6 Recommended Cafes along the Randen Kitano Line
What is the "Randen"?
The "Randen" is a retro train that runs through the streets of Kyoto. It has been 110 years since 2020, when the single-track line between Shijo-Omiya Station and Arashiyama Station first opened in 1910 (Meiji 43). It is the only streetcar currently existing in Kyoto. Currently, two lines are in operation: the "Arashiyama Main Line," which connects Shijo-Omiya Station and Arashiyama Station, and the "Kitano Line," which extends from Katabiranotsuji Station to Kitano-Hakubaicho Station. The train travels leisurely at a speed of about 40 km/h over a 7.2 km route with 13 stations. Famous ancient temples and historic sites are scattered along the line, and it has long been loved not only by tourists from Japan and abroad but also as a means of transportation for locals. The fare is a flat 220 yen for the entire line, and a 1-day pass allows unlimited rides for 500 yen.
The Randen Kitano Line branches off from Katabiranotsuji Station on the Arashiyama Main Line and consists of 10 stations covering 3.8 km up to Kitano-Hakubaicho Station. As the station names suggest, there are famous historical sites all along the line. Unlike the Arashiyama Main Line, which runs on roads, the entire line operates on tracks dedicated to trains. The section between Utano Station and Narutaki Station, which weaves through residential areas, is particularly famous for the cherry blossom trees lining the tracks; in spring, the sight of the train passing through a tunnel of cherry blossoms is iconic. Nighttime illuminations are held in late March to coincide with the cherry blossom blooming season, and again in mid-November during the autumn foliage season. Here, we introduce recommended cafes along the line that you will want to visit while exploring these historical sites.
<7 Recommended Cafes to Stop By Along the Randen Kitano Line>
1ever coffee, Utano Station
Enjoy coffee made with fresh beans while gazing out at the garden dappled with sunlight.
If you get off at the charming Utano Station along the Randen line and head to Ichijo-dori Street, you will find a lush, green cafe in front of the Fukuoji bus stop. Sunlight filters through the trees onto the retro, single-story building. This cafe was opened in 2017 by Forum Hikobae, a company that processes and sells coffee beans. They use carefully selected, fresh beans that have been hand-picked to remove any defective ones, and each cup is ground to order and slowly hand-dripped. The "Hikobae Sundae," which features soft-serve ice cream in a traditional wooden measuring box (masu), comes in vanilla and matcha flavors and is topped with crunchy croquant.
Carefully selected coffee beans and gently flavored sweets.
The sweets paired with their rich, deep, yet clear and refreshing coffee are also locally sourced, with ingredients from producers they know personally. The pudding, with its deep-colored egg, is made using fresh eggs from their own poultry farm. The black tea is harvested in Wazuka Town, a tea-producing region in Kyoto, and during the lemon harvest season, lemon tea made with freshly squeezed, pesticide-free Kyoto lemons also appears on the menu. They also manufacture drip packs in the adjacent building, with freshness being their hallmark. The packaging, handmade with eraser stamps, is stylish and perfect for small gifts.
- ever coffee Utano Station
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54 Utano Fukuoji-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, KyotoMAP
Approx. 5-minute walk from Utano Station on the Randen Kitano Line
12:00–16:30 (L.O. 16:15)
Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, summer holidays, and year-end/New Year holidays
080-2462-4511
None
2Omuro Sanowa, Myoshinji Station
A relaxing moment listening to Viennese music in a peaceful space.
Located roughly halfway between Omuro-Ninnaji Station and Myoshinji Station on the Kitano Line, east of the World Heritage site Ninnaji Temple, this teahouse offers an exquisite pairing of Viennese pastries and Japanese tea. It all began when the owner, captivated by Viennese culture, opened the shop to create a comfortable space away from the hustle and bustle. It was this sensibility, cultivated in a foreign land, that led to the discovery of how well Japanese teas—such as Kyo-bancha, stem hojicha, pan-fired tea, and authentic gyokuro—pair with Viennese sweets. The sencha is carefully brewed with a beautiful tea-making ritual.
Enjoy original Viennese-inspired confections while watching the preparation of sencha tea.
The Western-style pastries, including the Linzer torte, are original creations by a Kobe-based pastry chef who trained in Paris and Vienna. "Koishi," a piece of ganache wrapped in gyuhi (a soft mochi) and dusted with cocoa powder, is perfect for gifting. Also, the "mushiyashinai" (a light meal to stave off hunger), featuring a miso soup made with a blend of white sesame paste and koji miso, is a uniquely Kyoto-style snack.
Screens by a Kyoto-based washi paper artist soften the afternoon sun, while under the indirect lighting along the walls, one-of-a-kind teapots by ceramic artists add to the tranquil atmosphere.
