Cafeography
Kyoto · Demachiyanagi & Kyoto University

Cafés in Demachiyanagi & Kyoto University

The Kamo river delta, Shimogamo Shrine and the student streets around Kyoto University.

Photo: Liuuu _61, Pexels License

Demachiyanagi is where the Kamo River meets the Takano. Upstream the Kamo is usually written 加茂川, downstream 鴨川, and stepping stones cross the shallow water in places.1 On the triangle of land between the rivers stands a confluence shrine of Shimogamo Shrine, which lies north in Tadasu no Mori, the oldest remaining forest in Kyoto, and is one of the 17 Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.12

East of the rivers is Kyoto University, founded in 1897 as Kyoto Imperial University, with its main Yoshida campus in Sakyō. It has about 22,400 students, and 21 Nobel laureates have been its alumni or faculty.3 Cafés around the confluence run from coffee shops near the campus to dango (rice dumplings) and tea rooms in Shimogamo.

Local tip: Buy mitarashi dango at Kamo Mitarashi Chaya, walk south through Tadasu no Mori to the river delta, and finish with a flannel-drip coffee at Kafe Kōsen, which opens at 12:00.

At a glance

162Cafés listed
9With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
20:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: AG COFFEE, from 08:00 (Daily 08:00–16:00).
  • Closes latest: カフェ・ミュラー, until 20:00 (Tue–Sun 11:00–20:00).
  • Most listed streets: Ichijoji Satononishicho (2), Miyoshicho (2).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (2%), specialty (2%), vegetarian options (1%).

加茂みたらし茶屋

  • 左京区下鴨松ノ木町53
  • Mon–Tue 09:30–18:30 · Wed Closed · Thu–Fri 09:30–18:30 · Sat–Sun 09:30–19:00
  • +81757911652
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Coffee chains in Demachiyanagi & Kyoto University

Getting to Demachiyanagi

Two railways end here. Keihan's Ōtō Line reached its underground Demachiyanagi terminus in 1989, and the Eizan Electric Railway has run from the ground-level station since 1925, north toward Yase-Hieizanguchi for Mount Hiei and toward Kurama. The two stations are separate.4

The name joins two places: Demachi, on the west bank near the Kawaramachi-Imadegawa crossing, and Yanagi, on the east bank, where the station is.4

Shimogamo Shrine and mitarashi dango

Shimogamo Shrine dates from the 6th century, and its main festival, the Aoi Matsuri, falls on 15 May.2 Kamo Mitarashi Chaya, at the shrine's gate in Shimogamo Matsunoki-chō, has made dango for about a century. The dumplings copy the bubbles that rise in the shrine's Mitarashi pond, and the spacing of the five on each skewer is said to represent a human body, a charm against misfortune.5

A bag of five skewers cost ¥700 in December 2023, and the shop closed on Wednesdays plus two Tuesdays a month.5 It opens at 09:30. Saryō Hōsen, a tea room in Shimogamo, opens 10:00–16:45 and closes on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Student cafés around Kyoto University

KAFE工船 (Kafe Kōsen), the café of Ooya Coffee, is on the second floor of a building on Kawaramachi-dōri south of Imadegawa. It roasts its own beans, brews by nel (flannel) drip, opens 12:00–21:00 and closes on Tuesdays.6

Alpine opens 08:00–18:00 from Monday to Saturday, and AG Coffee, at the eastern end of the area, 08:00–16:00 daily; both have Wi-Fi. Café Müller opens 11:00–20:00 and closes on Mondays. Cafe planet, on Imadegawa-dōri, has vegetarian options and closes on Wednesdays.

Suitofu opens 10:00–19:00 from Wednesday to Sunday, and Kitayama Kōchakan, a tea room at the northern end of the area, 10:00–19:30 except Wednesday. In Shimogamo, caffè Verdi is a few blocks north of the shrine, and Retro Biba, farther north-east, opens from 13:00 except on Wednesdays.

The riverbanks in rain and shine

Walkways run along the Kamo, and residents and visitors use them all year. The lower stretches sometimes flood in the rainy season, so a takeaway coffee on the delta is a fair-weather plan.1

Sources

  1. Kamo River, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Shimogamo Shrine, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Kyoto University, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Demachiyanagi Station, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. 京都・下鴨神社の門前「加茂みたらし茶屋」, Discover Japan (December 30, 2023), accessed October 2026
  6. FACTORY KAFE工船, Ooya Coffee (オオヤコーヒ焙煎所), accessed October 2026
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In Demachiyanagi & Kyoto University, also browse: Wi-Fi Vegetarian options Bakery cafés

FAQ

Demachiyanagi & Kyoto University cafés: questions

What is mitarashi dango at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto?

Mitarashi dango are skewered dumplings sold at the gate of Shimogamo Shrine by Kamo Mitarashi Chaya, which has made them for about a century. Their shape copies the bubbles of the shrine's Mitarashi pond, and the spacing of the five on each skewer is said to represent a human body. In December 2023 a bag of five skewers cost ¥700.

Which trains stop at Demachiyanagi Station in Kyoto?

Demachiyanagi is the northern terminus of Keihan's Ōtō Line, opened there in 1989, and the southern terminus of the Eizan Electric Railway, running since 1925 toward Yase-Hieizanguchi for Mount Hiei and toward Kurama. The two stations are separate: Keihan is underground and Eizan at ground level.

Where can you get coffee near Kyoto University?

Alpine opens 08:00–18:00 Monday to Saturday and has Wi-Fi, and AG Coffee opens daily 08:00–16:00. Kafe Kōsen, the café of Ooya Coffee on Kawaramachi-dōri south of Imadegawa, roasts its own beans, brews by flannel drip and opens 12:00–21:00, closing on Tuesdays. Café Müller opens 11:00–20:00 except Mondays.

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