etw

UPDATE (July 2018): etw has now closed and been replaced by Nice Shot Coffee.

Just a little removed from the town centre, is the café / gallery etw (エトワ) Founded by university students 8 years ago, local artists display their work here regularly, and sometimes hold combined music and art events. Kyoto is a university town, so many of these events and exhibitions are by local students and it can be inspiring to see the enthusiasm and innovation of these young artists and musicians so early in their careers. At the time of writing the exhibition is eclipse; photography & words by Matsuda Yuu. You can see some of these works among the pictures below. Click through to flickr for a better look.

Cool and spacious, with white walls, wooden floors, (and some very comfy chairs), this café was created as a meeting place, a space for creative endeavour, a place for exchanging ideas, or a place for staring out the window with your coffee (￥420) and thinking of absolutely nothing at all… At this moment, with soft burbling music behind me and a view over the Kamogawa before me, it may be just the perfect place to be reading this Haruki Murakami short story.

To find etw head north on Kawabata. Shortly before you get to Marutamachi Street you will find it on the right, on the second floor above the brightly coloured “99” shop. The ever popular Club Metro is in the basement downstairs. The café opens from 3:00 pm till 3:00 am.
You can find a full menu, access guide and list of scheduled events on the etw website