A single lantern-lit alley west of the Kamogawa, two metres wide, lined with izakaya, sushi counters and kaiseki rooms that grow kawayuka river decks May to September.
Order Eight-course tofu kaiseki with yuba sashimi and warmed soy-milk pots
Tofu-kaiseki on a Kamogawa riverside terrace, hidden down a narrow Kiyamachi alley in a preserved Taisho-era townhouse just steps from Pontocho.
Order Unaju with white-grilled shirayaki appetiser
A Pontocho unagi room above the Kamogawa in Kyoto, founded 1916. Edomae-style grill-then-steam, with a kawayuka deck May to September. Priced at ¥¥¥.
Order Tesaki sushi assemble-your-own tray
AWOMB Karasuma Honten in Nakagyo in Kyoto is the original teori-zushi machiya, around 50 seasonal vegetables and obanzai to assemble hand-rolled sushi.
Order Premium kaiseki with seasonal seafood and wagyu
A modern kappo on Pontocho serving 10-course kaiseki anchored by Maizuru seafood and Tamba wagyu. Counter seats face the river through sliding shoji.
Murata's casual-counter spinoff on Kiyamachi, opened for Kikunoi's 60th anniversary. Two stars, easier reservations than Honten, river views in season.
Order Hojicha basque cheesecake with the day's filter pairing.
About Us in Nakagyo in Kyoto is a 90-year machiya specialty coffee bar opened 2025 between Sanjo Shopping Street and Nijo Castle, hojicha basque, lemon pound.
Order Daily batch brew of the rotating single origin on the chalk board.
Alt. in Nakagyo in Kyoto is a one-woman specialty coffee shop, ex-dietician owner roasting her own beans, daily batch brew and a single counter inside.
Iolite in Nakagyo in Kyoto is Daisuke Yoshida's roaster inside his grandfather's old wagashiya, cedar beams, single-origins, light-roast V60 and espresso.
Yoramu in Nakagyo in Kyoto is Yoram Ofer's eight-seat aged-sake counter, koshu flights from across Japan, small Israeli-Japanese plates, a hidden alley find.
A tofu-and-yuba making workshop at Tousuiro in Kyoto. Press soybean curd into fresh yuba sheets, fold them into a tofu kaiseki lunch on the riverside terrace.
Order House-blend espresso with seasonal milk pastry
Iolite in Nakagyo in Kyoto opens early; the morning is a hand-drip and toast set, cedar-beam machiya counter, single-origin pour-over from the in-house roast.
