Curry Rice | 1,000 yen |
| Shirasu Rice Bowl | 1,000 yen |
| Plum Udon + Oyakodon Set | 1,000 yen |
| Egg Ankake Udon | from 500 yen |
| Plum Udon | from 600 yen |
Note: Morning is 9:00–11:00 (L.O. 10:30); lunch is 11:30–14:30 (L.O. 14:00). Set meals come with a tasting flight of nine pickled plum varieties.
Seasonal limited menus and the operating calendar are announced via the official Instagram (@kumaheinoume.minabe).
Note: Menu and prices as of May 2026. Confirm the latest information via the official Instagram or in person.
3. Kumahei Cafe and Kumahei no Ume
Kumahei Cafe (opened October 2025)
Kumahei Cafe is the cafe space that began operating in October 2025, adjoining the new Kumahei no Ume Minabe Shop after the latter relocated and reopened in Kesato, Minabe Town on August 1, 2025. Built as one continuous floor with the retail corner, the cafe serves set meals, udon, and morning sets that draw on Kishu Nanko-ume and local ingredients. Set meals come with a tasting flight of nine pickled plum varieties, allowing visitors to taste the retail lineup as part of a meal — the shop’s defining feature. The interior is a bright cafe space with generous spacing between seats, accommodating tour-bus group visits as well.
Kumahei no Ume (Kishu Nanko-ume specialty shop, founded 1941)
Kumahei no Ume is a Kishu Nanko-ume specialty shop founded in 1941 (Showa 16). For decades, the shop has sourced its plum raw materials from contracted growers in its home of Minabe, and its flagship products are pickled plums certified under Wakayama Prefecture’s premium-product brand “Premier Wakayama” (per the official site / Wakayama Prefecture Official). Minabe Town is known as Japan’s leading producer of Nanko-ume (Minabe Town Official), and the Minabe-Tanabe Ume System was designated a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) in 2015 (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries / FAO).
Kumahei no Ume Minabe Shop is at once a retail hub for Kishu Nanko-ume and, with the addition of Kumahei Cafe, a place that broadcasts a culinary experience of plum culture — an expanded role taken on after the relocation reopening.
4. Visitor Voices
Voice 1: Kumahei Cafe Opening-Day Lunch (@tanakagumikk_tanabe)
A post (October 2025) noting “‘Kumahei cafe’ opened today, so I went to have lunch.” The visitor adds, “it was very delicious,” and “the tasting flight of pickled plums was outstanding,” conveying a first-day visit to the cafe after the relocation reopening.
Voice 2: Tori-ten Set Meal + 9-Variety Pickled Plum Tasting (@goku_kobayashi)
A post (October 2025) noting “a long-awaited lunch spot in Minabe Town, Wakayama Prefecture!” The visitor records the price band as “tori-ten set meal and plum vinegar fried chicken set meal at 1,200 yen, shirasu rice bowl and curry at 1,000 yen,” and praises the signature poultry and tasting flight: “the chicken is lightly massaged with plum vinegar and finished with a sharply tart plum sauce — seriously delicious,” “you can freely choose from nine generously sized pickled plums,” and “for this volume with all-you-can-eat pickled plums at 1,200 yen, the value is excellent.”
Voice 3: Shirasu Rice Bowl Set Meal (@oshigotobu)
A post (October 2025) noting “a cafe lunch in Minabe” and “the #shirasu rice bowl set meal at #Kumahei Cafe, started by the long-established plum shop #Kumahei no Ume.” The visitor adds, “there seems to be a pickled plum tasting flight as well,” covering the new cafe’s lunch with the shirasu rice bowl set meal at center.
Voice 4: Access from Plumeria Inami (@dog_villa_plumeria)
A post (February 2026) noting “this was an experience unique to Minabe Town, with its plum specialty.” The visitor records the location as “12 minutes by car from Plumeria Inami,” adding, “of course pickled plums, but a wide range of plum products are also sold,” and “Kumahei Cafe is adjoined as well, with a pickled plum tasting flight on the menu,” capturing the combination of cafe and retail.
Voice 5: First Visit, Lunch with My Son (@sumiyo1106)
A post (February 2026) noting “my first visit to Kumahei Cafe, lunch with my son.” The visitor adds, “as expected of a plum shop, the variety of pickled plums is rich — you can choose two large pickled plums, and we had the honey and apple-vinegar pickled plums,” and “my son had the karaage set meal, and I had the ginger pork set meal,” recording a family visit with karaage and ginger pork set meals plus the pickled plum tasting flight.
5. Getting There
By Public Transportation
- About 10 minutes by car from Minabe Station on the JR Kisei Line (taxi recommended)
- From Osaka Station, the JR Limited Express Kuroshio reaches Minabe Station in approximately 2 hours 10 minutes
Note: Local bus service around Minabe Station is limited, so a taxi or rental car from the nearest station is the practical option.
