A 100-Year-Old Cattle Shed Reborn in the Aso Highlands

MARUGO DONUTS(マルゴドーナツ) first opened in 2021 in Kurokawa, a hot-spring village within Aso City, Kumamoto. On January 1, 2025, it relocated to Nishi-Kozono — a quiet hillside corner of Aso that sits well off the beaten tourist path. The new location faces Daikanbo (大観峰), one of the most iconic panoramic viewpoints in the Aso caldera region, and carries a feeling that is genuinely, unmistakably Aso.

Google Maps navigation gets you here without trouble. From the North Recovery Road (Kita-gawa Fukkyu Doro), exit at Kurumagaeri and turn left once. From there, it is almost entirely straight ahead — the kind of road where you start wondering whether you have overshot. Then a sign appears, and the doubt dissolves.

The parking lot is generously large — and the view from it is worth the drive on its own. Daikanbo rises directly ahead, its sweeping caldera panorama filling the horizon. This is northern Aso’s brand of grandeur, distinct from the softer landscapes of the south.

Inside, the layout combines counter seating along the window and freestanding table seats. Compact, but considered — every detail placed with intention.

Notice the aged timber beams scattered throughout the space. There is a history behind them.

Before it became a donut shop, this building was an ushi-goya — a cattle shed — that stood for over 100 years. The central pillars behind the counter are original, kept deliberately as a living connection to the building’s past. They have not been stripped or refinished.

Even the new timber was given an aging treatment — deliberately distressed to blend with the old. The owner is candid about his design intent: “I wanted to challenge the conventional wa-modern approach to kominka renovation. I wanted something bolder, something entirely new.” Kominka (古民家) refers to Japan’s tradition of renovating historic rural buildings, usually into cozy Japanese-modern spaces. What MARUGO DONUTS has done here is something considerably more confident than the usual formula.

Donuts Built from Aso’s Finest Ingredients

On my first visit, I stood at the counter slightly frozen — unsure whether to order first or reach for a donut first. The owner spotted me immediately. “Is this your first time here?” He gently walked me through the process: choose your donut, then pay at the register. Drinks are ordered at the same time you pay. First-timer panic: resolved.

Each MARUGO DONUTS creation is made from around 11 individual ingredients, every one carefully sourced:

• Milk from Aso Abe Farm (阿蘇阿部牧場) — a beloved local dairy in Aso
• Fresh okara (the soybean pulp byproduct of tofu-making) from Kimura Tofu, a long-established local maker
• Eggs from Ogata Egg Farm (緒方エッグファーム)
• Wheat flour grown in Kumamoto Prefecture
• Domestic rice oil — no animal fats used anywhere in the recipe
• Coconut oil

Allergen information is displayed for every variety on the counter — a thoughtful touch for visitors with dietary needs.

Kurokisu Kinako (黒須きなこ) ¥350 — Kinako is roasted soybean flour, a traditional Japanese flavor with a warm, nutty depth — think peanut butter’s quieter, more refined cousin. Maple Sugar ¥350 — Clean and comforting, a reliably crowd-pleasing choice.

Original Plain (オリジナルプレーン) ¥330 — The benchmark. If you want to understand what makes this dough different from anything else, start here. Caramel ¥380 — Deeply aromatic with a satisfying richness.

Chocolate Crunch (チョコクランチ) ¥390 — The crackly, satisfying texture makes this the shop’s widest crowd-pleaser, loved equally by kids and adults. The chocolate is Valrhona (France) — a professional pastry standard, not a budget ingredient. Strawberry & Raspberry ¥550 — Bright, fruity, and visually striking.

Amande Concentré ¥550 — French for “concentrated almond.” Almond-flavored chocolate over a subtly sweet dough, finished with a caramelized fragrance. Yame Matcha & Ogura-an ¥550 — A serious matcha offering. The matcha comes from Hoshino Seicha-en in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture — one of Japan’s most respected tea producers, known for its premium first-harvest leaves. Ogura-an is a chunky sweet red bean paste, a beloved pairing in Japanese confectionery.

Lemon Pistachio ¥420 — Lemon, pistachio, cranberry, and walnut in a single donut. An unusual combination that shouldn’t work — but does, vividly.

Once you have made your selection, head to the register to pay — and this is when you order drinks. The drinks menu is not an afterthought: hand-drip coffee, Aso milk lattes, ASO MILK BREW (more on that below), Yame matcha, Yame hojicha (roasted green tea) latte, and 100% fruit juice. Order a hot latte and you will receive latte art on top.

The Five-Year Dream Behind the Counter

The selection was genuinely overwhelming in the best way. I eventually settled on Chocolate Crunch for my daughter, Original Plain for my son, and Amande Concentré for myself.

For drinks, I chose the ASO MILK BREW — Aso local milk cold-steeped with coffee beans for 16 hours. The menu describes it as having “a milky tea-like aftertaste,” and it delivers exactly that: rich and creamy at first, then a clean coffee note emerges, finishing with a gentle acidity. I am not usually a milk tea person — but this I could have on repeat.

The Amande Concentré delivered everything the name promised: almond-forward chocolate, a refined sweetness in the dough, and the warm fragrance of caramelization binding it all together. The texture surprised me — firm and substantial, nothing like a fluffy yeast donut or a dense cake donut — yet strangely light once you take a bite. There is a reason it is a signature.

“Crunchy and delicious!” — my daughter’s verdict on the Chocolate Crunch. Decisive and correct.

The donuts are moist without any trace of greasiness — not the heavy oiliness you sometimes encounter with fried dough. Takeout packaging is available if you want to bring some back to your accommodation; just ask a staff member when you pay.

Toward the end of my visit, the owner, Mr. Okamoto, and his wife took the time to chat — despite my dropping by without notice. I asked why he chose this particular spot for the relocation.

“I wanted a place where you cannot hear any man-made sounds,” he told me. “Inside, we play music. But the moment you step outside, it goes completely silent. I had been planning this move for five years. The chairs here — I collected them one by one over many years. Some of them are 50 or 60 years old.”

He also spoke about the water. This district is served by its own community-managed water source, exceptionally clean and pure. When the shop relocated from Kurokawa — where the water is different — the team carefully adjusted the recipe to ensure the donuts taste exactly as they always have. From the counter seats you can look out past the mountains toward Milk Road and Kabuto-iwa Overlook. The parking lot fence, incidentally, is built from timber salvaged during the renovation itself.

One final detail: “The pottery shop next door — I drew a great deal of inspiration from how it looks. It is a well-known kiln. I genuinely love their work.” That neighboring presence, visible through the counter window, quietly shaped the aesthetic of this entire space.

Obsessively sourced ingredients, Aso highland scenery that most tour buses never reach, a century-old cattle shed reimagined with genuine conviction — and a team whose warmth makes first-time visitors feel at home from the first moment. Whether you are new to MARUGO DONUTS or a returning fan from the Kurokawa days, the new location in Nishi-Kozono is absolutely worth the detour.