Arashiyama Yoshimura

There is a popular soba noodle restaurant named Arashiyama Yoshimura near the Togetsu Bridge in Arashiyama, Kyoto. The restaurant itself does not have a long history, having been established in January 2002, but it is located in a place where many literary figures such as Kitaoji Rosanjin and Yokoyama Taikan gathered and played, and where Kawamura Manshu, a Japanese-style painter of the Meiji era, had his home.

I thought it would be nice to sip buckwheat noodles at such a restaurant, pretending to be a cultured person…so I headed to the restaurant on a weekday, aiming for the opening time. Unfortunately, it was raining on that day, but the crowd was still huge…

Offering a common lunch menu with its affiliate restaurant, Tofu Cuisine Matsugae…Arashiyama Yoshimura is a restaurant like this.

When I arrived at Arashiyama Yoshimura, the restaurant was already open and there was a line of about 20 people waiting in front of the restaurant. I was surprised at how popular it was even though it was a weekday and a rainy day. To be honest, I never imagined the crowd would be this big. I joined the end of the line, regretting my tardiness a little, thinking, “I guess I’ll have to wait at least 30 minutes…”.

But a few minutes later, I was approached by a waiter who told me to get out of line and go to another location. The designated destination was a restaurant on the same premises called “Tofu Cuisine Matsugae”. I was a little puzzled, thinking, “No, I don’t come here to eat tofu…,” but the waitress told me that I could also eat Arashiyama Yoshimura’s soba noodles at Matsugae. I was relieved to hear that and entered Matsugae.

Apparently, Arashiyama Yoshimura and Tofu Cuisine Matsugae are affiliated with the same restaurant and operate on the same premises, so you can have both lunch menus no matter which restaurant you enter. So, to put it another way, you can eat Tofu Cuisine Matsukeeda’s dishes even if you enter Arashiyama Yoshimura. Isn’t this very convenient? For a gourmand like me, we can enjoy both Soba and Tofu dishes at the same time….

Unfortunately, I was not able to enter Arashiyama Yoshimura this time, but happy to spend an elegant time at Matsugae with a view of the beautifully maintained Japanese-style garden. According to the restaurant’s Tabelog information, Arashiyama Yoshimura has 50 seats and Tofu Cuisine Matsugae has 72 seats.

A taste of Arashiyama Yoshimura’s popular menu, Nishin-soba, at the former Kawamura Manshu residence, which was visited by Kitaoji Rosanjin, one of Japan’s most famous gourmets.

Let me introduce you to Arashiyama Yoshimura’s popular menu item, Nishin-soba (priced at 1,540 yen including tax), which I ordered this time. Image here…

I don’t know if you can tell from the image above, but the bowl is quite large and looks quite hearty. The aroma of the shaved dashi broth spreading from the bowl is amazing… it makes me want to smell the aroma of the broth for a while.

But if I did that, the soba would be ready in no time, so let’s get started on the meal. The soba is a little thinner than other soba restaurants in Kyoto. It is soft and easy to chew. The aroma of soba in the mouth is softly conveyed to the nose, and then it smoothly passes down the throat without any resistance, and finally the aroma of the broth is spread from the back to the nose.

The dashi broth looked very clear and tasted lighter than that of other soba restaurants in Kyoto. Even so, the dashi broth has a very strong taste, and in addition, it has an elegant sweetness to it. The dashi broth made me feel that “This is Kyoto…”. If you are not careful, you may end up drinking it all at once.

The topping of Migaki Nishin (Red herring) is not so richly stewed. So, even if you leave it in the broth for a long time, the sauce will not soak into the broth and change the taste. The herring meat is also tender, so even those with weak teeth can eat it normally. However, there is a distinctive herring smell, though only slightly, so it may be tough for those who are sensitive to smells.

Overall, I had the impression that Arashiyama Yoshimura’s nishin-soba was prepared in a very elegant manner. In a sense, the taste is close to the image of Kyoto in general. In that way, I can understand why it is so popular among tourists. It is also very nice to be able to relax in the restaurant while enjoying the view of the Japanese garden. I highly recommend this restaurant for a lunch break while sightseeing in Arashiyama.

Examples of Arashiyama Yoshimura’s other soba menus (prices include tax)

• Anago-ten soba (hot or cold) 1,820 yen
• Kamo nanban soba (hot) 1,820 yen
• Soba with duck soup (hot or cold) 1,720 yen
• Shrimp tempura soba (hot or cold) 1,540 yen
• Tororo soba (hot or cold) 1,300 yen
• Oroshi soba (hot or cold) 1,300 yen
• Nihachi soba (hot or cold) 1030 yen

Three other restaurants are operated in Kyoto City… Access to Arashiyama Yoshimura is a 3-minute walk from the nearest station, Arashiyama Station on the Keifuku Electric Railway Line.

Arashiyama Yoshimura operates three other soba restaurants in Kyoto City in addition to its main restaurant: “Soba-no-mi Yoshimura” in Karasuma Gojo, “Yoshimura Kitayama-ro” near Kitayama Station, and “Yoshimura Daimaru Kyoto Villa” in Daimaru, Shijo-Karasuma. All of them are conveniently located for transportation, so please visit them whenever you feel like eating delicious soba in Kyoto. Incidentally, “Soba no Mi Yoshimura” and “Yoshimura Kitayama-ro” are also open at night on New Year’s Eve, making them famous as places where you can enjoy New Year’s Eve soba. It might be a good idea to remember them as New Year’s Eve soba restaurants along with Sohonke Nishin Soba Matsuba Honten in Gion-Shijo.

Here are the details of the restaurant…

It takes 12 minutes on foot from Saga-Arashiyama Station on the JR Sanin Line.