Cafe where kyomachiya can be experienced with the cake of powdered green tea "Sankyu-en(three-hill-garden)"

Sankyu-en (three-hill-garden) is a small café restaurant for food or sweets basically arranged by Uji green tea.

Uji city, you know is a small city at south side of Kyoto and it was famous as the resort town where retired aristocrat have their small house in the mountain and live in nature.

The humidified weather of the Uji region made by mist come from Ujigawa river or Kitsugawa river is appropriate for growing tea trees, and now Uji is a representative name of good green tea producing region.

It’s so small but popular restaurant that sometimes foods or sweets would be sold out before evening, but fortunately, when we visit the shop, every popular sweets were sold in the shop, which you can confirm it reading the small signboard set in front of the shop you can find them in above picture.

When you walk into the entrance space, you will find the souvenirs or sweets are sold there, and you can ask employee to go into the café and restaurant space filled with Tatami mat.
It means you have to take off your shoes ;-).

Because the seat where it had faced the courtyard of the café space had just become vacant, we sat there.
Although it was in hot summer, we enjoyed the cool breeze passed by us.

We were reminded the functional construction of an old Kyoto house Machiya, using the benefits of natural weather things like breeze, sun light, sometimes rain for keeping house comfortable.

When you sit down your seats, an employee will come to give you Green-tea flavored snack or chocolates and ordinary green tea Bancha.
It is just like a table charge snack in many of the Japanese bar restaurant Izakaya.
But in this case, it was free or very cheap.

I ordered "Set of the powdered green tea pudding and the green tea" that was one of the signboard menus of three hill garden.
I ordered green tea with ice, it was one of the seasonal tea menu.

You may sometimes feel the Japanese pudding is too soft with low percentage of egg, however, this Maccha (powdered green tea) pudding was really steady and hardened with egg.
The taste of powdered green tea was also very strong that you cannot forget the taste of this Sankyu-en powdered green tea pudding.
I miss it even now writing this article.

In contrast to Maccha pudding, MacchaWarabimochi (powdered green tea flavored bracken rice cake, soft dumpling) was soft and not too sweet, so that you will taste quite contrasted two types of sweets.
You can have a second cup of green tea with ice.

My partner ordered a set of the powdered green tea flavored Warabi soft dumpling and Maccha green tea.

Tanba-Dainagon (red beans) set aside Warabimochi is sweet, soft and tasty.
They are especially large red beans produced in Tanba, north side of Kyoto prefecture.
You fin Koicha in the right of the picture, high concentrated powdered green tea in hot water. This taste bitter, although I love it, you should not choice it if you are not familiar with green tea taste.

It is very comfortable to stay long during afternoon and I was about to sleep, as it is talked about this Japanese style café by a lot of people.

I recommend you to visit not so late in afternoon, before 3:00 p.m. because most of the customers tend to stay long and occupy the space like me ;-).

“San-kyu-en” (three-hill-garden)
Kyotoshi Shimogyoku Ayakojitori Shinmachi Nishi-hairu Yadachou
open:11a.m.～6 p.m.regular holiday: Thursday
Phone: 075-351-3361

The most popular kakigori shop in Kyoto "Saryo Gyokuen"

If you eat kakigori in Kyoto, this is only and the best restaurant I recommend to you.
Saryo-Gyoku-en is the name of the retaurant for sweets and green tea.

You will never forget the taste of kakigori in this restaurant if you try it.
This was quite different from my image of kakigori taste in any other shop or stalls I have experienced.

It is a cup of cotton candy made by ice, brown or green color remind me Barbe a` papa animation ;-).
You may never feel it is ice at first, because you usually have no time lug to feel the soft and silky touched ice melting on your tongue.

If you feel it taste like cotton candy, please talk to the employee in Japanese,
"Kore fuwafuwa de watagashi mitai."
You can look young shy Japanese girl's lovely smile.

My personal best choice is tasted by raw sugar syrup with white gem dumpling, Kuromitsu-Shiratama-Dango.

Raw sugar usually have various kind of taste of sugarcane, they will harmonize the sweetness with sweet milk to make the cotton candy ice supreme.
Quick melting ice is the conductor and the main playor of the harmony, that will keep the sweetness not too strong.

I regret that I am not be able to tell you the lovely taste of this kakigori in accurate manner by only writing and pictures.

White gem dumpling, you will usually find it not soft on ice in ather restaurant, but you can enjoy soft dumpling in this Saryo-Gyokuen.
I do not know the secret of this dumpling softeness in shaved-ice, so please tell me if you can estimate or understand.


This is a cup of Uji-Kintoki, my partner ordered.
Uji is a name of the city at south side of Kyoto and famous as a good pladce for green tea production.

This is the reason why you will find Uji on the top of Japanese foods you will always find they are green tea flavored.
What a strong taste of green tea powder!

It taste like as if you are eating expensive greentea powder directly put into your mouth.
Of course I love its taste, but if you are not familiar with tea ceremony, you should better avoid to try.
It is just like your first trial to taste espresso coffee ;-).


