The "Hidden Gems of Kyoto" is a project that brings you new sightseeing information on hidden attractions in the local areas located slightly away from the central city.

The vegetables grown in Ohara, known as "Ohara vegetables," are so highly praised that chefs from famous restaurants come directly to purchase them. New restaurants and cafes offering Ohara vegetables and game meat have been opened in the recent years. The French restaurant “la bûche” won one Michelin star this year, which brings more attention to the area. Cafes where visitors can enjoy sweets made with local ingredients and stunning views have also become popular on social media. Direct buses to Ohara operate approx. four services per hour from major stations in Kyoto, including Kyoto Station.


Shino-Shomon (@shino.shoumon)

Opened in the autumn of 2023, cafe Ichiyosha is one of the most talked about on social media as a café with a superb view, renovated from an old private house on a hill. The most popular place is the terrace seating on the wooden deck. You can enjoy Ohara's vegetable dishes and specialty yuzu citrus desserts and drinks while enjoying a panoramic view of the townscape of Ohara.


Ichiyosha (@ichiyosha_ohara)

Ohara is one of the few areas in Kyoto that has a hot spring gushing out of the ground. The casual yet comfortable footbath where you can soak up to your knees in the hot water is recommended. Ohara Sanso, a Japanese style accommodation, has a footbath café (order at least one drink), where you can experience the hot spring without a reservation (open only on weekends and holidays).


Oharano Sanso (@yumoto_onsen_oharasansou)

At the café space of OHARA FARMY, a farm that grows vegetables without fertilizers or pesticides, you can enjoy organic vegetable smoothies and hamburgers made from wild game (deer) hunted in the surrounding mountains. Visitors can relax and enjoy the view of the Ohara countryside (open only on weekends and holidays).


OHARA FARMY (@oharafarmy)

Tsuji Shibazuke Honpo's signature menu item is SHIBACHEE, a fusion cheesecake made from Shibazuke, a Japanese fermented food, and cheese, a Western fermented food. The marriage between Shibazuke’s sourness and the richness of sweet cheese is unique and can only be tasted here. Try it with a homemade ginger syrup drink.


Tsuji Shibazuke Honpo (@48kobo)

The couple's home-turned-cafe, Mame-no Ki, makes seasonal fruit tarts and traditional European pastries using local Ohara eggs, organic fruits, and Japanese ingredients. Seasonal tarts are served with coffee roasted in Ohara or herbal tea produced in Ohara. Tarts are also available to take home.


Mame-no Ki (@mamenoki.r367)