Yudofu Sagano

In November 2024, when I felt like eating yudofu, I went to a restaurant called Yudofu Sagano in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Founded in 1965, the restaurant has a history of about 60 years, and it is a famous restaurant that is mentioned in the ranking of Arashiyama’s specialty, yudofu. I was looking forward to eating yudofu at such a famous restaurant, but in fact, this restaurant has one more speciality besides yudofu…

Enjoy a relaxing meal in a purely Japanese building designed by an architectural master…Yudofu Sagano is a restaurant like this…

Yudofu Sagano is located on the south side of Tenryuji Temple, a World Heritage Site in Arashiyama, Kyoto, in a quiet area off the street where many tourists gather. The map shows that it is across the street from Hogonin Temple, which is famous for its autumn foliage. During the period when Hogonin Temple lights up the autumn leaves, this area is very crowded, but during other times of the year, there are relatively few people on the street, making it a great location for a relaxing meal away from the hustle and bustle.

I arrived at Yudofu Sagano at around 11:15 a.m. on a weekday. It was quite cold that day, and the conditions were perfect for eating yudofu. I was worried that the restaurant might be full and I might not be able to get in…” I tried to rush in without a reservation. But when I actually went there, the situation was the opposite: there was no sign of anyone except for a male waiter sitting on a chair waiting inside the restaurant.

“Hey, is it OK?” I was worried in the opposite sense, but the waiter invited me in. After saying a few words over the intercom, he took me to the back of the restaurant… and there I found a large purely Japanese building with a magnificent Japanese garden. I was told that the architectural master Togo Murano designed this purely Japanese building.

In fact, Yudofu Sagano has two buildings, the main building and the new building. The main building at the back has 89 seats, while the new building with the entrance has 8 counter seats and 20 terrace seats, for a total of 28 seats. I don’t think I would use the terrace in the cold of winter, which is coming soon. The main building, on the other hand, is heated and warm, and not only is the pure Japanese style building amazing, but there is also a faint scent of incense burning in the building, which gives it a sense of prestige. I’m really happy to be able to have lunch in a building like this… You can bring small children or use a private room for private parties. In fact, I am sure that if you can dine in a place like this, your children’s sensibilities will be honed in a good way….

Price: 4,400 yen (tax included) for this menu item… How was it when I tried Yudofu Sagano’s only lunch menu, the Yudofu Set Meal?

Let me introduce the only lunch menu item I ordered at Yudofu Sagano that day, the Yudofu Set Meal. This yudofu set meal includes not only the main dish of yudofu, but also…

Simmered fu in shigureni sauce…

Sashimi of konnyaku…

Onsen tamago (half-boiled egg)…

Lake Biwa gori cooked in a sweet bean paste and homemade sesame tofu…

The set menus are packed with a variety of dishes, including ganmodoki, and finally, tempura, rice, and dessert.These dishes include small fish and chicken eggs, so it isnot a vegan or vegetarian meal like the Yudofu set meal at Seizan Soudou. However, the restaurant seems to be able to accommodate allergies, so if you let the waiter know at the beginning, he or she may be able to remove these ingredients from the menu.

The main dish, yudofu, was five large slices of silken tofu (about 5 to 7 cm on each side) in a pot, although it is hard to tell from the picture. The tofu was made by Moriyoshi Saga Tofu, which is used in many famous restaurants in Kyoto, including Kitcho Arashiyama. The tofu is so soft that you can just barely hold it without it falling apart when you pick it up with chopsticks, and when putting it in the mouth, it melts and loosens, releasing the flavor of soybeans, and the heat warms the core of the body as it slides easily down the throat. The seasoning is just the orthodox soy sauce broth (plus grated ginger and chopped green onion), but this simple dish makes me think, “I am so glad I am Japanese…”.

Tempura and rice arrived just as I was finishing the yudofu. There are six kinds of tempura ingredients: onion, pumpkin, potato, red ginger, lotus root, and Shishito. The batter was very light, and the thin skin was crispy to the touch. The tempura sauce was also very light and healthy for the body.

Finally, I left the restaurant with homemade soy milk pudding for dessert. For the price of 4,400 yen including tax, I was very satisfied with the variety of dishes and the quiet and cozy Japanese-style house. Yudofu is a dish that can be eaten anywhere in Japan, but I feel that the yudofu served in Arashiyama, Kyoto is very special. Especially Yudofu Sagano, where you can enjoy Yudofu with a view of the Japanese garden, seems to stimulate a kind of “Japanese sense of beauty” that lurks deep inside of us.

I recommend visiting in late autumn to appreciate the autumn leaves… Yudofu Sagano is a 7-minute walk from the nearest station, Arashiyama Station on the Keifuku Electric Railway Line.

The leaves were just starting to change color on the day I visited the restaurant, Yudofu Sagano. I think this would be a spectacular view if the timing is right, don’t you? Just imagining a meal with a view of the Japanese garden with its autumn leaves…it’s very exciting. Hogonin Temple, famous for its autumn foliage, is just across the street, and I especially recommend visiting the restaurant in late autumn to view the autumn leaves.

Here are the details of the restaurant…

P.S. If you are looking for delicious Yudofu in Kyoto, please stop by this article…

P.P.S. A popular cafe in a historical building on the north side of Yudofu Sagano…