On the way to Kiyomizu Temple in the heat, we stopped to rehydrate. We bought a matcha shake for 400 yen from the vending machine inside the shop, which was a bit pricey for a vending machine drink, but we shared it. It was sweeter than expected, but that sweetness helped to refresh us from the heat. We drank it all while cooling off inside the shop, then continued on to Kiyomizu Temple.

After visiting Kiyomizu-dera and Koyasu Pagoda, I took a break and enjoyed a Maaru Ice Pop (hojicha flavor) at a tea confectionery shop. It was a perfect treat to take home as a souvenir. The ice cream was rich and delicious, and the sunny weather made the break even more enjoyable. It was just the right amount of refreshment I needed.

Although it's already June, the expiration date was relatively long, and I finished consuming it the other day, so I'm recording it for reference. I realized that I had thrown away the receipt when I tried to write a review now. However, I took pictures of the products displayed in the store, so I confirmed and wrote down the breakdown of 4 types with 9 items purchased. Mizu Mont Blanc @ 441 (tax included) × 2, Seicha no Ka @ 270 (tax included) × 2, Natsu Cha no Ka @ 648 (tax included) × 1, Matcha Panna Cotta @ 399 (tax included) × 2. It's the well-known "Maaruburanshu" Shimizuzaka store. The store is always crowded with tourists. Basically, the lineup of sweets is the same as other stores, although there are limited edition packages exclusive to the Shimizuzaka store. It's not suitable for leisurely browsing, but it's conveniently located near Kiyomizu-dera, making it a good place to buy souvenirs while sightseeing. I didn't write a review, but I have used this store many times. The purpose was to buy summer limited edition products. When it comes to "Maaruburanshu," it's known for "Cha no Ka," but that melts in the middle chocolate, so it's not recommended for summer purchases. Therefore, in summer, they sell summer "Cha no Ka," which I have bought before, but it was too refreshing and not to my taste, so no repeat purchase. Among the items purchased this time, the recommended one is the "Mizu Mont Blanc." It is a cold dessert. The store's description says, "Enjoy the refreshing taste of summer, the rich flavor of chestnuts. A completely new summer Mont Blanc that is smooth like water yokan." It's lighter than water yokan, with a pudding-like texture. My favorite point is that it contains rum. The combination of chestnuts and rum is the best, so it can't be bad. By the way, when served on a plate, the pattern on the surface is beautiful. If you don't care about that, it's fine to eat it directly from the cup in a lazy way. I'm lazy, but for the sake of taking pictures, I used a plate. All in all, if you go to Kyoto, buying Maaruburanshu's products is a must.

Carefully selected tea is used in this dessert, made with Uji or Shirakawa's rich tea. It's a milk green tea fondant chocolate, available only in the summer and best enjoyed chilled. It has a smooth and easy-to-eat texture, with a perfect balance between creamy white chocolate and rich tea flavor.

After enjoying udon at "Benkei Higashiyama Store" and visiting Kiyomizu-dera, I came to "Maaruburanshu Kiyomizuzaka Store" along Kiyomizuzaka! The place was crowded, so I couldn't take a good photo of the exterior. I purchased the "Matcha Assortment" which includes 6 matcha sweets and 2 matcha chocolate sweets for 1,620 yen. The matcha langues de chat with white chocolate filling was moist and crispy, while the chilled matcha chocolate sweet had a smooth and creamy texture, just like a chocolate cake. The staff at Maaruburanshu were very polite and even put a plastic bag over the paper bag due to the rain. The sweets were delicious! After that, I walked another 2 kilometers towards Gion area! Let's go!

The rich matcha langues de chat cookies with white chocolate inside are absolutely delicious. They are a popular souvenir from Kyoto, with a variety of options ranging from 3 pieces to 36 pieces, each priced at around 150 yen per cookie. I bought a lot, including the exclusive box from the Kiyomizu-zaka store. They go perfectly with coffee, creating a luxurious cafe time experience.

I received a gift of Kyoto sweets, the classic matcha blancmange "Chanoka" from Marbura. It is a popular Western confectionery from the famous confectionery shop in Kyoto, Marbura, in Kitayama. It seems to be a package limited to the Kiyomizu-zaka store. It was delicious! ♡

I also purchased some summer-style tea sweets. My family likes them, so I often buy them, but this time I bought ones with chocolate kneaded into the dough for the summer season. I personally prefer the regular ones, but my family seemed to like the summer ones. Since these sweets are not sold at airports, it's hard to purchase them outside of Tsujiro's store, so I make sure to buy them when I see them on the plane.

Today, we will be visiting five temples in the 33 Kannon pilgrimage in Luoyang. We will start by climbing up the steep slope of Kiyomizu Temple. The weather is getting warmer and there are many tourists around. It's a tough climb, but luckily we found Maison Blanc where we can take a break. I bought a Maru Ice Pop - Strawberry Berry & Milk (250 yen) and went to the seating area at the back. Outside on the deck, there is a beautiful green view, creating a soothing atmosphere. A cool ice treat is perfect for a summer stroll in the city. The gentle sweetness of the milk combined with the refreshing tartness of the berries helped rejuvenate both my body and mind.