You know, whennever you eat kakigori in many other restaurant in Japan, you will sometimese shaved ice are aggrigated in the bottom of the cup, but you will never find such a situation here.
Why? Because you will eat it much faster than any other kakigori, I promise.


In anyway, kakigori ice in Gyokuen is soft, quick melting, and gentle to your mouth and stomach.
Although you must be patient for waiting ten minutes or so to look your cup after your order, it is clear that you will find a surprising experience of Japanese taraditonal taste those was popular in 60's, my friend talked to me.
It may be your first experience, but you may think this is the experience you met in your child memory lost in long days ago.

You must try it in hot humidified Kyoto summer.

Saryo Gyokuen
North end of Pontocho street, Kyoto
open from 14:00 to 21:30
regular holiday Thursday
Phone: 81-75-231-8353 (231-8353 in Kyoto city)

Admission Fee Free Traditional Japanese Garden in Kyoto "Ganko Takasegawa Nijo-en"

A Traditional Japanese Garden in Kyoto with No Admission Fee.

This is an introduction of a very wonderful Japanese traditional garden called "TAKASEGAWA-GENRYU-TEIEN; Takasegawa river source garden" set aside Japanese food restaurant "Ganko Takasegawa Nijo-en."

You can stroll in this beautiful garden whether you are a customer of the restaurant or not. Everybody is welcome when he will ask the restaurant employees to visit the garden for walking. Of course, admission fees etc. are not charged at all.



PictureClick and watch a picture of the garden in summer.





There was a small standing signboard written in Japanese "Welcome anybody strolling in the garden without eating or shopping in restaurant, ask employees to walk in."
At first, I didn't think it is valuable to walk into the garden because it is tatally free, but it was surprisingly beautiful garden comparable to a few of well known traditional garden of the shrine or temples in Kyoto.

As is the case with traditional temples garden, you can enjoy the four seasons flowers and plants, and artificial brook and ponds decorated by stones.
Some of the staffs sometimes will talk to you (in Japanese) to explain the meanings of those stuffs in the traditional garden, and mount view you can watch from the garden.

Plum and cherry blossoms will sprout in spring. Firefly flies over the brook in summer.
Many trees colored red or yellow in autumn. By chance you can watch white snowed garden from warm restaurant seat in winter.
…Last case you need to be a customer in the restaurant ;-).

I recommend you to look around the garden to find the meanings of garden stones set along the walking road or brook.
It is intriguing to watch the shape and trace the old Japanese peoples' imagination.

"Tora-ishi", it means tiger stone, having a tiger like stripes are sculptured on its surface by river water found in Setagawa river in Shiga prefecture.
"Tagasode-no-Tsukubai" means the hand washing place stone set in front of the tea ceremony room, "Tsukibai," in this case it looks like a sleeve of woman's Kimono.
"Sazare-ishi" means small stones, it is a stone spontaneously made by small stone flakes connected by calcification, and it is loved by old Japanese Kizoku people because it will make a lovely sound when you set in artificial brook.
"Fuku-kaeru no ishi" (Fortune frog stone) naming derived from the Chinese legend of frog which will bring you fortune if that frog lives in your home garden.

Isn't it interesting? Japanese people loved to find a world and four seasons in their home garden to watch everything anytime if you want.
You can also find "Bakedourou," monster stone lantern made by naturally shaped stones, "Azumaya-dourou", the biggest stone lantern in Japan, a very old plum tree aged more than 150 years etc.
Personally, I love to watch the big carps in the pond as if they are suffering from metabolic syndrome ;).

Ganko Takasegawa-Nijoen Takasegawa Genryu Teien;This garden was made by Kadokura Ryoui, the wealthy merchant at Keicho 16 (), and sold to Yamagata Aritomo, who was a prime minister of Japan in 19th century, called "Daini-Murin-An", and bought by Kawata Koichiro, who was a president of Nippon Ginkou, and then bought by prime minister Abe Nobuyuki, and then now, Mr. Ooiwa is a owner of this traditional garden and house, who are using them for his restaurant now calling it "The Residence Ooiwa".

You need to ask restaurant employee to let you walk in the garden.
"Oniwa misete kudasai."It means "Let us stroll in your garden, please.
" Or if you speak slowly, they will understand English.
"May I walk in your Japanese garden?" is O.K. :.And you must get off your shoes at first and you can only use Japanese sandals prepared by the restaurant to stroll in the garden.
The largest sandals size is 9.5 or 10 at US size, so that please be patient to strolling in the garden for a half hour or so.
Anyway it's completely free and sometimes employee will give you a souvenir like Sushi shaped candy or a tiny amusement stuff free. It's great!
Most of the Japanese sight-seeing people do not know this information ;).


“Ganko Takasegawa-Nijoen Takasegawa Genryu Teien”
Kyotoshi Nakagyoku Kiyamachitori Nijo-kudaru Higashiikesuchou 484-6
Phone:075-223-3456