JR Station Hopping: Local Gourmet Spots in Kyoto, Near Nara and Iga

Joyo-Shuzo is known for its high-quality sake (often referred to as Japanese rice wine) and umeshu (Japanese plum wine). They use very soft groundwater drawn from 100 meters below the brewery. With a history of approximately 130 years, they craft delicious beverages that appeal to the five senses by blending traditional techniques and carefully selected ingredients with playful and creative spirits.

Joyo-Shuzo’s sake offerings include those made with Yamadanishiki, one of the foremost sake rice varieties for its clear and straightforward flavor, and those using Kyoto-grown sake rice, known for its refined, gentle, and ample flavor. The company president Toshihiro Shimamoto personally recommends their sake made with Iwai, the flavorful sake rice unique to Kyoto.

Since 1991, this brewery has produced umeshu plum wine using locally grown ume (Japanese plums). The nearby Aodani-Bairin Plum Grove, Kyoto’s largest plum producing place, is famous for its Joshuhaku plum, a large fruit with a rich, peach-like fragrance. Joyo-Shuzo uses the Joshuhaku to create the refined sweetness and mellowness of umeshu that is aged for at least three years without any additives. Furthermore, as a playful creation that Mr. Shimamoto describes as “something only we can do,” they combine their umeshu with Uji matcha green tea. The elegant sweetness and mellow flavor of the umeshu and the comfortable bitterness and aroma of the matcha are balanced perfectly, creating a unique Kyoto experience.

If you visit Kyoto around late February to mid-March, when the Plum Blossom Festival is held around the Aodani-Bairin Plum Grove, consider combining a visit to Joyo-Shuzo with the festival to enjoy the flowers’ beauty and fragrance. In Japan, viewing ume blossoms predates hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) that is popular today. Savor exquisite umeshu, and immerse yourself in Japan’s rich heritage around the historic ume grove.

Open: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Closed: Sundays, national holidays (December: open on Sundays and national holidays too, only December 31 is closed)
Address: 34-1 Nashima Kubono, Joyo City, Kyoto
Website: https://joyo-shuzo.co.jp/

Kotokoto Beer, founded in 2022, is rapidly achieving its goal of fostering smiles and community. The brewery starts direct sales at 11:51am and sometimes opens the weekend pub for beer enthusiasts. This opening time is a play on words (“5” can sound like “ko,” and “1” is similar to “10” that sounds “to” in Japanese), inviting visitors into the delightful world, created by Kotokoto Beer’s founder, Tomoya Bando.

Mr. Bando founded this microbrewery, with the experience of working in the sake industry. He views craft beer as a fun way to bring people together, revitalize the region, and spread the richness of its nature and agriculture nationwide. In addition to the standard lineup that includes the wheaty weizen, the stout, the pilsner, and the IPA (India pale ale), he has also collaborated with local stores and farmers to develop fun, unique beers. For example, they created a tomato pilsner, a grape IPA, and a coffee beer. There is even one that utilizes strawberries that nearby farmers are struggling to sell.

The weekend pub is mostly frequented by the locals, including many families with children. The venue, right next to the small brewery and just across the railway tracks, is another creative approach of Mr. Bando. Visitors can immerse themselves in the unique ambience that is totally different from the world outside. It’s a retro karaoke pub with red velour upholstery, dim lighting, and a backlit stage – the perfect place to drink the strawberry beer.

Opening Days and Hours: Check Instagram
Address: 58 Hirao Sanshozuka, Yamashiro-cho, Kizugawa City, Kyoto
Website: https://kotokotobeer.com/

This charming old Japanese house, located on a historic trail called Yamashiro-kodo Road, offers a delightful selection including traditional sweets on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s a great place to relax, recharge your batteries, and experience Japanese culture.

Ohagi is a traditional Japanese sweet made with glutinous rice and sweet bean paste, typically palm-sized. Kamuin offers not only regular ohagi, but also a set of five bite-sized ohagi with different colors and designs. You can enjoy five flavors, including matcha green tea and kinako (roasted soybean flour). Each one has its own unique character, whether it’s a delightful texture, a smooth sensation on the tongue, or an enjoyable fragrance. The white one with a cherry blossom has an elegant aroma, and light saltiness complements its refined sweetness. These pretty, ball-like sweets are among the most popular sweets at this cafe.

In addition, there are a variety of special seasonal options available, including shaved ices in summer, warm zenzai (dessert soup made with red beans and grilled mochi rice cakes) in winter, and a unique hamburger made with a local specialty, bamboo shoots in spring.

Located near Kanimanji Temple, which has a connection with crabs, one of this cafe’s charms is the crab motifs that can be found throughout. From here, you can reach the temple by walking along the Yamashiro-kodo Road. The trail is a walking route, which meanders for about 25 km from JR Jōyō Station to the JR Kizu Station area. It follows a north-south trajectory similar to the JR Nara Line and Kizu River.

