From Taiwanese author Juntang Wang, a unique Kyoto kawadoko meal, perfect for hot summer months!
Sitting on the smooth tatami, listening to the river water rushing by as a cool breeze wafts through your hair, and digging into some traditional Japanese cuisineーthere are few dining experience that feel as authentically Kyoto as the tradition of kawadoko, or kawayuka (川床). Mainly found either next to the water of Kamogawa River, or directly over the rushing streams in Kibune, restaurants set up kawadoko seating along the river to savor the experience of the cool waters, and some spots even have seats where customers can stretch their toes right into the river. In the midst of Kyoto's humid summer weather, sitting down for a kawadoko meal is a uniquely refreshing way to escape the heat, and do so in the most impossibly elegant Kyoto way.
While the kawayuka (also called noryo-yuka, 納涼床) riverside terraces of Kamogawa River are conveniently located in downtown Kyoto, making them a popular destination, they're often 3 meters (10ft) or more away from the water. This time, I wanted to get much closer to the river itself, in Kibune.
The thing about kawadoko dining, however, is that it can get pretty pricy. The fancy seating generally comes with a high-class meal. So if that seems a little out of your budget, but the allure of kawadoko still pulls you in, then you can always look for kawadoko restaurants offering another Japanese summer specialty: chilled somen noodles. (Specifically "flowing somen"!) This gave me a chance to try out kawadoko for only about 1,000 yen!
Flowing somen (流しそうめん, nagashi somen) is often seen in anime, but the dish certainly isn't made up. The noodles are sent flowing down bamboo pipes filled with running water, which carries the somen to waiting diners. This method of eating somen is somewhat rare these days, but with the flowing water keeping the noodles fresh and chilled, it's worth visiting Kibune for the experience.
But! It turns out that actually eating flowing somen isn't as easy as I thought it would be, The water flows surprisingly quickly, and I kept missing the noodles as they shot right past me! Even when my hands moved fast enough, sometimes the slick noodles would slip right between my chopsticks, escaping my grasp.
So, if you're like me and your hand-eye coordination isn't great, it takes a bit of concentration to eat a full meal. If you don't act fast (quite literally), you're going to miss out on any somen at all! But when you do catch some, you'll be rewarded with deliciously cold noodles, perfect for the summer heat. Only available from June to September, don't miss it!
Hirobun (ひろ文)
87 Kuramakibunecho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Official Website
The contents of this article are from the book "Yokai, Cat Island, Mount Fuji, A Map of My Travels in Japan" (妖怪、貓島、富士山,我在日本旅圖中) by Juntang Wang, originally published in Chinese by Inno-Fair. The book isn't available in English, but if you enjoyed the illustrations, you'll find purchase links below. All of the details described above are from the author's travels in 2018, and may not be entirely up-to-date. Please check for the latest official information before making any plans!
Buy the book ▶
Books.com.tw | Eslite | Cite | Kingstone
Follow the author ▶
Travel B Class
Read more exerpts at Japankuru! ▶︎
Gotanjoji – The Cat Temple | Odate, Akita – Home to the Loyal Akita Inu
Details
NAME:Hirobun (ひろ文)
PROFILE
All about the books we love, here at Japankuru!
COMMENT
FEATURED MEDIA
VIEW MORENarita Airport Tax-Free Shopping List 나리타공항 면세점 쇼핑 리스트 #pr #calbee #jagapokkuru #japanesesnacks #japanesefood #japanesesouvenir #japantravel #japantrip #naritaairport #hokkaido #나리타국제공항 #나리타공항면세점 #나리타공항면세점과자 #일본공항면세점 #일본기념품쇼핑리스트추천 #공항면세점쇼핑리스트 #일본과자추천 #면세점일본과자 #일본기념품추천 #일본과자 #자가폿쿠루 #일본간식 #일본과자쇼핑 #일본면세점필수템 #일본기념품쇼핑
Asakusa's Sanja Matsuri, one of the biggest festivals in all of Tokyo, is almost here! Make sure you check out the festival route so you don't miss all the festivities this May. #asakusa #sanjafestival #sanjamatsuri #asakusashrine #sensoji #sensojitemple #japanesefestival #shintoshrine #japaneseculture #tokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #asakusasightseeing #matsuri #japantrip #japantravel #springinjapan #tokyotravel #japankuru #산자마츠리 #아사쿠사 #일본마츠리 #일본여행 #일본5월
Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is home to the famous real-size 20m-tall Unicorn Gundam, and the popular shopping center has even more Gundam on the inside! Check out the Gundam Base Tokyo on the 7th floor for shelves upon shelves of Gunpla, and the Gundam Base Tokyo Annex on the 2nd floor for cool anime merchandise. Both shops have tons of limited-edition items! #pr #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #PR #divercity #divercitytokyoplaza #tokyoshopping #gundam #unicorngundam #gundambasetokyo #anime #otaku #gunpla #japankuru #오다이바 #다이바시티도쿄 #오다이바건담 #건담 #일본건담 #건프라 #건담베이스도쿄
Evangelion, in miniature!? Tokyo's SMALL WORLDS Miniature Museum is actually a must-see for anime lovers, thanks to the tiny Evangelion Hangar and Tokyo-III... plus a whole universe of other scenes both real and fictional. #smallworlds #smallworldstokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #evangelion #eva #anime #miniature #miniatures #animefigure #japantrip #japantravel #에반게리온 #스몰월드 #에반겔리온 #スモールワールズ #오다이바 #아리아케
Have you sat down for a snack at Sumida Aquarium yet? This aquarium next to Tokyo Skytree is known for its penguins and garden eels, but we can't get enough of their cute snacks! There are lots of good seats around the aquarium, too, so it almost feels like one big cafe. 🐧 • Find out more at Japankuru.com! (Link in bio.) • #japankuru #sumidaaquarium #skytree #tokyoskytree #solamachi #sumida #tokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #aquarium #japanesesweets #themecafe #すみだ水族館 #Japan #日本 #일본 #Japon #ญี่ปุ่น #Japão #япония #japantravel #日本旅行 #日本旅遊 #japan_of_insta #japantrip #traveljapan #japan🇯🇵 #igerstokyo #explorejapan
For anime fans, the Evangelion areas at Small Worlds Miniature Museum are a must see! The tiny miniature people in the Evangelion Hangar look like ants beneath the moving Unit-01, Unit-00, and Unit-02! And over in Tokyo-III, characters like Shinji, Rei, and Katsuragi live life on a miniature scale. #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #ariake #smallworlds #miniaturemuseum #smallworldstokyo #tokyotravel #evangelion #eva #anime #miniature #miniatures #animefigure #japankuru #스몰월드 #에반게리온 #오다이바 #오다이바관광 #오다이바스몰월드 #미니어쳐