Arashiyama Yoshimura

Perched right by the northern foot of Togetsukyo Bridge, Arashiyama Yoshimura offers a welcome pause during a walk through Sagano. The restaurant occupies a former residence connected to the celebrated nihonga painter Manshu Kawamura, creating a tranquil, traditional Japanese atmosphere. Window seats on the 2 floor provide an expansive view across the Katsura River and Togetsukyo Bridge.

Fragrant Handmade Soba and Well-Balanced Set Meals

The restaurant's specialty is artisan soba, prepared by grinding domestic buckwheat groats on a stone mill before hand-kneading and cutting the noodles. The slender zaru soba carries an earthy aroma, with a resilient chew and a remarkably smooth finish. The signature tempura zaru set pairs these chilled noodles with crisp, lightly battered prawns and seasonal vegetables, accompanied by savoury buckwheat-seed chirimen rice and soba-koji pickles for a deeply satisfying combination.

Options to Match Any Appetite

The menu features varied meal sets alongside standalone noodle bowls. Sets like the Togetsu Zen and Hannari balance soba with small rice bowls and Kyoto-style obanzai side dishes, while single-item choices include pure ten-割 (juwari) and standard eight-to-two (nihachi) buckwheat noodles. Diners can tailor their meal to the mood of the day, whether drawn to a comforting bowl topped with starchy yuba sauce, tempura-topped rice, duck dipping broth, or the regional classic of sweet-simmered herring soba.

Finished with Buckwheat Sweets and Local Sake

A meal here naturally concludes with a bowl of warm sobayu, the nutrient-rich buckwheat cooking water, though there are dessert options to explore as well. Buckwheat tea-infused sweets include a cheesecake dusted with roasted buckwheat tea powder and sobacha ice cream. To drink, refreshing Kyoto yuzu soda sits alongside soba shochu diluted with hot sobayu and local Kyoto sakes, making it an easy place to unwind while watching the river flow by.