Open: Saturdays, Sundays (10:30am – 5:00pm)
Address: 38-1 Kabata Yamaguchi, Yamashiro-cho, Kizugawa City, Kyoto
Facebook: https://ja-jp.facebook.com/kamuinhonten

In a nature-rich area close to the Kizu River and mountains, Kazuki Morimoto offers people the abundant gifts of the surrounding environment. The food menu includes Japanese dishes made with game meats such as deer, wild boar, duck, and pheasant. You can even enjoy soft-shelled turtle, eel, carp, and sweetfish, too. Mr. Morimoto catches the sweetfish in the river in front of the building!

After working in Osaka, he returned to his hometown and opened “Yoichi” in 2021, to create a place where people can gather and relax. He realized how the locals could cooperate well, and has been offering a rich menu based on these relationships. He renovated an approximately 70-year-old building to create a comfortable space. This cozy place maintains its traditional charm with wooden furnishings and sliding doors. You can enjoy eating and drinking on a tatami mat (traditional Japanese flooring), as well as on a chair.

The second floor is used for bed and breakfast accommodations. At breakfast, he also serves locally sourced ingredients, such as the honey on toast and the raw eggs over fresh rice.

This area attracts visitors to view cherry blossoms in spring, colored leaves in fall, and sea of clouds in the mountains that might be seen at dawn in the colder months. Mr. Morimoto offers a variety of seasonal experiences, such as evening cherry blossom viewing with delicious dishes, exciting nighttime eel fishing, fascinating firefly viewing, sweetfish catching and grilling, fall foliage viewing, and a sea of clouds tour!

©Kasagi Town

Open:
-Lunch: 11:00am – 2:00pm (Reservations required)
-Dinner: 5:00pm – 9:00pm (Reservations required)
Address: 67-1 Kasagi Nishidori, Kasagi Town, Soraku-gun, Kyoto
Website: https://yoichi-kasagi.jp/

Teoterasu Ide, a community hub for regional development and interactions, opened in 2023 next to Ide Town Hall that opened about two months earlier than it. It serves as a gathering spot for local people, and it has a direct sales corner offering a wide range of goods. There is even a spacious cafe with tables made of cypress from Ide, serving its signature dishes made with local specialties. From its terrace (“terasu” in Japanese!), you can view nearby mountains.

Tasty attractions here include the specially developed Ide Janmen, a spicy miso ramen made with local miso (fermented bean paste), with one of the local specialties, bamboo shoot as topping. Ide Ohgon Purin (Ide Golden Pudding) is a rich, creamy custard that highlights the natural flavor of eggs. It drew on a local legend from over a millennium ago, which says that a golden hen was buried somewhere in Ide, which is yet to be found.

The charm of Teoterasu Ide cannot be fully expressed in a single word. As well as the local specialties and other fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, the shop offers a variety of packaged foods, sweets, alcoholic beverages, handmade crafts, and more. Furthermore, there are market events and other fun events here.

Open:
-Cafe: 9:00am – 5:00pm
-Shop: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Closed: Mondays (or the next day if Monday is a national holiday), year-end and new-year holidays
Address: 8 Ide Higashitakatsuki, Ide Town, Tsuzuki-gun, Kyoto
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teoterasuide//

This place gathers the quintessence of Minamiyamashiro Village, which is Kyoto’s only village, making it an exciting place. Eating, drinking, and shopping are fun with various options that showcase the best of the region.

There is Murafudo Shokudo Tsuchi-no-Ubu, a cozy place where you can relax and enjoy meals, surrounded by rich nature and reflecting the wisdom of the self-reliant community. You can enjoy dining with a view of the tea plantation across the road. Their lunch dishes like chasoba (green tea noodles) are delicious with high-quality matcha. The breakfast menu includes chagayu (rice porridge) made with hojicha (roasted tea), which is very tasty, too.

At their sweets and tea shop, Muracha-ya, you can enjoy a to-go menu, including popular matcha soft-serve ice cream and tempting desserts using it. Their sundae has a fascinating, sweet and bitter flavor, drizzled with rich matcha syrup! The menu changes seasonally, featuring shaved ices in summer and zenzai (a warm dessert soup with mochi rice cakes) in winter.

The Nomon Ichiba market features the village’s tea, as well. In addition to various teas, there is also a wide selection of specially developed products made with tea. For example, pound cakes, a creamy pudding, and dorayaki (traditional pancake sandwiches with sweet bean filling). You can also find fresh vegetables straight from farms and local specialties such as shiitake mushrooms, blueberries, and rice.

Open: 9:00am – 6:00pm
-Nomon Ichiba: 9:00am – 6:00pm
-Mura Hyakkaten (Everyday items): 9:00am – 6:00pm
-Murafudo Shokudo Tsuchi-no-Ubu: 8:00am – 9:30am, 11:00am – 4:00pm
(Open from 7:30am on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays)
-Muracha-ya: 9:30am – 5:00pm
Closed: the 3rd Wednesday of June, the 2nd Wednesday of December
Address: 102 Kitaokawara Tonda, Minamiyamashiro Village, Soraku-gun, Kyoto
Website: https://michinoeki.kyoto.jp/