There are many delicious sweets in Kyoto, but many people are interested in what people living in Kyoto eat.
Simple but lovable confections that Kyoto people eat in their daily lives. We will introduce 12 selected stores along with nearby sightseeing spots.
【Near Shimogamo-jinja Shrine】Demachi Futaba's Mame-mochi
Demachi Futaba is a popular store where there is always a long line. The “Mame-mochi” here is a sweet and salty Daifuku that even the locals want to eat regularly. The combination of salty beans and red bean paste is addictive.
There are many other products in the show window. In addition to mame-mochi, we also recommend sakura-mochi, whose leaves are soft and can be eaten as they are.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
236, Seiryu-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
Access
Take the Kyoto city bus from Hankyu Kyoto Line Kyoto-kawaramachi Station and alight at Aoi Bashi Nishizume. It's a short walk away.
【Near Shimogamo-jinja Shrine】Kamehiromune's specialty, Ubadama
Kamehiromune is a small Japanese confectionery established in 1953. The specialty here is Ubadama. It is a bite-sized round of koshian (sweet bean paste), and the taste of red bean paste and brown sugar mixed together is very addictive.
The glossy appearance is like a chocolate candy. It goes great with green tea or coffee.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
9-4, Takagi-cho, Shimogamo, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Access
Take the Kyoto city bus from Hankyu Kyoto Line Kyoto-kawaramachi Station and alight at Rakuhoku koukou-mae. It's a 3-minute walk from there.
【Kawaramachi-Oike】Murakami Kaishindo, a famous cookie store
Murakami Kaishindo is famous for its traditional baked sweets. They are so popular that there is a waiting list for reservations if you want to buy them in a boxed set. Kyotoites buy their favorite ones in small pieces and enjoy them as a snack at home. The buttery taste that spreads gradually and the crispy dough are the best.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
62, Tokiwagi-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Access
20-minute walk from Hankyu Kyoto Line Kyoto-kawaramachi Station
【Near Kyoto Imperial Palace】Speaking of yokan, Toraya Ichijo Honten
Toraya is a long-established yokan shop. The Ichijo main store offers Kyoto-like flavors such as green tea and white miso (soybean paste), but we recommend the classic Ogura Yokan, Yoru no ume. The bite-size pieces are easy to eat and really useful. Also, the package that changes with each Chinese zodiac sign is often used for New Year’s treats.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
415, Hirohashi-dencho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
Access
From Hankyu Kyoto Line Karasuma Station, transfer over to the Kyoto Municipal Subway and go to Marutamachi or Imadegawa Station. It's a 10-minute walk from there.
【Subway Kuramaguchi】Beautiful Seasonal Wagashi at Kofukuya
Kofukuya’s sweets are just beautiful to look at. They are filled with a sense of the season, and are enjoyable to eat with a good cup of tea.
Summer sweets and goldfish bowls have a firm sweetness, but the design is cute, as if it were a scene taken directly from the scene when the goldfish bowl is removed.
This is “sudare” which comes out in early summer, a little before the goldfish bowl. It is a windy confectionary with red bean paste and green maple leaves in a transparent sudare. The sweetness is moderate, and you can enjoy the moist strained bean paste. Warabimochi are also popular and always available.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
313, Kuramaguchi-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto
Access
From Hankyu Kyoto Line Karasuma Station, transfer over to the Kyoto Municipal Subway and go to Kuramaguchi Station. It's a 10-minute walk from there.
【Near Kiyomizu-dera Temple】The Taste of Tradition Goken Uiro
As the name of the store suggests, the specialty is Uiro. It is characterized by its simple but good handmade taste.
The Kyoto people recommend the sekihan manju (red rice bun). The slightly sweet dough is filled with chewy sekihan (red rice). If you eat one or two of these when you are hungry, you will not be hungry at all until dinner.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
18-1, Gojobashi Higashi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Access
20-minute walk from Hankyu Kyoto Line Kyoto-kawaramachi Station
【Near Nijo Castle】Sanjo Wakasaya, an essential part of the Gion Festival season
Gion Chigo Mochi is Sanjo Wakasaya’s signature confectionery and is served during the Gion Festival.
The whip-cracking white rice cake has a simple flavor that has been loved for centuries.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
675, Hashinishi-cho, Sanjo-dori Horikawa-nishi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Access
From Hankyu Kyoto Line Karasuma Station, transfer over to the Kyoto Municipal Subway and go to Nijojo-mae Station. It's a short walk away.
【Near Kamigamo Shrine】limited season Amber of Sougetsu
This is a rare confectionary made of amber sugar with tree buds. Amber is one of the dried confections, but it is beautifully transparent like a jewel, and tree buds are placed on top of it.
Sold only from February to around May, it has become an annual confectionary with a crisp texture and the unforgettable freshness of tree buds.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
5, Harinoki-cho, Nishigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto
Access
Take the Kyoto city bus from Hankyu Kyoto Line Karasuma Station and alight at Jinkoin-mae. It's a 5-minute walk from there.
【Near Kamigamo Shrine】Two-bite cheesecake Patisserie Karan
Although Patisserie Karan is located a little far from the tourist area, this cheesecake is something that every Kyotoite has heard of or received at least once. The cheesecake, which can be eaten in two bites instead of one, is a fluffy soufflé, yet rich in flavor.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
15, Nishigamo-bonogo-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto
Access
Take the Kyoto city bus from Hankyu Kyoto Line Karasuma Station and alight at Jinkoin-mae. It's a short walk away.
【Near Katsura Rikyu】Mugite Mochi, a specialty of Katsura, Kyoto Nakamura-ken
Mugite mochi is said to have been eaten in between farm work. The thick rice cake is filled with sweet bean paste, making it a very satisfying dish.
The photo shows a large-sized one, but smaller-sized ones are also available.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
61, Asahara-cho, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto
Access
15-minute walk from Hankyu Kyoto Line Katsura Station
【Near Matsuo-taisha Shrine】Colorful o-hagi (rice ball) Shoraku
Shoraku is also famous for its famous sweets “Okusaga” with mugwort and “Taisha Sake Manju”, the founder of sake, as well as for its ohagi (rice cakes). The store is also notable for its seasonal sweets.
Seasonal, but a must-try is the “Strawberry Sakura Mochi” sold in spring. It is a highly satisfying dish of sakura mochi filled with sweet and sour strawberries.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
23-3, Arashiyama Miyanomae-cho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto
Access
5-minute walk from Hankyu Arashiyama Line Matsuo-taisha Station
【Near Heian Jingu Shrine】A staple of Kyoto souvenirs Shogoin Hachitsubashi Sohonten
One of Kyoto’s most famous souvenirs is the yatsuhashi, and we recommend the Shogoin Hatsuhashi, which has a slightly richer series of yatsuhashi. One of the particular series such as strawberry, sansho (Japanese pepper), and black sesame is chocolat. It is a surprisingly light and light product despite its chocolate filling.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
6, Sanno-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Access
Take the Kyoto city bus from Hankyu Kyoto Line Kyoto-kawaramachi Station and alight at Kumano Jinja-mae. It's a short walk away.
How was it? Kyoto people go to popular stores with lines out the door, as well as to small, lesser-known Japanese confectionery shops.
Spring sweets, summer sweets, occasional sweets, Kyoto people eat sweets all year round. We hope you too will enjoy the flavors of Kyoto when you come to Kyoto.