日本語はこちら If you're in the Saga area, the cafe Saganoyu is a pleasant spot for lunch or a cup of coffee. Originally built as a public bathhouse in 1923, the building has been thoroughly renovated and was reopened as a cafe in 2006. You can still see the original tiling on the floors and the faucets along the walls. Here's what we had. Miu chose a cheese … [Read more...]
Dog Cafe
日本語はこちら Dog Cafe is one of Kyoto's "wan-chan" cafes catering to all good dogs and their walkers. A spacious establishment, on the ground floor you can browse among a huge array of dog-related products for your favorite pooch, or dog-themed goods for dog-loving humans. The cafe has a menu that caters for both bipedal customers and their four-legged friends. For dogs … [Read more...]
Cafe Kocsi
日本語はこちら This is a really lovely cafe on Aneyakoji Dori. If you're in the mood for a sandwich and you are in the Kawaramachi area, I definitely recommend it. There's plenty of space, lots of comfy chairs, a peaceful bookish atmosphere and a nice view from the windows over the tiled roofs of Kyoto. Check out the pictures below: They have a full bar, and … [Read more...]
Ran Hotei Cafe – Vintage Taishō Romance & Excellent Cake
日本語はこちら One day I took a walk over to the Sanjo-kai Shōtengai shopping arcade and popped into Randy Channell's machiya cafe Ran Hotei. Randy is well known as a master of Japanese tea ceremony, and he does teach a few tea ceremony classes at Ran Hotei. But if you are not interested in tea ceremony, that's ok, Ran Hotei is essentially a cafe, a place to relax, with coffee, … [Read more...]
Ain Soph Journey Kyoto (Formerly Matsuontoko) – Vegan Burger Cafe
日本語はこちら Update 2023: Matsuontoko is now known as Ain. Soph Journey Kyoto (catchy!) — but it is still a vegan restaurant serving delicious burgers, curries and kara-age! Though there are quite a large number of vegetarian establishments in Kyoto, most of them are located in the north of the city, and the few there are in the city center tend to sell nothing that isn't … [Read more...]
Lush Life
日本語はこちら This is a real find to be treasured. An unassuming little café near Demachiyanagi station, I must have walked past Lush Life a thousand times before finally noticing it one day, stepping inside, and bursting out laughing. Outside, it just looks like your average run-of-the-mill café. But inside - it’s so nice! Like a little wooden jazz-lover’s den, with one … [Read more...]
Cafe Bibliotic Hello!
日本語はこちら Situated on Nijo/Yanagiyabamba, "Cafe Bibliotic Hello" is a converted old machiya, one of the traditional old wooden townhouses of Kyoto. Bring a book with you or just grab one of the many off the walls. Here you can enjoy coffees, teas, cakes, pastries or grab some dinner if you are really hungry. They do some pretty awesome sandwiches but one night I treated … [Read more...]
Les Freres Moutaux
日本語はこちら Les Freres Moutaux is a popular bakery in Iwakura, a quiet residential area of Kyoto. Previously, they also had a very nice branch with a cafe on Aburakoji Dori that sold all kinds of tasty meals - but that branch has now GONE. From white bread and baguettes to sweet buns, croissants and scones, there are many types of bread on sale. And all of them are … [Read more...]
Salut Ya
日本語はこちら さるぅ屋 is a cafe/bar/diner in a lovely old renovated machiya on Imadegawa. The food menu concentrates on burgers, sandwiches and curries and is generally pretty meaty. As I don't do the meat thing, I settled for an advocado and cottage cheese sandwich, expecting something bland and was surprised by its sweet deliciosity. And the bread! That was something else. I … [Read more...]
Quarirengue
日本語はこちら Here's a nice quiet place for coffee and cake. Mewby and I found this cafe one Saturday and spent a pleasant afternoon there enjoying the tasty fare and the cosy mood and burying ourselves in our books. Tucked away down an old residential machiya alleyway it's not a place you'd find by chance. It's word of mouth that gets you there, and Quarirengue has clearly earned … [Read more...]
Deep Kyoto Walks Used for University English Reading Course
I was delighted (and somewhat stunned) lately to learn that our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks, is being used as the basis of a university course here in Kyoto. The course at Kyoto Prefectural University is taught by Dr. Eleanor Yamaguchi and is called "欧米から見た京都", or "Kyoto viewed from the West". Eleanor, who has used supplemental materials on the course, such as our Deep Kyoto: Walks … [Read more...]
Rounding Off: The Kyoto Trail – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto: Walks by Perrin Lindelauf
Here's a new excerpt from our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks. In this piece Perrin Lindelauf does a complete circuit of the Kyoto Trail, a hiking route through the mountains and forests that surround Kyoto. Along the way, pacing the ancient city's perimeter and seeing it with fresh eyes, he finds his love for Kyoto rekindled... Rounding Off by Perrin Lindelauf "This book has … [Read more...]
Nishin Soba at Nama-soba Tokiwa
Tokiwa is an unassuming noodle shop in central Kyoto that serves a huge variety of perfectly average canteen-style meals. It's also the first place that I ever tasted nishin soba. And for that reason it holds a very special place in my heart. I can't remember when exactly I first entered this place, but it must have been over a decade ago, just after I had first moved to … [Read more...]
Kyoto Granbell Hotel
Kyoto Granbell Hotel is a 4-star hotel with friendly staff and excellent facilities in the Gion area of Kyoto. We stayed there for one night last weekend and found it to be very comfortable and reasonably priced. The hotel is in a very central location, and very convenient for Gion Shijo Station, but at the same time it is tucked away in a quiet area away from the busy shopping … [Read more...]
