Free and easy "alone time" for university girls in Kyoto, in the Nijo area
chihoIt's been about a month since you started your new life... It's time to get used to a new environment and a new place, isn't it? Wouldn't you like to explore the various places in Kyoto?
For those of you who have started a new life in Kyoto, here are some suggestions for new "hobbies" that will surely make you fall in love with Kyoto even more.
The hobby I recommend, "Hitori Jikan" (alone time), is very simple. It is a way of spending time alone, deciding where you want to go and what you want to eat, and touring around by yourself. Because you are alone, you don't have to fit in with the people around you, and you can drop in at any restaurant you like.
If you feel that going alone is too much of a hurdle for you, we will introduce you to shops and tourist attractions that are easy to visit on your own, along with how to spend a day walking the streets of Kyoto!
11:00 Coffee shop Tyrol
Get off at Nijojo Station and walk 7 minutes. First, get hungry at Café Ty rol, a long-established shop that has been in business for 54 years.
Every day on the bus on the way to the university, I saw the cute retro exterior and the word 'COFFEE'. I've always been curious about 'Café Tyrol', so this is my first try.
It is a well-known and well-loved shop that is frequented by locals and pure coffee shop fans, and is very busy every day! When we headed to the shop at lunchtime on a weekday, there was a short queue. 5 minutes in line and when we entered the shop, it was filled with the aroma of coffee and customers enjoying a restful break.
The Italian spaghetti here is so popular that it was introduced on 'Matsuko's Unknown World '. The pasta is filled with onions, mushrooms, peppers, bacon and other ingredients, and the thick, sticky pasta noodles with a charred finish are very appealing. The acidity of the tomatoes was just right, and when mixed with the half-boiled egg on top, how could it not be delicious?
I ordered a cup of hot coffee for ¥480 (¥380 with food). The coffee had a low bitterness and was very easy to drink.
There are relatively many seats for one person in the shop, making it a very pleasant place for a "solo" customer. I sat by the window where the sunlight shone in and enjoyed a warm day with a delicious meal.
Castle, Motorikyu
Kyoto is a city of shining tradition and culture. It's a city where you can easily come across world heritage sites just by walking around. In addition to this, Kyoto offers a wide range of services for students.
Nijo Castle is a large site and it takes about one to two hours to visit it all. During the daytime on weekdays, there are relatively few people and it is possible to tour at a leisurely pace. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you can enjoy some "alone time" in the midst of nature. It was an extraordinary experience, as if time moved more slowly only here.
In the Ninomaru Palace, you can see the famous sliding door paintings at close range. It's not often that you get to see a historic World Heritage Site in your daily life. Even if you are alone, you can have such a valuable experience..! It was a new discovery for me too.
14:00 Coffee shop Hitokuchiya
15-minute walk from Nijo Castle. Walking through a quiet residential area, you will see a stylish café marked by a coffee cup. The restaurant has a counter with about five seats and three tables for two people. It was a very beautiful and relaxing place, with a simple white and concrete interior and plants everywhere. There were a few other customers besides myself who came alone, and the small number of seats makes it an easy place to relax and spend time.
I ordered the Pudding à la mode drink set for 1,400 yen. Apple ice cream with a lot of pulp, vanilla ice cream with lots of vanilla beans, moist and rich cheesecake with lots of fruit, and a hard pudding with an irresistible sticky texture. It was a very satisfying dish. The ice cream is also handmade and is the restaurant's speciality.
Café Hitokuchiya offers not only sweets and drinks, but also meals. You can see that they are particular about each and every item on the menu, with ingredients delivered by locals and homemade cakes on the line. The menu was so attractive and delicious that I wanted to try everything on it. It's a great café for a luxurious 'alone time'.
「A 10-minute walk from Cafe Hitokuchiya. Passing eastwards along the Horikawa shopping street, which is lined with confectionary shops, bakeries and old-fashioned general stores, the Horikawa Shinbunka Building is located at the end of the street. This is the last destination of the day.
This is another place that was visible from the bus and had been on my mind for a long time. This is the first time I've set foot in the wide, horizontal, beige-tiled and wood exterior of the lovely 'Horikawa Shin Bunka Building'.
As soon as you enter, on the right side is Ogaki Bookshop. Compared to the main Kyoto branch at the Shijo underground station, this is a relatively compact shop, but what surprised me the most was the abundance of Kyoto-related books. Kyoto sightseeing magazines, special features on Kyoto shops, novels set in Kyoto, etc. - there were so many that they took up a third of the shop.
And to the left is a café and bar. The shop serves authentic, home-roasted coffee, as well as morning breakfast, lunch and drinks in the evening, making it a place you can enjoy all day long. The number of bookshops and cafés attached to bookshops has been increasing recently. The smell of ink and paper and the quiet space characteristic of bookshops. Personally, I like to enjoy coffee and sweets in such places, and it was a nice surprise to find it here too.
Upstairs is a gallery and event space. It is a place for local artists and painters to send out their work, and exhibitions are held frequently. There are also events that anyone can experience, and I realised that, as the name suggests, it is a place for the creation of 'new culture'.
The place used to be a Showa-era housing estate. Now it has become a centre of new culture that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, no matter what time of day they come.
How was your Hitori Hour in the Nijo area of Kyoto?
I would be happy if you thought, even just a little, "I want to try Hitori Jikan! I would be very happy if you could think "I would like to try Hitori Hour". We hope you will try it as a new hobby.
| The shop is listed on the website. Cafe Tyrol Address: 539-3 Monzen-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto Opening hours: 8:00-16:00 Closed: Sunday Telephone number 075-821-3031 Former detached palace Nijo Castle Address 541 Nijojo-machi, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto Opening hours 8:45-17:00 (Admission hours: 8:45-16:00) Telephone number 075-841-0096 Official website Nijo Castle, World Heritage Site, Former Detached Palace Nijo Castle (kyoto.lg.jp) Cafe Hitokuchiya Address 270-1 Higashishinmyochou, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto Opening hours 11:00-17:30 Closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays Telephone number 075-204-2981 Instagram @kissa.hitokuchiya Horikawa Shinbunka Bldg. Address: 287, Sozo-Kazumachi, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto Opening hours: 8:30-23:00 Telephone number 075-431-5551 Official website Horikawa Shinbunka Building Bringing a sense of richness to life in Horikawa. A "cultural platform" as an extension of everyday life. (horikawa-shinbunkabldg.jp) |
Author Profile
- I am a university student from Kyoto. I am studying Japanese literature at university. I love Kyoto machiya houses and the elegant Kyoto cityscape. I enjoy walking around Kyoto by myself and visiting Kyoto's rice restaurants, cafés and bakeries. I hope to learn more about Kyoto, a city that has been close to me since I was a child, and to share it with everyone.