By Car
- About 3 minutes by car from the Minabe IC on the Hanwa Expressway / Yuasa-Gobo Toll Road
- About 2 hours from central Osaka
- About 1 hour 20 minutes from central Wakayama City
Parking
Free parking is provided, with tour-bus accommodation available (per the official site).
Map
6. Eight Sights Worth a Side Trip Nearby
Pair your visit to Kumahei Cafe (Kumahei no Ume Minabe Shop) with a stop at one of these tourist destinations in the Minabe and Nanki-Shirahama area. Below are eight picks listed roughly in order of proximity.
- Kashima Shrine (Minabe Town, about 5 minutes by car) — An ancient Minabe Town shrine known as a guardian deity of maritime traffic. Enshrined at the foot of Mt. Kashima, the shrine has long drawn the faith of fishing and farming communities as a local tutelary. The precincts command views over the Kii Channel. (Official Site / Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site / Minabe Town Tourism Association / Google Maps)
- Engetsu Island (Takashima) (Shirahama Town, about 20 minutes by car) — Shirahama’s signature island, with a circular sea-eroded cave at its center. Officially named “Takashima,” it is more widely known by the nickname “Engetsu Island” thanks to the spectacle of the setting sun passing through the cave. (Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site / Nanki-Shirahama Tourism Association / Google Maps)
- Shirarahama Beach (Shirahama Town, about 25 minutes by car) — A beach with about 620 m of white sand. Selected as one of “Japan’s 100 Best Beaches” (1996) and one of the “100 Best Bathing Beaches in Japan” (2006, Ministry of the Environment). (Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site / Nanki-Shirahama Tourism Association / Google Maps)
- Shirahama Onsen (Saki-no-Yu) (Shirahama Town, about 25 minutes by car) — An ancient hot spring sung of in the Man’yōshū, where “Saki-no-Yu” is a public bath famed for its open-air bath commanding a panorama of the Pacific. One of Japan’s three oldest hot springs (alongside Dogo and Arima). (Official Site / Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site / Nanki-Shirahama Tourism Association / Google Maps)
- Kishu Binchotan Promotion Hall (Minabe Town, about 25 minutes by car) — A Binchotan-themed facility set in the mountains of Kiyokawa, Minabe Town. Visitors can learn about the production methods, history, and contemporary uses of Kishu Binchotan, with hands-on programs such as crafting charcoal wind chimes. (Official Site / Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site 1 / Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site 2 / Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site 3 / Minabe Town Tourism Association / Google Maps)
- Senjojiki (Shirahama Town, about 25 minutes by car) — A vast, roughly four-hectare rocky scenic area carved by the rough waves of the Pacific. Tertiary-period sandstone forms layer upon layer; part of Yoshino-Kumano National Park. (Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site / Nanki-Shirahama Tourism Association / Google Maps)
- Sandanbeki (Shirahama Town, about 25 minutes by car) — Sheer cliffs roughly 50 m tall and stretching about 2 km. Below the cliffs is the “Sandanbeki Cave,” a sea-eroded grotto where the Kumano Navy of the Genpei War era is said to have hidden their ships; visitors can descend by elevator to view it. (Official Site / Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site / Nanki-Shirahama Tourism Association / Google Maps)
- Adventure World (Shirahama Town, about 30 minutes by car) — A composite theme park combining a zoo, aquarium, and amusement park. Organized into three zones: Safari, Marine, and Play. (Official Site / Wakayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site / Nanki-Shirahama Tourism Association / Google Maps)
7. Kishu Plum Culture and Other Regional Food Routes Worth Exploring
Kumahei Cafe is a dining hub serving set meals, udon, and morning sets built on Kishu Nanko-ume, but the Minabe and Yuasa areas are home to other shops where you can encounter plum and regional food culture. Combining stops makes for a three-dimensional taste of Kishu plum culture.
- Cafe de Manma (Minabe Town) — A cafe directly operated by the plum grower “Plum Atelier.” A grower-direct cafe serving plum cuisine and plum sweets
- Yuasa Shōyu Marushin Honke (Yuasa Town) — A soy sauce brewery founded in 1881. A constituent property of the Japan Heritage “First Drop”
- Kadochō Soy Sauce Brewery (Yuasa Town) — Founded in 1841, the only brewery in Yuasa Town that continues to produce soy sauce in its historic structures today. Eleven of its structures — the main hall, brewing storehouse, soy sauce storehouse, kōji-muro (koji room), grain storehouse, and others — were collectively designated as “Kadochō (Kanō Family Residence)” Important Cultural Properties of Japan
- Kadoya Shokudo (Yuasa Town) — A diner founded in 1946, a fitting meal stop on a Yuasa Town stroll. Famous for its raw and kamaage shirasu rice bowls
8. Kishu Nanko-ume, Premier Wakayama Certification, and the Retail Lineup
Kishu Nanko-ume is a plum cultivar grown in Minabe Town and Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture. It was officially registered in 1965, known for its thin skin and thick flesh. The Minabe-Tanabe Ume System was designated a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) in 2015 (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
Premier Wakayama is the brand-recommendation system through which Wakayama Prefecture certifies products outstanding in quality, originality, and reliability among prefectural products. Kumahei no Ume holds this certification for its pickled plums made with Kishu Nanko-ume.
