Walden Woods Kyoto

Walden Woods Kyoto is a coffee shop in Gojo, Kyoto, that is attracting attention for its artistic space with white walls, ceiling, and floor. The name of the place, Walden, refers to Walden Lake in the suburbs of Boston, U.S.A., and was created in the image of “Walden Woods,” where novelist Henry David Thoreau spent his time in search of freedom. The unique view of the coffee shop has become very popular on social networking sites, especially among women who are interested in Instagram.

What is it like to spend coffee time there? To find out, I visited Walden Woods Kyoto on a weekday afternoon. Before I went there, I thought it would be a place with sparkling atmosphere that Insta-girls would like, but actually I found that it was not like that at all…

A fantastic space all in white…what is coffee time like at Walden Woods Kyoto?

Walden Woods Kyoto opened in December 2017, renovated from an old Western-style building constructed in 1923. The store is located off Tominokoji Dori and turns right on Hanayacho Dori, but you can easily recognize the place even without a sign because the exterior of the coffee shop is pure white.

Inside it, the first floor is used as a cash register and roasting space, and the second floor is used for seating. The store is not only white on the outside but also inside, and the walls are made of wood instead of concrete, which gives the store a strange warmth. The roasting machine on the first floor, made by the German company Probat, is said to be vintage from the 1960s. For coffee lovers, it may be worth coming to this cafe just to be able to have coffee brewed with beans ground using such a rare roasting machine.

The seating area on the second floor, located at the top of the stairs, is a free space with a single white-painted slender tree built in the center and no other tables or chairs. The window is decorated with a number of lamps at equal intervals, creating a very magical space that looks like something out of a fairy tale. There are one or two steps along the wall, and we, the customers, sit on these steps and use the difference between the steps to place our coffee cups, or use them as armrests…and so on. Although it is indoors, it feels like taking coffee out and drinking it in the city.

This time, I ordered Walden Wolf Blend, a deep roasted drip coffee (price: 500 yen including tax). Even though the menu says “deep roast,” it was not so bitter, but slightly fruity and easy to drink.

There are many kinds of stores in the world…some are bustling, some are relaxing, some are devoted to work, but I don’t know any other coffee shop with such a fantastic atmosphere. The coffee is not too expensive, and I highly recommend coffee time here for men as well as women. However, unlike most cafes, they do not serve food, so if you are hungry, you might want to go to another restaurant.

Other coffee menu items at Walden Woods Kyoto (prices include tax)

• AMERICANO 500 yen
• CAPPUCHINO 600 yen
• CAFÉ LATTE 600 yen
• CAFÉ MOCHA 650 yen
• Walden Blend (medium shallow roast) 500 yen
• Honduras Cafesmo (Natural) 600 yen
• Decaf (medium roast) 500 yen

Coffee beans roasted at the store are available for sale…Access to Walden Woods Kyoto is a 6-minute walk from the nearest station, Gojo Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line.

Walden Woods Kyoto also sells coffee beans roasted at the store. Not only beans, but also drip bags are sold, so all you need is a cup of coffee and hot water to enjoy the store’s coffee at home. The packaging also matches the atmosphere of the shop, so it can be used as a souvenir. If you like the coffee at the store, why don’t you consider buying coffee beans to take home?

Now, here are the details of the cafe…

From Kiyomizu Gojo Station on the Keihan Electric Railway Line, it is a 10-minute walk.