Culture

Opening Chestnuts Beyond Sweets: Kuri-biraki at Ena Gin no Mori

From kurikinton and rice to pizza and pastries, tracing autumn in Higashi-Mino across a table in the woods.

Against a brown ground are chestnuts in their shells, chestnut rice, mushroom pizza, and Mont Blanc. Beginning September 1, Ena Gin no Mori in Ena, Gifu Prefecture, holds Kuri-biraki, an autumn event that opens chestnuts beyond wagashi into sweets, meals, and drinks. In the home of kurikinton, one nut turns the woodland table the colors of fall.

Official image for Ena Gin no Mori’s Kuri-biraki, with chestnuts, chestnut rice, chestnut-and-mushroom pizza, and chestnut sweets arranged on a brown table
Photo courtesy of Gin no Mori Corporation

The official table gathers chestnuts in their shells with chestnut rice, pizza, Mont Blanc, and other sweets. Announced at 9:00 a.m. August 4, Kuri-biraki runs September 1–October 12 at Ena Gin no Mori, a 66,000-square-meter site with seven specialty shops. Visitors can walk the grounds, sit on terraces, or take food outdoors for a picnic.

Announced at 9:00 a.m. August 4, Kuri-biraki runs September 1–October 12, 2026, at Ena Gin no Mori, a 66,000-square-meter site with seven specialty food shops. Official information describes a place for walking among seasonal trees and dining on terraces and in picnic areas; even the short walk between buildings becomes a continuation of the table.

In the Home of Kurikinton, See the Chestnut’s Next Expression

Kurikinton is a regional autumn sweet made principally from chestnuts and sugar and shaped in a cloth. Its flavor and texture vary with origin, cultivar, sugar, and cooking method.

At Mikuriya, the chestnut appears as kurikinton and as Kakibokkuri, which places it inside an Ichida persimmon, as well as on a café plate.

At Caritelmon it moves into macarons, Mont Blanc, and quiche. Afternoon tea is ¥2,500 per person, for parties of at least two, with reservations required three days in advance. The menu also includes a risotto lunch and chestnut-and-mushroom cream pizza.

Translating the Shape of a Nut into Pastry and Broth

Patisserie GIN NO MORI offers Marron Grillé, a pie using acorn flour and liqueur, orange custard, and Mont Blanc cream.

Kamado serves chestnut okowa on weekends and holidays for ¥700. Kenbi Ippuku offers chestnut soft-serve and a shake, with shaved ice available on weekends.

Across cutting, simmering, baking, and chilling, one ingredient changes color, texture, and scale. Reading those changes across the site is part of the event.

If You Visit, Choose the Light of September or October

Hours are 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. in September and 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. in October. The grounds are generally closed Wednesdays. Confirm access and current operating information before departure.

Early reservations for kurikinton are accepted in stores through August 28 and online August 13–26, with delivery beginning September 1.

Chestnuts do not have to remain one familiar sweet. Moving among the shops lets a single autumn harvest pass from confection to meal and drink, opening the season across a table in the woods.

  • Dates: September 1 (Tue.)–October 12 (Mon.), 2026
  • Venue: Ena Gin no Mori (2711-2 Oicho, Ena, Gifu Prefecture)
  • Hours: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. in September; 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. in October
  • Confirm closures, reservations, sales dates, and inventory through official information before visiting.

References and sources

Sources consulted in researching and writing this story. Follow each link to review the original material.

  1. 【恵那 銀の森】栗グルメで秋はじめ┃秋の味覚「栗」を味わい尽くすグルメフェア『栗びらき』を9月1日より開催 — 株式会社銀の森コーポレーション / PR TIMES
  2. 岐阜の複合施設なら恵那 銀の森 — 株式会社銀の森コーポレーション
  3. 栗きんとん — 一般社団法人恵那市観光協会
  4. 利用規約(企業規約 第6条 企業コンテンツの知的財産権) — 株式会社PR TIMES

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