In the midst of the incredible crowd at Kiyomizu-dera, I felt like I was going to die from the scorching heat, but there was a teahouse that felt like an oasis! The teahouse in the foreground had just closed, and we barely made it in time, so we were really lucky! Anyway, in this hot weather, the shaved ice was amazing and so delicious!

When I was tired from walking and feeling thirsty, I found a perfect shop. The seating was old-fashioned and nice. The inside was full, so I sat outside. I ordered some tokoroten. It tasted different from the ones I usually buy at the supermarket, more sour but somehow sweet. Maybe because I'm in Kansai? Or maybe because I was tired? Regardless, it was really delicious! Thank you for the meal.

The reviewer knew it would be crowded, but still wanted to see the light-up of the autumn leaves at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. It was raining that day, so there were probably fewer people. After seeing everything, they found a tea shop with only one other group of customers. Feeling cold, they decided to try "hiyashi ame," a sweet drink with ginger, and "chadango," a warm tea with a soft and slightly sweet rice cake. The "hiyashi ame" was black and had a strong ginger flavor, good for when you have a cold. The "chadango" was larger than ones they had eaten before, soft and slightly sweet, perfect with hot tea. Kiyomizu-dera Temple has many stairs and slopes, so this tea shop was a perfect place to take a break.

Kyoto in summer is really hot. As I was walking around Kiyomizu-dera, I came across this shop. There was no one inside. I was drawn in like a magnet (laughs). I was supposed to have lunch after going down Ninen-zaka, but oh well, who cares, right? I had shaved ice - it was so refreshing!! Thank you for the meal♪

Exploring Kyoto on a hot day! We took a break at the tea house "Chubokucha" located at the bottom of the hill at Kiyomizu-dera. I ordered sweet sake and my friend ordered chilled amazake. The sweet sake was less sweet than I had imagined, but still delicious. I decided to have it hot despite the heat! It was gentle on my stomach, which had been filled with cold drinks. A perfect way to cool down and relax on a hot day. Thank you for the meal!

Autumn in full bloom. To see the autumn leaves, I took a walk in Kyoto after almost a week. This time, I walked from Saga Arashiyama to Yasaka Shrine to Kiyomizu Temple. After burning the autumn leaves into my mind, I walked down Chawan-zaka to the bus stop. But before that, it's snack time at Kiyomizu Temple. - Agar jelly: 500 yen. I chose the vinegar over black honey. It was a bit sour, and I ended up coughing with pieces of jelly floating up, but sometimes agar jelly is good too. While looking at the autumn leaves, savoring the autumn passing by, I sipped on the vinegar and ended up coughing again. Bon appétit.

I took a break at the rest area "Chuboku Teahouse" on the grounds of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. The exterior has a tea house vibe perfect for a break. I ordered the chilled soba noodles, warabi mochi, and ginger sweet syrup. The warabi mochi is generously coated with soybean flour and topped with sugar in the center. The ginger sweet syrup has a subtle ginger flavor that is sweet and delicious. The soba noodles were honestly just okay. It's nice to enjoy some tea and snacks in this atmosphere during a break. Thank you for the meal.

I wanted to visit Kiyomizu-dera, but unfortunately the famous "Kiyomizu Stage" was under renovation and I couldn't stand on it. Oh well, it can't be helped. Just like the giant torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine, I'll have to look forward to it next time. So, I took a break here and ordered an iced coffee and some warabi mochi. They were served promptly. The coffee was average, but the warabi mochi tasted delicious. Maybe it was the atmosphere? It was dusted with unsweetened kinako powder and had a separate pile of sugar in the middle. I thought it would taste even better when it's colder. Thank you for the meal.

I had tea here at 3 o'clock. The kuzu used here for the mochi is said to be high quality, sourced from Wakayama Prefecture. I personally prefer mochi over flowers. This mochi is grilled after ordering and then dipped in sauce. I started from Arashiyama and now enjoying a leisurely time. The mochi was extremely delicious.

I finally visited Kiyomizu-dera temple, a place I try to visit every year. After paying my respects, I decided to stop by a historic tea house located in the square where the eleven-tiered stone pagoda stands. The tea house has a charming old-fashioned appearance that makes you feel like you've stepped back in time. I opted to sit outside on the veranda covered with red felt. The menu featured refreshing summer dishes like chilled soba, chilled udon, chilled sweet sake, chilled matcha, bracken rice cakes, and agar jelly. However, I had my heart set on trying the chilled sweet sake. It's a drink popular in the Kansai region during the summer, made by dissolving malt or rice syrup in water and adding ginger juice or grated ginger. It has a sweet aroma and just the right amount of chill. The color is similar to barley tea, but the ginger gives it a refreshing kick as it goes down your throat. It's not too sweet, more like Kanro candy or pure sugar, providing a comforting sweetness. The tea house had a pleasant breeze, and the sound of wind chimes added to the atmosphere. With a view of the three-story pagoda right in front of you, the location couldn't be better. Whether it's cherry blossoms in spring, fresh greenery in summer, autumn leaves, or snow in winter, Kiyomizu-dera is a place that always brings peace to the soul.

