On this day, I went sightseeing at Sanzenin. I didn't research properly, so I didn't realize there was such a distance from the bus stop to Sanzenin. (laughs) Just as I got off at Sanzenin and found a shop nearby. I suddenly felt like going in... and it was the right choice. In late July, with sweat pouring down in the heat, the refreshing shiso noodles were amazing.

On a rainy day during the rainy season, I visited Sanzenin Temple in Ohara. It's much cooler here than in central Kyoto, but the slight drizzle still makes you feel a bit sticky and tired. Since I planned to continue sightseeing in the afternoon, I decided to take a short break. Right in front of Sanzenin Temple is Seriou Chaya. I didn't want to risk having trouble finding another place to eat, so I quickly went in. Luckily, I was able to get a table without waiting. The place serves soba, udon, and desserts. I wasn't very hungry, so I was thinking about having dessert, but I also felt like having soba after a long time. I wanted something refreshing for my tired body, so I ordered the grated soba. The cooking was done by a man who seemed to be handling everything efficiently. In about 10 minutes, my order arrived. The appearance was very simple. The cold soba was easy to eat and perfect for summer. It filled me up just right and helped me recover from the fatigue. Thank you for the meal. I still have more walking to do.

I tried the curry soba with grated radish that was advertised prominently at the tea shop in front of Ohara Sanzenin Temple. It turned out to be soba noodles with curry from a retort pouch. I had high expectations due to the atmosphere of the shop, but it was very disappointing. It would have been better if they had just stuck to regular soba.

Sanzen-in, located in Ohara, Kyoto, is a Tendai Buddhist temple. It is said that Saicho established this temple while building Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei. Near the main entrance of Sanzen-in is a popular soba restaurant called "Seriou Chaya," operated by the renowned inn "Ryokan Seriou" featured in the Michelin Guide. The restaurant has large windows that let in plenty of light, allowing guests to enjoy sweets and soba while admiring the fresh greenery outside. [Seriou Chaya's Soba] - Herring Soba - Bottled Beer It had been a while since I visited Ohara, and I noticed that there were many foreign tourists around. The "Herring Soba," a dish originating from Kyoto, consists of warm soba topped with sweetened herring fillets. The delicate broth combined with the tenderly cooked herring and soba made for a delicious meal. Thank you for the feast.

On April 1, 2023, while my friend from Tokyo was visiting "Sanzenin Temple," my friend and I passed the time at a shop in front of the Otenmon gate. We got "Shiba-zuke" and "Yamazato Chirimen" at the "Doi Shiba-zuke Main Store Sanzenin-mae" and then headed to the sweet shop attached to the restaurant "Seriu Chaya." We ordered ◆ Mitarashi Dango for 600 yen, while my friend chose "Cold Zenzai with Yomogi Warabi Mochi" for 800 yen. We sat at a table inside, poured tea into paper cups ourselves, and enjoyed our treats. The "Mitarashi Dango" consisted of 4 skewers with 5 small rice cakes each, covered in a sticky sweet soy sauce and sprinkled with soybean flour. The slightly burnt edges and soybean flour were fragrant, and the rice cakes were soft and delicious, with the sweet and savory sauce. The cold tea was a refreshing accompaniment. After my friend came out of Sanzenin Temple, the three of us headed to a parking lot on the way to Omotesando, and then we drove 2.5km to visit "Jakko-in" next. Thank you for the meal! (●^o^●)

In December 2022, I took a bus from Kyoto to Ohara, using a subway and bus day pass. I walked up to Sanzenin Temple, where I unexpectedly visited after planning to just go to Shorinji Temple and Hoseiin Temple. I enjoyed matcha and sweets at Sanzenin, and then had lunch at 12:30. The counter seats with a view were popular, but it was too cold to sit there, so I chose a seat closer to the entrance. I ordered a hot pot set for 1300 yen and thought about having some hot sake. The hot pot arrived quickly and warmed me up in the cold weather. It included warm soba, pickles, and mixed rice, which was a satisfying meal. I think I visited Sanzenin when I was younger, but I couldn't remember much. The only thing I remembered was walking on a snowy path to Sanzenin and eating a Sanzen bento at Seri Sho. Thank you for the meal.

