Colorful cotton candy from Jeremy & Jemimah is bound to attract attention as you walk around. The shop is a short walk north of Kiyomizuzaka on Higashioji Dori.

Using sugar developed in-house, the popular “Stick Watagashi” (648 yen, tax included) comes in plain flavor as well as traditional Kyoto flavors like hojicha and black honey kinako.

Along Sannenzaka, right next to the Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum, is Bunnosuke Chaya which is famous for its soft, chewy warabimochi, a Kyoto sweet that melts in your mouth.

Combining warabimochi and soft-serve ice cream, “warabi mochi soft” is the most popular menu item, including “Matcha soft cream + matcha warabimochi” (500 yen, excluding tax) and “Kinako soft cream + warabi mochi” (500 yen, excluding tax) varieties.

When you go to Kyoto, you may or may not see a maiko walking through the city’s ancient streets, but you can certainly eat maiko-shaped Kyoto sweets at Kirakuan Okamoto, which has a shop on Sannenzaka.

There are four types of cute Maiko Hanyaki (250 yen each, tax included): Anko, Custard, Matcha, and Ham & Cheese, all with excellently moist dough. The “Kirakuan croquette” (200 yen, tax included) is also popular and nearly 1,000 are sold each day.

At Souhonke Yudofu Okutan Kiyomizu, located near the intersection of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, carefully hand-made tofu has been popular since the shop’s founding about 385 years ago. There are also take-out menu items like the recommended “Soy milk black honey shaved ice” (500 yen, tax included).

The rich taste of homemade soy milk and the refreshing sweetness of black honey is outstanding. In addition to shaved ice, there are other Kyoto sweets that use soy milk, so be sure to try a few.

Located right in front of Kiyomizu Temple on Kiyomizuzaka, Kiyomizu Kyoami sells a variation on Kyoto’s famous “Yatsuhashi” confection in the form of its “Yatsuhashi Shu” (300 yen, tax included) cream puffs. Many customers buy more than one of the puffs, filled with matcha or vanilla cream.

The interior of the shop features a modern Japanese style with matcha color décor (for the time being, in-shop service is canceled). Another popular item is the soft-textured, egg-free “Hororo” (600 yen, tax included) cookie.

Mitarashi dango dumplings are said to have originated in Kyoto, but are now loved all over the country and are representative of Japanese sweets.

In general, skewered dango are round, but Sannenzaka’s Umezono’s Mitarashi dumplings (420 yen, 460 yen for eat-in, tax included) are bale-shaped. These savory dumplings are delicious with their secret sweet, spicy sauce and are bite-sized so they’re easy to eat.

At Fujinami, you can enjoy standard Kyoto sweets including Mitarashi Dango, Matcha Dango, and Warabimochi. The Kodaiji store opened in June 2019 at the entrance of the stone-paved alley called Ishibei Koji near Kodaiji Temple.

In spring the row of cherry trees in front of the store is in full bloom. While you can dine in, many items are take-out favorites like the “Kyo Dango Assortment” (1,050 yen, tax included) that contains five Mitarashi Dango and five Matcha Dango.

Named for Ninenzaka’s stone pavement (ishidatami), Kiyomizu Ninenzaka Ishidatami is well known for soft-serve ice cream.

The unique “chestnut and pumpkin soft serve ice cream” was discontinued in July 2020, but patrons can still enjoy “Matcha soft serve ice cream” (500 yen, tax included), which uses a generous amount of handmade matcha paste for a matcha aroma that really stands out. In May, drinks made of green plums harvested near Kiyomizu Temple are also on sale.

Gion Tsujiri, famous for its selection of Uji tea, has a store in Rakuichi Nene, in front of Kodaiji Temple, downhill from Kiyomizu Temple via Ninenzaka.

There are many attractive in-store menu choices such as special “Tsujiri parfaits,” and plenty of take-out options like “Green Tea (310 yen, tax included) and “Matcha Au Lait” (420 yen, tax included). Here you can drink authentic teas made from selected tea leaves and luxuriously quench your thirst as you walk.

If you're tired of walking and want to take a break, we recommend % Arabica Kyoto Higashiyama. Roasting just enough coffee beans for daily use in their own local roastery, you’ll always enjoy fresh coffee.

When you order the hot “Latte Blend” (500 yen, tax included) or “Single Origin” (500 yen, tax included), you can look forward to watching the baristas create delicate latte art.

In addition to the souvenir shops, there are many small eateries on the approach to Kiyomizu Temple along Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka. The variety of ice cream, fragrant dumplings, and cute Kyoto sweets will give you plenty of great photos to share!

Text by: Efeel