- Omuro Sanowa Myoshinji Station
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- 1F Delacion Omuro, 25-2 Omuro Katamachi, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto MAP
- Approx. 5-minute walk from Myoshinji Station on the Randen Kitano Line
- 10:00–18:00
- Mondays
075-461-9077- Free (1 space)
3Yamaneko-ken, Ryoanji Station
A cafe on the "Kinukake-no-michi" road where adults can relax.
If you head right from Ryoanji Station along the Kinukake-no-michi road in front of Ryoanji Temple, you will find stairs leading underground from the shop entrance just before the Ritsumeikan University gymnasium. As the shop name suggests, you enter the interior via an approach reminiscent of Kenji Miyazawa's fairy tale, "The Restaurant of Many Orders." The menu is extensive, featuring freshly baked butter waffles, seasonal waffles, pasta lunches, and original bread dishes. The "Kyoto Yuba and Raw Shichimi Pasta," devised by the discerning owner, uses fresh yuba from a long-established Kyoto shop and offers a rich, creamy flavor that is addictive once you try it.
Kenji Miyazawa's fairy tales are placed on the tables for you to read while you wait.
The dessert menu is also eye-catching, with the egg-rich pudding parfait being a top recommendation. The deep-flavored caramel is also entirely homemade, offering a nostalgic taste. There are two kitchens, separated into a cooking area and a counter for brewing coffee so that flavors do not mingle. Despite being in an area with many World Heritage sites, this is a shop that has been loved by the people of Kyoto for many years, rather than one aimed at tourists. Every cup of Yamaneko-ken Blend coffee is brewed with the hope that you will come back again.
4Fruit Parlor Cricket, Kitano-Hakubaicho Station
Fruits carefully selected by a vegetable and fruit advisor.
If you head north on Nishioji-dori Street from Kitano-Hakubaicho Station, the departure and arrival station for the Randen Kitano Line, you will find the fruit parlor "Cricket" in front of the gate of Hirano Shrine. The owner, who holds a vegetable and fruit advisor certification—often called a sommelier for fruit—selects seasonal fruits to incorporate into the menu. The fruit sandwich is a popular item. To ensure there is fruit in every bite, slices of apple are layered with whipped cream, and seven types of seasonal fruits are sandwiched inside.
After tasting the sweets, you will want to eat the fruit itself.
The shop was opened by an owner who previously ran a greengrocer at the Kyoto Central Wholesale Market, with the goal of helping people enjoy delicious fruits from around the world. When it comes to "Cricket," their fruit jelly is the signature product. Oranges and grapefruits are hollowed out to serve as containers, and the fruit juice is used to make jelly that is poured inside, making them a popular choice for gifts and Kyoto souvenirs. In the shop, in addition to seasonal fruits, you will find fruit cakes, jams made with an original recipe, and additive-free dried fruits that are sweeter than the fresh versions, as well as a selection of fruits suitable for gifting.
- Fruit Parlor Cricket, Kitano-Hakubaicho Station
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- 1F Sunny Heim Kinkakuji, 68-1 Hirano Hatchoyanagicho, Kita-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto MAP
- Approx. 8-minute walk from Kitano-Hakubaicho Station on the Randen Kitano Line
- 10:00–18:00
- Irregular holidays on Tuesdays, December 31st
- 075-461-3000
- Free (1 space)
5Knot café, Kitano-Hakubaicho Station
Dashimaki (rolled omelet) sandwiches and coffee from Brooklyn, making its first appearance in Japan.
With your back to "Kitano-Hakubaicho Station," the starting point of the Kitano Line, head straight east along Imadegawa-dori Street. Shortly after passing "Kitano Tenmangu Shrine," you will find a cafe renovated from a townhouse that was originally a Nishijin textile workshop. Based on the shop's concept of connecting New York and Kyoto, they were the first in Japan to offer coffee beans selected from "Cafe Grumpy" in Brooklyn. For the dashimaki (rolled omelet) sandwich, which uses small buns, you can choose between two types of sauce: a special cream or grated daikon radish with soy sauce. Along with the red bean paste and butter sandwich, it is a popular menu item and is also available for takeout.
Connecting a long-established confectionery shop associated with Kitano, Kyoto, with carefully selected items from New York.
Since opening in July 2015, the shop has been located at the foot of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, offering original sweets such as chocolate daifuku that connect local long-established Nishijin confectioners like Senbon Tamajuken and Chogoro Mochi Honpo with the New York chocolate shop nunu chocolates. The cafe retains the original "oriya-dachi" single-story pillar structure, creating an open, high-ceilinged space without partitions that is frequently visited by adult women stopping by on their own. The owner's desire for the shop to be a place that connects New York, Kyoto, and people to one another breathes through the space.
