BAMBOO COFFEE

Located on a 15 min walk from Hankyu Arashiyama Line’s Kami-Katsura station or a 15 minute busride from Arashiyama (line 63 or 73) and in the mountainside of Kami-Katsura is ‘Bamboo Coffee’, a stylish café that is influenced by bamboo. The café consists of two buildings, the original bamboo house and garden in the back and the newly build café in the front. The old bamboo house was build by hand in the late 70s by a single man who after finished building it used the structure as a tourist attraction. In 2022 the place was renovated into a stylish café.

The entrance of the café is an old wooden gate on the right side that leads to the garden and outdoor seating area of the cafe. Through the entrance on the left passing the green bamboo light you will enter the main cafe area. The interior is spacious with a modern interior style with the order counter and seating area that consists of table, sofa and counter seats.

To the right of the cafe is a small corridor that leads to the bamboo house cafe area in the back. This is a Japanese style tatami mat room so you have to take off your shoes before entering. The room is completely made out of bamboo. Bamboo walls, ceiling and even lamps. Everything has bamboo incorporated in a different way. The shoji (paper sliding door) open with a view over the courtyard and outdoor seating area.

The cafe is located in the vicinity of Saiho-ji a famous moss covered temple, Suzumushi temple and Jizo-In temple so it makes for a good outing. There is a busstop right outside of the cafe so you can take your time until the bus leaves.

The menu has mostly drinks (variety of coffees ‘drip coffee, espresso, organic coffee), herbal teas and softdrinks. They also sell small sweets like prepacked poundcake, florentin or scones.

Bamboo Coffee is a lovely cafe with a unique interior and exterior that is worth a visit, especially during autumn when the leaves turn red.