Explore Kyoto Food Culture

Taste Kyoto – Foods You Should Experience in Kyoto

Kyoto is not only a city of ancient temples and traditional architecture. It is a city where
tradition and innovation have developed side by side. Japan’s first electric railway began running
here, and Kyoto is also home to Nintendo, which grew from a traditional playing-card company
into a global entertainment company.
This spirit of embracing the new while preserving the old can also be found in Kyoto’s food
culture. Centuries-old sweets, tea, vegetables, pickles, and traditional cuisine continue to thrive
alongside new flavors and ideas. Kyoto’s food culture is not simply a remnant of the past—it is
a living tradition that has continued to evolve with the times.

◆Traditional Kyoto Sweets Shops
　・Kawabatadouki　　 　 Founded in 1503  Japanese confectionery shop
　・Kameyakiyonaga　　　Founded in 1617  Japanese confectionery shop
　・Kagizen　　　　　　　Founded around 1695  Japanese confectionery shop
　・Tsuruyayoshinobu　 　 Founded in 1803  Japanese confectionery shop
　・Kameya Yoshinaga　 　Founded in 1803  Japanese confectionery shop
　・Ryokujuan-Shimizu　　Founded in 1847  Japanese confectionery shop
　・Mangetsu　　　　　　 Founded in 1856  Japanese confectionery shop
　・Sioyoshiken　　 　　　Founded in 1882  Japanese confectionery shop
　・Murakami Kaishindo 　 Founded in 1907  confectionery shop

◆Traditional Kyoto Tea Houses
　・Tsuen　　 　　　　　　Founded in 1160  tea house
　・Kanbayasi Shunsho 　　Founded around 1576  tea house
　・Ippodo Chaho 　　　　 Founded in 1717  tea house
　・Fukujuen 　　　　 　　 Founded in 1790  tea house
　・Nakamura Tokichi 　　  Founded in 1854  tea house

◆Kyoto Food Culture
　・Traditional Food Culture of Kyoto
　　→It is shaped by four distinct culinary traditions
　　　　Yusoku Ryori — A Culinary Tradition Rooted in Imperial Court Culture
　　　　Shojin Ryori — Buddhist Vegetarian Tradition
　　　　Kaiseki — Kyoto’s Refined Dining Tradition
　　　　Obanzai — Traditional Home Cooking of Kyoto

　・Kyoto Pickles
　　→Against the backdrop of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, temple culture, and Kyoto
　　　vegetables, Kyoto developed a distinctive tradition of preserving and enjoying vegetables
　　　through pickling.

　・Tea Ceremony
　　→Chakai (Tea Gathering)
　　　A tea gathering where guests are invited and served sweets with either thin tea (usucha)
　　　or thick tea (koicha).
　　→Chaji (Formal Tea Gathering)
　　　A formal, intimate tea gathering for a small number of guests, featuring a full sequence of
　　　tea ceremony elements, including a kaiseki meal, charcoal procedure, thick tea, and thin
　　　tea.

　・Alcohol in Kyoto
　　→Sake
　　　Fushimi is one of Japan’s leading sake-producing regions.
　　　Blessed with high-quality spring water known as “Fushimi Water,” the area produces sake
　　　with a soft, smooth taste that pairs well with Kyoto cuisine.
　　→Whisky
　　　The Yamazaki Distillery began construction in 1923.
　　　It was Japan’s first full-scale malt whisky distillery.