- Knot café, Kitano-Hakubaicho Station
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- 758-1 Higashi-imakoji-cho, Imakoji-dori Shichihonmatsu Nishi-iru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto MAP
- Approx. 10-minute walk from Kitano-Hakubaicho Station on the Randen Kitano Line
- 10:00–18:00
- Tuesdays (open if the 25th falls on a Tuesday)
- 075-496-5123
- None
6Entotsu Coffee-sha, Kitano-Hakubaicho Station
A mysterious space you reach when you visit "Maboroshi-koji" (Phantom Alley)
From Kitano-Hakubaicho Station, the arrival and departure station for the Kitano Line, we take a short walk to the area known as Nishijin. Entotsu Coffee-sha is tucked away quietly in a residential neighborhood. You can finally reach the interior after passing through an entrance just wide enough for one adult to walk through and following a narrow, L-shaped alley. The house-roasted "Entotsu Blend" features deep-roasted beans with a subtle sweetness, and when paired with the limited-quantity gateau chocolat, it leaves you feeling wonderfully warm and relaxed.
Packed with the excitement of wandering into a page of a picture book
Opened in May 2016, the shop was renovated by the owner over a year and a half, transforming what was once an old townhouse. A ladder is hung vertically on the wall, leading to a loft-like den that serves as a roasting room, which the owner calls their test kitchen. Because the frontage is only about 50 cm wide, bringing in large suitcases or carry-on bags is prohibited. There is also no place to park bicycles, so it is best to visit on foot while searching for it. What the "Maboroshi Tanteisha" (Phantom Detective Agency) located right next to the entrance is, remains a mystery that only those who visit can discover.
- Entotsu Coffee-sha, Kitano-Hakubaicho Station
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- 110-2 Satake-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto MAP
- Approx. 25-minute walk from Kitano-Hakubaicho Station
- 12:00–18:30
- Wednesdays and Thursdays
- 075-464-5323
- None
<奥嵐山に建つ水辺の私邸>
After enjoying the sights, why not spend a relaxing moment at a Japanese inn in Arashiyama, which flourished as a villa resort for Heian aristocrats? At "HOSHINOYA Kyoto," located along the Arashiyama valley, you can feel the changing of the seasons and the traditions that live on in Kyoto.
7HOSHINOYA Kyoto
A quiet Japanese inn located in the Arashikyo area
In Arashiyama, where Heian aristocrats once built their villas, a 15-minute boat ride up the Oi River from Togetsukyo Bridge brings you to a lodging built along the gorge. It is an elegant space created with innovative ideas using traditional Japanese techniques that live on in Kyoto. It is a private residence where you can immerse yourself in the sophisticated culture nurtured by the thousand-year-old capital. All guest rooms have river views, and it is a resort where you can quietly enjoy an extraordinary world through Japanese cuisine that freely expresses the five flavors, Kyoto cultural experiences, and the beautiful scenery of the four seasons.
▼Declaration of the Highest Standards of COVID-19 Measures
At HOSHINOYA Kyoto, to ensure that everyone can spend their time with greater peace of mind, we have set up two pillars of measures: "hygiene management" and "avoidance of the 3 Cs (closed spaces, crowded places, close-contact settings)," and are implementing COVID-19 measures that have evolved from our conventional services at all facilities.
- HOSHINOYA Kyoto
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- 11-2 Arashiyama Genrokuzan-cho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, KyotoMAP
- Approx. 30 minutes by car from JR Kyoto Station
Click here for reservations
HOSHINOYA Kyoto Reservation Site
MAP
- <奥嵐山に建つ水辺の私邸>
- Nearby Hoshino Resorts facilities
The Michikusa Expert in charge of this article
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Suzuyo Usugumo
A writer based in Kyoto. Author of numerous articles on Japanese culture, arts and crafts, and Kyoto's seasonal traditions. Interviewed Toshiro Mifune and Shintaro Katsu for the film magazine "Roman Kobo." In addition to writing for the Asahi Shimbun's web edition, serves as a lecturer for NHK Culture and Asahi Culture. Introduced hidden spots for cherry blossoms and autumn leaves in Kyoto on the Asahi Broadcasting Radio program "Michigami Yozo no Ohayo Personality." Major publications include "Walking Kyoto Studies Certification" (Yama-to-Keikoku-sha), "Princesses' Guide to Kyoto: Love Stages of The Tale of Genji" (Tankosha), and "The Secrets of the Gion Festival" (Shirakawa Shoin), among others.
Michikusa
Expert
HOSHINOYA Kyoto
Arashiyama, Kyoto Prefecture
A ryokan located in Arashiyama where all rooms have a river view. You can enjoy an extraordinary world of beautiful seasonal scenery and tranquility.
Access Approximately 30 minutes by taxi from JR Kyoto Station
- Accommodation rate example
- Per person per night From ¥33,330