Kotokikichaya (Kotaki Tea Shop), Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

Arashiyama is about 15 minutes by train west of Kyoto.

The area is designated as a Historic Site as well as a Place of Scenic Beauty. You’ve probably seen photos from Arashiyama before showing the world famous Sagano Bamboo Forest.

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DSC03776 (August 11, 2017)

Kotokikichaya (Kotaki Tea Shop), Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

The day started hot and humid which made the kilometres of walking along with undulating hills an onerous affair. The views made up for the effort.

After completing the circuit through the bamboo forest and walking along the river the clouds closed in down the valley and the heavens opened up. Luckily it was approaching noon so I went looking for somewhere to eat.

As I approached the bridge that goes across the Hozu / Katsura River (yep, the river has a different name on the north side of the river than on the south side!) I spotted a small cafe that was serving lunch. A quick look at the photos on the menu showed Japanese Curry was on the menu, so I headed in.

I was lucky enough to get a seat on the counter that looked out over the bridge. From here I was able to watch the world go past, and people get very, very wet as the rain swept through. I could also pace my meal to ensure that I finished when the rain had finished.

I ordered a tonkatsu curry lunch special (crumbed and fried pork cutlet with rice covered with Japanese curry sauce, some pickles and a cup of miso soup) and a bottle of beer.

My meal was delivered in about 10 minutes and tasted superb – there’s something about Japanese curry sauce that is just so moreish.

I relaxed for around half an hour until the rain had passed and headed out into the main road well fed.

Apparently in Cherry Blossom season this is one of the places to go to.

Great feed, great views.