When I visited Sanzenin, I stopped by for a break. The staff was kind and the atmosphere was pleasant. They treated foreign visitors with a smile and kindness, which I appreciated. The soba and dango were average in taste. The soba broth was good, tasty. The noodles were okay. The dango was not to my liking. Overall, it's a good place to take a break.

I have arrived at Ohara Sanzenin for the first time, feeling quite hungry after walking around. I decided to eat at this restaurant in front of Sanzenin, where I ordered the herring soba for 1200 yen, which is not commonly seen in Kyushu, and the special matcha ice for 900 yen. Although a bit pricey, both dishes were delicious.

I drove to Daikokuji Temple and parked my car as close as possible, then walked up the slope to the approach. I passed by this shop on the way and planned to stop by on the way back. When I got thirsty, I visited here. It had a very Kyoto tea shop-like atmosphere that felt nostalgic. I sat in a seat with a somewhat good view and enjoyed shaved ice with Uji matcha and warabi mochi. The shaved ice was topped with red beans and shiratama. This is exactly what I wanted to eat in the summer. The rough ice, unchanged from the past, had a nostalgic and nice feeling. I am grateful that I was able to bring my elderly mother who is over 80 years old. I hope we can visit again next year. We also bought pickled vegetables next door on our way out.

On November 21, 2021, I was taken to lunch by a car and visited Daikoku-sanzen-in in Ohara, Kyoto for the first time. When we arrived at Daikoku-sanzen-in, it was already past 1:30 pm. There were food and souvenir shops at Daikoku-sanzen-in, and we decided to have lunch at a shop called Seriyo Chaya. The menu featured soba noodles such as mushroom soba for 850 yen, wakame seaweed soba for 850 yen, and plum soba for 850 yen. It seems like soba is the main dish at this shop, as they also offer Nishin soba, which is said to have originated in Kyoto. Nishin soba is not commonly seen in the Kanto region. They also had sweets like Mitarashi dango (4 pieces for 600 yen), Yomogi warabi mochi (600 yen), and Yomogi warabi mochi matcha parfait (1,200 yen). There was a new menu item called Fragrant Curry Oroshi Soba, which combines curry and soba, a combination that may seem unusual. The shop was featured on the TV show "Kaere Monday Mitsuke-tai". The interior of the shop had a Japanese-style decor with both counter and table seating. Some seats offered a view of the autumn leaves through the window. Tea was self-service. As it was lunchtime, we had to wait a bit before being seated. While waiting for our soba noodles, we felt like having some dango and ordered Mitarashi dango for 600 yen. It was soft and delicious. I ordered the plum soba for 850 yen, which came with a large whole pickled plum that I crushed while eating. The Fragrant Curry Oroshi Soba for 850 yen had warm curry and a choice of cold or warm soba noodles, which was an interesting combination. The curry was quite spicy. Itadakimasu!

In this area famous for red shiso, you can't help but try it. After visiting Sanzenin in the scorching heat, there is a shaved ice shop prepared for such people. There are a few seats inside the shop, but we decided to enjoy our shaved ice outside on the tatami mat. It's nice that tea is self-service and all-you-can-drink. After a short wait, the red shiso shaved ice arrives. The refreshing red-purple color is pleasing to the eye. With just one bite, the refreshing aroma of shiso passes through the nose, spreading a sense of coolness. Eating shaved ice lowers your body temperature. It makes you realize that people in the past knew well how to cool down. ★3.6 Red Shiso Syrup Shaved Ice at Seri Seicha-ya ¥700

Yesterday, after visiting the Daikaku-ji Temple in Kyoto in the morning, we decided to have lunch in the nearby area. Due to the decrease in tourists caused by the pandemic, many shops were closed, but we found a soba restaurant right in front of the Daikaku-ji Temple. We decided to try their new menu item, the "Aroma Curry Oroshi Soba". It was not just a regular curry soba, but a delicious curry with various ingredients. We chose the hot soba, but they also offer it cold. Since it was also a sweets shop, we ordered some mitarashi dango for dessert. Kyoto is known for mitarashi dango, and this one with plenty of sugar soybean paste was delicious. With a wide variety of soba dishes and reasonable prices, it's a great place to have lunch when visiting the Daikaku-ji Temple. We would definitely like to stop by again when we visit Ohara in the future.

