If you’re in the Saga area, the cafe Saganoyu is a pleasant spot for lunch or a cup of coffee. Originally built as a public bathhouse in 1923, the building has been thoroughly renovated and was reopened as a cafe in 2006. You can still see the original tiling on the floors and the faucets along the walls.
Here’s what we had. Miu chose a cheese curry…
…which she washed down with an iced “Island milk tea” – so-named because it contains coconut milk.
And I had a peperoncino with anchovy and nanohana (rapeseed flowers) …
…with a refreshing framboise squash.
Everything was tasty and the service was good too. Saganoyu is not so cheap, but the Saga/Arashiyama area is rather touristy so cheap places are hard to find…
Saganoyu is located a short walk south of the JR Saga/Arashiyama Station. Here is a most convenient map. Check out the Saganoyu website more details and for their online shop: http://www.sagano-yu.com/
Open: 11.00 – 18.00 (Last orders: 17.30)
Telephone: 075-882-8985
This article first posted in March, 2014. Updated and reposted in August, 2023.
All text and images by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
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