Kyoto’s flat geography makes long strolls easy.
And through the use of bustling Shijo Street — also often known as Shijo-dori — as a fundamental street for navigation, it was a breeze to weave through town during my three-month trip in May.
Between meal runs and plotting routes to popular attractions resembling Nijo Castle and Kiyomizudera, I clocked near 130 miles on foot.
Kyoto’s traditional businesses and ancient temples didn’t disappoint, but a recent trend caught my attention. More artisanal shops are popping up — many not removed from town’s most famous sights.
Listed here are five of my favorites.
O’Chill — for meditation and tea
Opened in June 2023
Closest to: Kyoto Imperial Palace (12 minutes)
The trail to the front door of O’Chill.
Source: Morgan Awyong
Curiosity was my fundamental motivation to go to O’Chill, which allows visitors the prospect to drink — and smoke — tea.
Phones are strictly forbidden within the zen-like ceremony room, where matcha is served in a standard tea ceremony. Guests are then given hookahs, with tobacco replaced by tea leaves.
Co-founder Kiruta Wataru explains that tea leaves remove the bias often related to smoking, while the fired leaves act like incense. The experience is a type of “shiko-hin,” or self-nurturing ritual, he said.
“We imagine that any lifestyle is sweet if the person is pleased,” Wataru said.
My eyes widened with the primary puff. The perfume of the tea leaves produced a sweet, woody flavor, as I passed the pipe between the corporate’s other co-founder Daichi Isokawa and two guests.
The 90-minute experience features a guided meditation and refreshments.
Rokuhichido — for paper objects
Opened in April 2023
Near: Hokan-ji Temple (1 minute)
Visitors shop the handmade paper products at Rokuhichido.
Source: Morgan Awyong
With all eyes on the famous five-story pagoda nearby, it is simple to miss Rokuhichido, a store that makes Japanese paper products using methods like silk screen printing and paper cutting.
The brand first gained popularity with postcards, then expanded to provide playful paper balloons and miniature figurines, shaped like marine animals or places like Mount Fuji.
Designs are based on Japanese traditions and culture, the 4 seasons and landscapes, manager Shota Yamada said. Its ukiyo-e postcards, featuring classic motifs like geisha and shogun, are the preferred, he added.
“Depending on the product, a single craftsman can produce only a couple of dozen of our products per day,” said Yamada.
Gokago — for matcha drinks and food
Opened in June 2023
Near: Kiyomizudera Temple (2 minutes)
The front door to Gokago.
Source: Morgan Awyong
There is no shortage of matcha cafes in Kyoto, but nobody does it quite like Gokago. The finely ground green tea — in all the things from drinks and donuts to ice cream — is whisked right in front of guests.
Tea ceremonies are a beautiful Japanese tradition, said the corporate’s director Kazuaki Nakanishi. “Since experiencing the normal tea ceremony could be a hurdle, we thought it was necessary to supply it in an informal style to make it accessible to as many individuals as possible,” he said.
Admittedly, the experience here doesn’t replace the true thing, nevertheless it’s still an incredible stop for an authentic matcha brew en path to Kiyomizudera, one in all Kyoto’s most famous temples. And visitors get to see the precise movements and formal presentation of the ingredients, which is a component of the ritualistic grace of a proper ceremony.
Kaji Kyoto — for Peruvian and Japanese positive dining
Opened in May 2023
Closest to: Nishiki Market (11 minutes)
Food on the Peruvian Japanese restaurant, Kaji Kyoto.
Source: Morgan Awyong
Traditional restaurants are in every single place in Kyoto, but Kaji Kyoto is not one in all them.
“I would like guests to go away Kaji and see how Japanese those that left Japan needed to adapt since the ingredients they’d were different — and were just as delicious,” said head chef Keone Koki.
Koki brings his Peruvian heritage to Japanese cooking, in a single example using passion fruit from Okinawa as a marinade for a tiradito, an onion-free ceviche. “It is also a bit different since most sashimis are only eaten with shoyu,” he said.
With only eight seats, the restaurant is housed in a standard merchant house, with seating split by a small kitchen in between. The effect is very like a performance, with Koki and his crew of 5 endearing themselves to guests with light banter.
Fuku Coffee Roastery — for specialty coffee
Opened in March 2023
Near: Kennin-ji Temple (4 minutes)
Fuku Coffee Roastery is in a machiya, or traditional picket townhouse, that Morio Ajiki inherited from his grandmother.
I initially thought this was a coffeehouse, but I discovered from Morio Ajiki that his company provides top quality coffee beans to businesses.
Luckily, visitors can still drop by for a cup.
“There have been customers stopping by my shop who desired to try my coffee,” Ajiki said. “So I made a decision to serve them.”
It is easy to strike up a conversation with the shy but affable Ajiki, who will likely pop through a set of sliding doors that result in his home. You would possibly even catch a glimpse of his cat, which the shop is known as after.
Cups of coffee are supposed to be had on the go, but there are two benches — one inside and the opposite out front — for individuals who wish to remain.
The roastery displays products made by artists within the neighboring alley. This level of mutual respect between artisans in Kyoto makes discoveries like this well definitely worth the walks.