After finishing a stroll in Ohara on May 3rd, I stopped by here for a break and had a plate of mitarashi dango. It was a warm skewered dumpling with a sweet and savory sauce, a very common type. It really hit the spot after walking around. Now that I've regained my energy, it's about time to set off again.

A cafe where you can enjoy tea and light meals. It is located right in front of Ohara Sanzenin Temple. Considering its location, there is a possibility of catering to tourists, but I was intrigued by the menu item described as "creative soba," so I decided to give it a try. Essentially, it was soba noodles topped with curry sauce. Perhaps the chef is a curry lover. It was actually quite delicious. It may not be on par with top-rated restaurants on food review websites, but I think as long as you can have a decent meal in this location, that's good enough.

In front of Sanzenin Monzeki, I sat by the window at an affordable price with a good view. Swallows were flying gracefully and the restaurant was full but quiet, with everyone enjoying the scenery while eating. I ordered the set of herring soba and the set of tororo soba. The set meal came with mushroom mixed rice, but the rice was a bit hard and bland. I think white rice would have been better. Herring soba is a must-try when in Kyoto, and the tororo soba had a rich flavor with a strong stickiness from the yam, which paired well with the soba.

Genre: Sweet shop Location: In front of Sanzenin Temple, Ohara, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City Arrival date and time: September 2020, Saturday, 12:00 PM Number of people in line: None Waiting time: None Ordered item: Mitarashi dango 500 yen (3 pieces) Comment: When I visited Sanzenin Temple in Kyoto, I took a short break at this sweet shop. There are quite a few mitarashi dango shops, but this one had a nice grilled texture and plenty of sweet bean paste. The dango itself was a bit soft, and the bean paste was dark in color but not too salty. There was a lot of bean paste left over. It was nice to enjoy it right outside the shop. Thank you for the meal!

A spacious noodle shop located near Sanzen-in Temple. I tend to prefer light meals for lunch, so I usually go for noodles. On this day, I planned to visit the waterfall behind Sanzen-in, so I chose the refreshing herring soba. When the rich oil from the simmered herring meets the soba broth, the sweetness intensifies and spreads in my mouth, which is irresistible. It reminded me of the times when my mother used to cook it for me. My companion had the popular Keema Curry Soba.

When I arrived at Sanzen-in Monzeki, it suddenly started raining heavily. Fortunately, there was a tea house nearby, so I decided to step inside. The tea house was called Seriou Chaya, and it had a lovely view from the window. I ordered the mountain vegetable and mushroom soba, as well as the curry soba with grated radish. The mountain vegetable soba was quite good, but the curry soba didn't quite match well with the soba noodles. It might have been better with rice. The weather outside was unpredictable, switching between sunny, hail, snow, and rain. Just as I was thinking of leaving, it started pouring down rain. I ended up ordering some yomogi warabi mochi, which turned out to be delicious. That was the best part of the meal. Now that the weather has cleared up, it's time to continue on my journey.

Every year, it is a tradition for me, a Japanese Masshole, to spend New Year's in Kyoto. On New Year's Day, I visit a temple or shrine in Kyoto for the first visit of the year. I have already visited most of the major spots in Kyoto, so this time I went to the mountainous area in Sakyo-ku. I didn't realize that this area was still considered part of Kyoto city. After visiting Sanzenin Temple across the street, I stopped by this place for a break. I ordered the "chestnut sweet red bean soup" without hesitation. It was made with round mochi unique to Kansai region and had plenty of beans in the soup. It was delicious and warmed me up. This place mainly serves soba noodles, offering options like herring soba and zaru soba. They also have a creative dish called grated curry soba, which smelled really good. Although I had to wait for a seat, the turnover was fast, so I didn't have to wait long. The staff were efficient, and the food arrived quite quickly. It's a great place to take a break.

I stopped by Sanzenin on New Year's Day. We shared skewers with three mochi balls for 500 yen. The texture was surprisingly sticky and not very chewy. It was my first time trying such a gooey mitarashi dango. I've been here before, but I don't remember it being this soft. The amount of mochi balls seemed to be less now, but the price remains the same. I guess price increases are inevitable.