There is a popular Western confectionery shop called "Malebranche" in Kiyomizu-zaka. It was crowded with tourists during Golden Week. The taste is consistently delicious ♡ Take a break while enjoying the beautiful scenery. ------------------------------ Shop Name: Malebranche Kiyomizu-zaka Store Location: 19 minutes walk from Kiyomizu-Gojo Station Store Account: @malebranchekyoto

In January 2022, I visited Kiyomizu-dera as part of my pilgrimage to the Thirty-Three Kannon Temples of the Western Regions. This Maruburanche has been a familiar place for me, as I used to purchase items from their local department store or order my favorite Kyoto-exclusive "tea sweets" from their online shop. When I saw a sign for tea sweets in a limited edition package at the Kiyomizu-zaka store, I decided to stop by. The temple was quiet with few tourists, allowing for a peaceful visit and stroll around the grounds. The atmosphere inside the store was also calm, so I asked the staff if I could take some photos and had a nice chat with them while maintaining social distance. They even kindly explained how I could link my membership card from the department store to my online shopping account, as my husband had always made purchases as a guest. After purchasing the limited edition tea sweets and some white chocolate with yuzu, I left the store feeling warm and grateful for the kind service. Thank you for the wonderful experience.

My daughter went to Kiyomizu-dera and brought back a souvenir of my favorite tea confectionery. It's been a while since I've had tea sweets, so I'm feeling excited. Near Kiyomizu-dera, when walking down Sannenzaka, there is a shop that always offers a free sample of tea sweets, luring everyone in and making them buy some. However, it seems that they no longer offer such generous sales tactics. The tea sweets are irresistible, such as the matcha langue de chat with white chocolate filling. And the fondant chocolat with rich matcha flavor is a Kyoto limited edition treat that is like a small piece of rich chocolate. It's satisfying to eat just one. I had purchased it once in Gion before, and my daughter remembers well how delicious it was.

If you are looking to buy matcha sweets, the matcha langue de chat cookies from [茶の菓] are famous. This time, I purchased 4 items other than the langue de chat: matcha panna cotta, matcha shake, fondant chocolate, all in matcha flavor ⭐︎ Other than the langue de chat, they are all very rich in matcha flavor. The hidden cafe at the back of the store is recommended, where I had a matcha shake surrounded by lots of greenery.

I go to Higashiyama in Kyoto for hatsumode every year at the same time, but it was the first time I saw such a small crowd. Whenever I visit Kiyomizu Temple, I always end up stopping by Maison Marunouchi. I bought 3 pieces of their popular "tea sweets" for myself (New Year's version) in addition to souvenirs. It's a rich flavor of matcha mixed into a crunchy langues de chat dough, sandwiched with thin white chocolate, creating a taste that combines bitterness and sweetness, astringency and mellowness, which is addictive. I love buying individually wrapped items, so I also bought a new sweet I found for the first time. I bought one each of the "Lalala Madeleine" (tax included at 194 yen) in "lemon flavor" and "almond flavor". The moist dough had a strong lemon or fragrant almond coating on top. I hope to see a different view next New Year. Thank you for the meal.

This is the popular souvenir shop "Maaruburanshu" in Kyoto, located on Kiyomizu-zaka leading to Kiyomizu Temple. I purchased the following items: "Green Tea Sweets" for 231 yen (tax included), a confectionery made with matcha and white chocolate. It is like a super rich fondant chocolate that melts in your mouth from the cool touch when chilled. "Tea Sweets" with 5 pieces for 751 yen (tax included), a sweet treat with special white chocolate sandwiched between matcha langue de chat. I was drawn to the limited edition packaging at the Kiyomizu-zaka store and decided to buy it. The taste is a safe and delicious one. Although slightly expensive, it is a step above the mass-produced souvenirs. The matcha flavor in the dough is subtly bitter and goes well with the white chocolate filling. Thank you for the meal.

I stopped by after visiting Kiyomizu-dera. I bought the recommended matcha fondant chocolate by my gourmet sister. It is best to eat it chilled as it gets quite sticky when held at room temperature. I chilled it in the hotel refrigerator before eating. The taste is like a rich gateau chocolat, similar to a chocolate fondant. As the name suggests, matcha fondant chocolate, the flavor is quite intense and goes well with coffee. Yum~

There are many matcha-based sweets and souvenirs in Kyoto, but one that cannot be missed is Chanohana. I really like this one. It has a crispy cookie dough sandwiched with cream and a well-balanced matcha flavor. I also tried the Chocola version this time, which has a strong matcha flavor. I heard it's best to eat it chilled, so I chilled it in the refrigerator before eating. It has a nice cold texture, but it's slightly hard and takes a bit of time to melt in the mouth. It seems a bit tricky to find the best timing to eat it. Kyoto is wonderful, the impression changes a lot as you grow older.

I stopped by on my way back from Kiyomizu-dera. The shop has a narrow entrance but extends deep inside. There is a long wooden veranda-like area in the back with chairs, but it was too cold so I passed on sitting there. Their recommended item is the Maalbranche tea cookies. They are placed all around the shop. The matcha-flavored langue de chat cookies are delicious, with a strong matcha taste, making them a perfect souvenir. It seems to be a package exclusive to the Kiyomizu-zaka store. I couldn't resist buying it.

I bought this chocolate that I was curious about. It's really delicious. The combination of brown sugar and black pepper is stylish and innovative. The deliciousness is addictive. If I have the opportunity to visit Kyoto again next spring, I plan to buy it again. I really like that it doesn't have a chemical sweetness.

In September 2019, a specialty tea confection called "Mountain Tea Leaves" was made using a special thick tea. The delicate langues de chat cookies are infused with the rich flavor, color, and aroma of the tea, enhanced by the chef's expertise and the senses. A milky white chocolate is sandwiched between the cookies to highlight the deep flavor of the thick tea. The confection was purchased as a souvenir at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto. The package contained 5 pieces for 750 yen, and the manufacturer is Romancelife Co., Ltd. The cookies were enjoyed at home, with the white chocolate inside being green in color. The cookies had a crispy texture and a strong sweet taste with a bold tea flavor. Overall, it was a delightful treat.