I regretted doing this in Kyoto … 😨❌

Located right next to the very popular Kiyomizu-dera Temple - the streets of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka offer the most ethereal, dreamy ghibli-like experience. 🌅 The streets are filled with historical alleys, and are one of the most prominent must-visit parts of Kyoto. 🎏 The nostalgic and dreamy traditional Japanese houses (machiya) are perfect for an afternoon stroll, and the streets boast of cafes and restaurants to a myriad of trinket and souvenir spots. 💫

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?

Yes, but … I made the biggest mistake of visiting on a 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆𝙀𝙉𝘿. 💀 Given the narrow streets and small shops + the amount of tourist appeal, it’s undoubtedly a popular place for many to visit, much less on a weekend. Spaces to walk were limited and all the popular stores had snaking queues, so we ended up not trying any of them. 😩😩

Regardless, if you’re planning to head over (on a weekday pls 🤞🏼), here are some of the places I think are a must-try!

1️⃣ Starbucks

So lame go overseas drink sbux? 🤔 NO … This one is a MUST-GO. 😡😡 It’s the world’s first tatami-floored Starbucks that’s housed in a traditional Japanese hut. The exterior is unassuming, and I actually almost missed the store bc the Starbucks logo was pretty elusive.

The ordering kiosk are on the first floor, while seating areas are available on the second. The entire store was so elegant and cosy, it’s no wonder it was crazily crowded when I went 😰

2️⃣ Kumonocha

Though they have multiple stores in Japan, it was nevertheless still on my to-go list in Sannenzaka. They’re a matcha-focused store that serves up beautifully plated desserts and drinks - and I really wanted to try out their Cloud mousse and matcha latte 🍵🥺

3️⃣ Ghibli Studio

They had multiple outlets scattered around the area - I went to one nearer to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and another one within Ninenzaka.

Though I wasn’t that big of a Ghibli fan, they had the cutest photo spots! 📸

(The one linked is the one nearer to Kiyomizu - there’s rlly quite a few stores around the area!)

✦

Planning to make a trip there? Whatever you do, just make sure you don’t be a dumdum like me and go on a weekend 🥱😵😵‍💫

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