Before or after a visit to the cafe, you can take home pickled plums and plum products from the retail shelves of Kumahei no Ume Minabe Shop. A favorite from the nine-variety tasting flight that comes with a set meal can then be picked up at retail — a flow that fits the new shop’s concept perfectly.
Retail Lineup (as of May 2026)
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| うす塩味梅 はちみつ入り 塩分 8% (Usushioaji Ume Hachimitsu-iri) | Mellowed with domestic honey; the brand’s popular honey-cured plum (official) |
| しそ漬梅干 塩分 14% (Shiso-zuke Umeboshi) | Aroma and color of red shiso in this traditional shiso-cured plum (official) |
| かつお梅 (Katsuo Ume) | Layered with the umami of Japanese bonito flakes and shiso leaves (official) |
| こんぶ梅 (Konbu Ume) | Combined with Hokkaido kelp umami; pairs well with udon and soba (official) |
| 蔵出し梅干 塩分 10% (Kuradashi Umeboshi) | A traditional white-cured plum reduced to 10% salt for a health-conscious version (official) |
| 蔵出し梅干 塩分 20% (Kuradashi Umeboshi) | Cured with salt only — the classic white plum conveying Kishu plum’s original flavor (official) |
| 梅爽爽 塩分 5% (Umesousou) | Black vinegar and brown sugar; low-salt 5% with deep, mellow sweetness (official) |
| 梅優華 塩分 5% (Umeyuuka) | No honey added; an elegant sweet-style plum at 5% salt (official) |
| りんご酢の梅 塩分 3% (Ringo-su no Ume) | Apple-vinegar finish at 3% salt — a new flavor with subdued acidity (official) |
| 梅麹華 米麹梅肉 140g (Umekoka Komekoji Bainiku) | A collaboration with a long-established koji house in Mie; mellow plum flesh made only with rice koji, no sugar, 14% salt (official) |
| 梅肉ごま（容器入り） (Bainiku Goma) | Plum tartness meets sesame fragrance — pairs with rice and works as a salad topping or condiment, in a tabletop jar (official) |
| 国産梅にんにく 200g (Kokusan Ume Ninniku) | Aomori-grown garlic combined with Kishu Nanko-ume plum flesh; crisp, deodorized garlic that’s easy to enjoy (official) |
| Kumahei (Kumahei Umeshu) | An in-house umeshu brewed from fully ripe Nanko-ume from the company’s own orchard; a GI Wakayama Umeshu-certified label (16% ABV) (official) |
| 完熟うめジャム はちみつ入り (Kanjuku Ume Jam Hachimitsu-iri) | A 200g jam pairing fully ripe Kishu Nanko-ume with honey; great with bread or yogurt (official) |
9. Pre-Visit Final Checklist
- ✅ Cafe hours: 9:00–16:00 (L.O. 15:30)
- ✅ - Morning: 9:00–11:00 (L.O. 10:30)
- ✅ - Lunch: 11:30–14:30 (L.O. 14:00)
- ✅ Retail hours: 8:00–17:00
- ✅ Closed: Tuesdays, New Year holidays (please confirm)
- ✅ Payment: Cash, credit cards, e-money, QR code payment all accepted
- ✅ Parking: Free, with tour-bus accommodation
- ✅ Plum harvest season (June–July): Seasonal items including green plums and freshly cured pickled plums appear on the retail shelves
- ✅ Limited menus and operating calendar: Best confirmed via official Instagram @kumaheinoume.minabe (Minabe Shop) / @kumaheinoume (head office) / official X @kumaheinoume / official Facebook
10. In Closing：A Hub for Kishu Plum Culture in Minabe
Kumahei Cafe (Kumahei no Ume Minabe Shop) is the cafe that opened in October 2025, adjoining the new shop after Kumahei no Ume — the Kishu Nanko-ume specialty founded in 1941 — relocated and reopened in Kesato, Minabe Town on August 1, 2025. Anchored by the signature Plum Vinegar Karaage Set Meal, with lunches accompanied by a tasting flight of nine pickled plum varieties and a morning service centered on a toast set, the cafe broadcasts a culinary experience of Kishu plum culture.
Built as one continuous floor with the retail shelves, the shop functions as a new culinary venue where the tasting flight at the table leads naturally into taking favorites home. Within the context of the GIAHS-designated Minabe-Tanabe Ume System, this is a Minabe Town food-culture hub where Kishu Nanko-ume can be enjoyed across two layers — “to eat” and “to take home.”
Last updated: May 6, 2026
Author: Wakayama Foodie Editorial Team
Published by: Wakayama Foodie