Love coffee and bread more than rice? Kyotoites are Japan’s biggest bread lovers!

▲ Bread. (Photo / Getty Images / Illustration)

By the Urban Life Research Project, excerpted from *Don’t Be Silly, This Is the Real Kyoto*, published by Yama-Kei Publishers
Translator: Yu-Wen Hsu

Unspoken Rule 19【BreadConsumption isJapan’s highest.】

We’ve already introduced the eating habits of Kyoto people through their love for ramen and dumplings, and we know they actually enjoy bold-flavored dishes. But there’s another eating habit worth highlighting.

Contrary to the “traditional Japanese” image, Kyoto is actually one of the top bread-consuming regions in the country. According to a survey on food items by prefecture, the “annual purchase volume (annual expenditure)” (average of Heisei 20–22 years) for bread shows Kyoto taking the top spot.

Walking around Kyoto, you’ll find bakeries everywhere, among which two are local chains that are so iconic, not knowing them might make you look like a fool: one is Jinjin-do, and the other is Shizuya.

Jinjin-do, established in Taisho 2 (1913), is an old shop that has expanded beyond bread into cafes and restaurants. The Jinjin-do near Kyoto University’s North Gate was designed by its first owner based on the café culture he experienced during his studies in Paris. Its most distinctive feature is the long table crafted by Living National Treasure Kiyoshi Kuroda, bringing the shop’s interior design to the height of fashion. Jinjin-do was also the first to introduce French bread to Kyoto—a move that speaks volumes about their dedication to bread.

Shizuya, founded in Showa 23 (1948), has long been popular for its unique baked goods such as the “Carnet,” which stuffs ham and onions into a round French bread, and the “Original Steak Sandwich,” whose taste has remained unchanged since the shop’s founding. Some travelers even buy bread from its Kyoto Station branch as souvenirs.

Aside from these longstanding bakeries, the reason Kyoto has preserved so many historic cafés is also because Kyoto people prefer coffee and bread over “freshly cooked white rice” (it’s said that’s because most locals were artisans and merchants with little time to cook rice). Kyoto’s most iconic coffee shop is INODA COFFEE (where sugar and milk are already added when your coffee is served), and many Kyoto residents have fond memories of “going to a café with family for breakfast on holidays.”

Kyoto people consider themselves pioneers in promoting bread, but some outsiders—like their neighbor “Kobe” (Hyogo)—view this pride with skepticism. Kobe prides itself on spreading dessert and bread culture across Japan and looks down on Kyoto, saying, “Kyoto people only know Kyoto bread.” In the previously mentioned prefectural food item survey on “annual purchase volume (annual expenditure),” Kobe actually led in toast bread consumption.

The difference between Kobe and Kyoto is that Kobe has many nationwide chain bakeries, such as DONQ or BIGOT, whereas Kyoto not only lacks such outside brands, but its local bakeries also have very low recognition outside the city. Furthermore, compared to the cosmopolitan flair of Kobe, Kyoto’s products tend to have some connection to a “Japanese traditional” style.

In a way, to understand Kyoto’s bread culture—characterized by its “Kyoto-style” products and shop designs—the first step is to explore the local bakeries nearby.

★ The images are copyrighted photos provided exclusively to *ETtoday ETToday News Cloud* by Getty Images. No website, newspaper, or TV station may reproduce any part or all without permission from Getty Images!

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