Kyoto Saryo

Kyoto Saryo (京都茶寮) is both a Japanese tea house and a gallery, located in the second floor of the Kyoto Station building.

As soon as I saw it I decided to enter.

It was the last day that I would be in Kyoto before going to Osaka.

The atmosphere was very nice. It was very Japanese.

I was struck by how many people were having tea and the traditional wagashi sweets. Probably, tea culture in Kyoto is stronger than in Tokyo.

My wife and I were the only foreigners there, we must have looked out of place 🙂

The menu was larger than I expected. There were different types of green tea and wagashi.

I saw a man at the next table and he had a set with matcha and wagashi. I ordered a similar set while my wife ordered one with sencha.

One can order different types of matcha, as well as sencha, gyokuro and houjicha. There’s the option of either hot or cold.

Our teas arrived quickly, and the presentation was flawless.

The wagashi was beautiful. Its name is shirakiku (白菊), which means “white chrysanthemum”.

My matcha must have been whisked by an expert. I can’t yet reach such a good looking layer of foam.

It was all very good. I will definitely visit again.

Update: Kyoto Saryo has closed.