What's Nearby?
Located in the corner of good old shopping arcade of local neightborhood, there are many great old-established eateries in the surrounding of Kyohakuan that are popular with the locals. There are also cultural heritage sites such as Sennyuji and Tofukuji. Below is the list of popular local spots.
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(1) Otanien Chaho
A tea store specializing in Uji green tea and has been in business for over 80 years. They sell wide variety of green tea from Uji district, which is famous for high quality green tea. Inside of the store has been made into a small cafe, where you can enjoy fresh Uji green tea and homemade green tea sweets.
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(2) Otowa-ya
Located on the same street as Kohakuan, and their storefront is filled with large range of pretty Japanese traditional sweets. Eat-in is possible so for those who has got a sweet tooth should definitely stop by to have a taste of old Japanese-style sweets.
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(3) Kyo-ya
A croquette-specialty shop that sits directly opposite on the road from Kohakuan. Japanese-style croquette is one of representative Japanese household dishes, and it is a deep-fried patty made of mash potatoes and eaten with Tonkatsu sauce. The shop is really popular amongst the locals and they close when the croquettes are sold out.
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(4) Gebekken
A popular bakery among the locals. It is strongly recommended to try their cream bun where homemade cream is embedded inside soft dough. Drop by when you feel like eating something western.
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(5) Sohonke Sawamasa
An old-established store where Japanese-style cookies made from Soba noodles called Soba-Boro, originated. Why not try their homemade traditional Kyoto sweets? There are 5 flavors such as green tea flavor for you to enjoy.
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(6) Nishida-ya
A store that sells tasty Japanese pickles known to a selected few. Japanese pickles are often eaten as a popular side dish to rice. Why not try these exquisite, one and only pickles available only at Kyoto?
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(7) Kokohana Cafe
A 100-year old Machiya refurbished into a cafe. The cafe has various homemade sweets and dishes using organic produce.
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(8) Kyoto Sushi -Izumatsu-
A sushi restaurant specializing in mackerel sushi. Taste the authentic mackerel sushi made by the owner whom once worked for a famous sushi restaurant in Kyoto.
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(9) Ganchi
Tasty Tonkatsu (Japanese schnitzel) restaurant located in a side alley from the main road. It is a restaurant with only 8 seats by the counter, and deliciously cooks the tonkatsu you have ordered right in front of you. The restaurant is strongly recommended for those who like meat and fried food.
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(10) Tanba-ya
A shop where you can enjoy the flavor of representative Japanese sweets; Manju and Odango. It is located just 1 minute away from Kohakuan, so you can buy some sweets for evening snack and take them back and eat them right away.
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(11) Baika-do
A store with tasty green tea parfait jelly and ice cream popular with the locals. Introduced on media several times and it is a relaxed store with homelike atmosphere.
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(12) Aoyama mame jyu-honpo
A store that has been making bean sweets for more than 90 years. Similar to mixing different types of coffee beans, you can pick and mix various flavored beans to make your unique 'blend'.
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(13) Sennyuji
Prestigious temple that has strong ties with the Japanese Imperial family. There are graves of past emperors and the current emperor, Emperor Akihito often visits here. Once you go through the main gate, Sennyu-Ji is located ahead of 9 smaller temples standing on both sides of the main path. The temple is about 5 minutes from Kohakuan, and although it is not well-known, the place has a mystical atmosphere so it is a local spot strongly recommended if you are planning on going for a stroll around Kohakuan neighbourhood. During autumn, it is a great spot to view the autumn leaves unknown to many.
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(14) Tofukuji
One of the biggest temples in Kyoto with 25 small temples in the premises. Consisted of 3 highly designed gardens; South Garden, North Garden and East Garden, Banjou Garden is famous amongst Japanese gardens for its superior design and innovativeness. Also during autumn leaf season, it is a popular with many people for being one of the best spots in Kyoto. The temple is only 10 minutes by walk from Kohakuan, so why not have a look at beautiful Japanese gardens while going for a stroll?