It's been decades since I last visited Kiyomizu-dera, and it's been a long time since I took a break at the temple's tea house. The Chuboku Tea House is located in the square, and its history is evident from the decor. It's quite prestigious to run a tea house within a temple. The menu typically includes matcha, warabimochi, zenzai, amazake, and udon, but my favorite has always been hiyashi ame since I was a child. It's served cold in the summer and warm in the winter, with a refreshing ginger flavor that warms you up in the winter and cools you down in the summer. At Chuboku Tea House, you can choose where to sit, place your order, and pay when your order is served. When I ordered hiyashi ame, it was served with houjicha. The ginger flavor brought back nostalgic memories.

Work in Kyoto ended after visiting two places in the morning. While on a bus heading to the station, I impulsively got off at "Kiyomizu-michi" and headed to Kiyomizu Temple. Despite it being winter, there were surprisingly quite a few tourists walking around, many of whom were wearing traditional Japanese clothing, mostly foreigners. It seems that it's trendy for young female groups and couples to use dressing services to walk around in kimonos for Instagram-worthy photos. After visiting Kiyomizu Temple, I took a break at the rest area "Chubokucha-ya" on the temple grounds. I had sweet sake (with ginger) and warabi mochi. The staff at the tea house, who seemed to be young and possibly part-time workers, provided excellent service to the foreign visitors, even speaking in English.

Kiyomizu-dera has two main tea houses - Chūboku Chaya and Settsukiri Chaya. Settsukiri Chaya was allowed to operate a tea shop on the temple grounds after the wife and children of Kondō Masashige, who was imprisoned and committed suicide by biting off his tongue during the Ansei Purge, were granted permission. Chūboku Chaya was allowed to operate a tea shop on the temple grounds after serving under the priest Tsukishō since the age of 14. Tsukishō was involved in the sonnō jōi movement and fled to Satsuma with Saigō Takamori, eventually committing suicide by drowning. The menu at the tea houses includes kitsune soba, tea dumplings, beer, and warabi mochi. Kitsune soba is known as "kitsune" in Kanto, with aburaage on top, and "tanuki" in Kansai, with tenkasu on top. In Kyoto, it is called "kitsune" like in Kansai. Other tea houses within Kiyomizu-dera include Rokka-tei and Satsuki-tei.

On December 12, 2016, I came to Kiyomizu Temple to see the announcement of this year's kanji character, which was "gold." At first, the calligraphy was too elegant to recognize the character, but it was a great experience to see it up close. On the way back, I visited this shop within the temple grounds and ordered amazake for 500 yen. The atmosphere was nice, although a bit cold. The amazake was very warming. They also offer matcha, zenzai, and kitsune soba. I highly recommend it if you visit Kiyomizu Temple.

There is a restaurant located below the stage of Kiyomizu Temple, a World Heritage Site in Kyoto Prefecture. It's a great place to take a break with a variety of items such as udon, soba, and traditional Japanese sweets available. Despite being a busy tourist spot, the wait time was short and the food was quickly served on the table. The open-air setting may attract insects, but it was nice to enjoy the meal with a refreshing breeze. I tried the warabi mochi, which paired well with tea and was delicious. However, I thought it could have been a bit cooler.

After touring Kiyomizu-dera and passing by the Otowa Waterfall, if you walk a little further down the road, you will come across this shop. It appeared just at the right time when I was starting to feel a bit tired after walking downhill. Although the shop had a decent number of seats, it was quite crowded with customers. However, the turnover seemed good, so it didn't look like it would be fully booked. The open and airy interior of the shop, with one side facing the forest, offered a beautiful view surrounded by greenery. The ventilation was excellent, and with the good weather, the breeze blowing through the shop felt really refreshing. The menu included not only snacks like warabi mochi and tokoroten but also light meals like zaru soba. Many people were enjoying the zaru soba. I ordered the warabi mochi and tokoroten. The warabi mochi was generously sprinkled with sugar on top of kinako powder. Although it looked quite sweet, it wasn't overpowering at all. The warabi mochi had a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It was so soft! The tokoroten was smooth and delicious, perfect for a break!