【Travelogue】Wear a Kimono and Savor Kifune Cuisine in Kyoto

I was planning to go all the way to Kifune in Kyoto to try the internet-famous Hirobun flowing noodles. I was excited at the thought of elegantly wearing a kimono, sitting by the waterfall, and picking noodles from a traditional bamboo tube. 😊

(Internet photo)

The easiest way to get from Kyoto to Kifune is to take the Eizan Railway. Get off at Kuramaeimatsu Station, then transfer to the Eizan Cable Car. It costs about 200 yen for a one-way trip to Kifune.

The entire railway line couldn’t be simpler — the final stop, Kuramaeimatsu, already has the largest platform.

But the train cars surprised me because they have seats facing the windows.

As soon as I got off the train, I felt like I was in the mountains — the temperature dropped by five degrees immediately, and it really felt like the air conditioning had kicked in.

The entire commercial area of Kifune is just a single mountain path. You can walk up or take the bus for 160 yen. Along the way, there are many inns and restaurants.

You’ll also pass by Kifune Shrine — the rows of toro lanterns are spectacular~ At the time, I was just thinking about taking photos, but when I got back to the hostel and asked my friend what those red shrine lanterns were called while writing the travelogue, I realized that Kifune Shrine’s lantern path is actually quite famous and often used as a representation of Japan’s traditional lanterns.

Keep walking to the end, and you’ll reach Hirobun — but...

After traveling all this way to Kifune and even hiking up another hill, we found out that the flowing noodles dining tables had been destroyed by a typhoon a few days earlier... no noodles to eat /______\

Although not being able to eat the flowing noodles was disappointing, Kifune is also well known for its kawadoko cuisine. Along the mountain path, you’ll come across several restaurants that specialize in kawadoko meals. These restaurants build their platforms over the streams so guests can dine while enjoying the river views. Prices range from over 10,000 yen down to the 3,260 yen we paid.

Kifune-so is probably the most famous one. It’s quite pricey and requires reservations. But you get what you pay for — in terms of scenery, Kifune-so is probably the most beautiful.

In the end, we chose a cheaper option with pretty nice scenery too (unfortunately, the seats in the photo are VIP seats that require reservations, but luckily no one was there so we could take a picture).

There was sashimi, ochazuke (rice with tea), grilled fish, cold noodles, and dessert. For the price, it was quite a good deal. However, the quality... also reflected the price — nothing particularly delicious.

Tiny little Kifune basically has nothing else apart from flowing noodles, kawadoko cuisine, and Kifune Shrine. But the scenery is beautiful, and it offers a different vibe from the urban feel or Kyoto’s monotonous temples. It has a completely different style from other areas in the Kyoto-Osaka region — definitely worth a visit.

Address:
Chaya Zenzaian
Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, Kurama-Kifunecho