What to Do in Kyoto #1 Matcha green tea and red bean dessert in Arashiyama

So what can you do in Kyoto, Japan when you visit? How about trying some Matcha green tea and a red bean dessert at Arashiyama next to the Oi river and stroll along the Togetsukyō bridge afterwards.

Picture: Matcha Green tea (front) with a red bean paste dessert and sakura mochi on red plate and another cup of tea at the rear. 

The cost for the above was approximately 600 yen or about AUS $6.50. Matcha tea is very bitter and should be drunk very slowly in sips, then have a bite to eat of say the red bean paste dessert on the left and then have a drink of the tea in the white cup. You can keep doing this until you have finished all the tea and dessert. It allows you to have a variety of tastes and gives your mouth and tongue to adjust to the new flavours. Be warned that the above tray is quite filling. Normally the leaf on the red plate which covers the sakura mochi (it is underneath can't see in this photo) is used for decoration purposes.

There are many tea houses along the river and you can visit each and read their menu outside selecting what you want before you go in. The meal in the picture was enjoyed at

本家桜餅
〒616-8385 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Ukyō-ku, Sagatenryūji Susukinobabachō, 1−1, which is right on the corner of the main street and just before the bridge.

When I lived in Kyoto,  I was walking distance from Arashiyama and often came for a walk before work. You can sit by the river for hours and take in the scenery of the near by mountain and the sound of the river.

There are are plenty of things to do in Arashiyama once you arrive and you could easily spend the whole day there. For Example: The bamboo forest, The Monkey Park, The temples, the boat rides along the river, watching the fisherman use birds to catch fish, etc

How to get there:

From downtown Kyoto take the Hankyu line from Kawaramachi station and get off at Omiya and walk a short distance to Shin-Omiya the starting station for the Keifuku electric Railroad (The last original street car line left in Kyoto)

Kyoto subway map here

Things to do in Arashiyama here