Kyoto
I’ve celebrated Christmas 2016 in Kyoto staying in the lovely Yoshimizu Inn (right up the hills of Maruyama Park). All the photos above were taken during this visit using the Fujifilm GF670 loaded with Kodak Portra 160 or 400 ISO film. Since then I’ve visited Tokyo again – once some weeks later staying at Guesthouse Waraku-an and once in October 2019 staying at Utsuwa Designed Hostel.
Some of my favorite places: For coffee there’s Clamp Coffee Sarasa, Coffee Yamakawa, Kaikado Cafe, Smart Coffee (great breakfast), Vermillion and Dongree (my favorite). Throughout the city there are three branches of %Arabica: %Arabica Kyoto Higashyama, %Arabica Kyoto Fujii Daimaru and %Arabica Kyoto Arashiyama – all of them are nice (and very crowded). There is also Starbucks Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya (with tatami seating) and Blue Bottle Coffee Kyoto Cafe (this one is a bit outside, but a great place to visit). Although I am a coffee person I’ve enjoyed tea at Ippodo a lot.
For ramen I can recommend Ippudo Nishikikouji, Ginjo Ramen Kubota (loved the tsukemen) and Honke DaiichiAsahi. But the one place I’ve revisited every time was Yamamoto Menzou, if you have time make sure to visit this restaurant and enjoy the udon.
A bit in the north there’s Keibun-sha Ichijoji, a great book store. The whole area is super nice to walk around. For drinks there’s Bar Rocking Chair. At the recommendation of a hotel owner in Fukuoka (who gave us a history lesson in Japanese music one night) I’ve visited Jet Set Kyoto Store to buy some records. The donuts at Koe Donuts Kyoto were really good. And Kyoto Yaoichi Honkan might just be one of the nicest supermarket I’ve ever visited. And visiting the bath house Sagano Onsen Tenzan-no-yu was a great experience after walking around a long day.
From here walk 13 mins (1.0 km) southwest to Starbucks Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya, 13 mins (1.1 km) southwest to %Arabica Kyoto Higashyama or 24 mins (1.9 km) northeast to Blue Bottle Coffee Kyoto Cafe.
From here walk 10 mins (0.8 km) southeast to Yamamoto Menzou, 20 mins (1.5 km) southeast to Blue Bottle Coffee Kyoto Cafe or 42 mins (3.2 km) north to Keibun-sha Ichijoji.
From here walk 11 mins (0.8 km) west to Honke DaiichiAsahi, 11 mins (0.8 km) northwest to Kaikado Cafe or 30 mins (2.3 km) south to Vermillion.
From here walk 23 mins (1.8 km) east to Kyoto Yaoichi Honkan, 27 mins (2.1 km) east to Ippudo Nishikikouji or 1 hour 5 mins (5.1 km) west to Sagano Onsen Tenzan-no-yu.
From here walk 3 mins (0.3 km) east to Ippodo, 10 mins (0.8 km) south to Smart Coffee or 11 mins (0.9 km) southeast to Jet Set Kyoto Store.
From here walk 7 mins (0.5 km) southwest to Honke DaiichiAsahi, 11 mins (0.8 km) southeast to Utsuwa Designed Hostel, 16 mins (1.2 km) west to Ginjo Ramen Kubota or 19 mins (1.4 km) northeast to Dongree.
From here walk 2 mins (0.2 km) east to Jet Set Kyoto Store, 7 mins (0.5 km) north to Ippodo or 9 mins (0.7 km) west to Kyoto Yaoichi Honkan.
From here walk 28 mins (2.3 km) north to Utsuwa Designed Hostel, 37 mins (3.0 km) northwest to Honke DaiichiAsahi or 38 mins (3.1 km) northwest to Kaikado Cafe.
From here walk 10 mins (0.7 km) east to %Arabica Kyoto Higashyama, 13 mins (1.0 km) northwest to Bar Rocking Chair or 18 mins (1.4 km) southwest to Kaikado Cafe.
From here walk 4 mins (0.3 km) east to Starbucks Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya, 9 mins (0.7 km) west to Dongree or 15 mins (1.1 km) northeast to Yoshimizu Inn.
From here walk 2 mins (0.2 km) northeast to Koe Donuts Kyoto, 4 mins (0.3 km) south to Bar Rocking Chair or 9 mins (0.7 km) west to Ippudo Nishikikouji.
From here walk 20 mins (1.6 km) east to Sagano Onsen Tenzan-no-yu, 1 hour 25 mins (6.7 km) east to Clamp Coffee Sarasa or 1 hour 51 mins (8.8 km) east to Ginjo Ramen Kubota.
From here walk 3 mins (0.3 km) west to %Arabica Kyoto Higashyama, 12 mins (1.0 km) west to Dongree or 14 mins (1.0 km) northeast to Yoshimizu Inn.
From here walk 9 mins (0.7 km) northwest to Yamamoto Menzou, 19 mins (1.5 km) northwest to Guesthouse Waraku-an or 26 mins (1.9 km) southwest to Yoshimizu Inn.
From here walk 3 mins (0.3 km) west to Coffee Yamakawa, 7 mins (0.5 km) south to Smart Coffee or 8 mins (0.7 km) south to Jet Set Kyoto Store.
From here walk 4 mins (0.3 km) north to Kyoto Yaoichi Honkan, 8 mins (0.6 km) east to Koe Donuts Kyoto or 9 mins (0.7 km) east to %Arabica Kyoto Fujii Daimaru.
From here walk 16 mins (1.2 km) east to Kaikado Cafe, 18 mins (1.4 km) southeast to Honke DaiichiAsahi or 24 mins (1.8 km) northeast to Bar Rocking Chair.
From here walk 7 mins (0.5 km) northeast to Kaikado Cafe, 11 mins (0.8 km) east to Utsuwa Designed Hostel or 17 mins (1.4 km) northwest to Ginjo Ramen Kubota.
From here walk 9 mins (0.7 km) southeast to Blue Bottle Coffee Kyoto Cafe, 10 mins (0.8 km) northwest to Guesthouse Waraku-an or 25 mins (1.9 km) south to Yoshimizu Inn.
From here walk 40 mins (3.2 km) south to Guesthouse Waraku-an, 50 mins (4.0 km) south to Yamamoto Menzou or 53 mins (4.2 km) south to Blue Bottle Coffee Kyoto Cafe.
From here walk 4 mins (0.3 km) north to %Arabica Kyoto Fujii Daimaru, 6 mins (0.4 km) north to Koe Donuts Kyoto or 13 mins (1.0 km) southeast to Dongree.
From here walk 2 mins (0.2 km) west to Smart Coffee, 9 mins (0.7 km) north to Ippodo or 9 mins (0.8 km) south to Koe Donuts Kyoto.
From here walk 2 mins (0.2 km) southwest to %Arabica Kyoto Fujii Daimaru, 5 mins (0.4 km) south to Bar Rocking Chair or 8 mins (0.6 km) west to Ippudo Nishikikouji.
From here walk 4 mins (0.3 km) south to Ippudo Nishikikouji, 9 mins (0.7 km) east to Smart Coffee or 23 mins (1.8 km) west to Clamp Coffee Sarasa.
From here walk 20 mins (1.6 km) west to %Arabica Kyoto Arashiyama, 1 hour 5 mins (5.1 km) east to Clamp Coffee Sarasa or 1 hour 33 mins (7.3 km) east to Ginjo Ramen Kubota.