Hanafusa East Store (Keage)
Kyoto's oldest siphon coffee shop, where scenes from the heyday of coffee shops remain
Speaking of coffee, it's the siphon method. The master, wearing a bow tie, silently operates the siphon at the counter, sending the amber liquid up and down. In the hall, you can see customers who appear to be regulars, newspaper in hand, enjoying their usual blend. This is the scene of coffee shops that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
The company was founded in 1955. The first generation, who studied in Tokyo, was the first to start using the siphon method in Kyoto. Currently, the second generation, Kazuo Yamamoto, roasts his own coffee near his home, and has inherited this unique extraction method.
The Hanafusa style is to heat the coffee once it has boiled in the funnel and once it starts to fall into the flask below, bring it back to a boil again, resulting in a rich, full-bodied flavor.Hanafusa's favorite homemade cheesecake is also a best-seller that has been around for over 40 years.
IWASHI COFFEE (Marumachi)
Enjoy a peaceful single-origin restaurant in a quiet Kyoto townhouse in Nishijin
The shop is located in a quiet residential area of Nishijin, far removed from inbound tourism. Opening the white-walled sliding door, you'll find a spacious space where Japanese and Western influences coexist. In the foreground you can see table seating and the roasting machine, and in the back you can see a spacious tatami room and backyard that retains the atmosphere of a traditional townhouse. The owner is Mashimo Yuya, who also supplies beans to restaurants and other establishments.
While searching for a roaster, he came across this old townhouse, renovated it himself, and opened it as a cafe in 2020. He left his job as a cram school instructor and opened a coffee shop in his hometown of Kyoto about 15 years ago. He still roasts coffee every morning in a small direct-fire roaster inside the shop. He carefully brews single-origin coffee with a "gentle flavor without impurities" using hand drip. The sound of the coffee dripping is a soothing background music here.
