The most instagrammed place in the world.
Everyone go to Kyoto, especially Arashiyama area, even though it is located a bit remote from Kyoto station. This is because of their Bamboo Grove, which is now officially recognized as the “most-instagrammed Bamboo forest” in the world!
Serene and tranquil ambiance (well not very quiet because of the crowd), in a very simple Bamboo trees are very simple, but full of Japanese beauty. Wha can we find in this area as Muslim? Let’s see their guidebook today!
Where are the Halal restaurants in Arashiyama?
There are some Halal restaurants available in Kyoto, but unfortunately not many in this area. Check the timing carefully, and making a prior reservation is ideal.
Yoshiya Oku no Niwa (良彌 奥の庭)
This restauramt is located close to the famous bridge, Togetsukyo. The restaurant is offering Japanese cuisine, but their specialty is Tofu, which is also Kyoto’s.
As the restaurant is officially certified as Halal by one of the local authorities in Kyoto, all the Muslims can enjoy their beautiful Japanese cuisine without being worried about their status.
Name: Yoshiya Oku no Niwa
Address: 31 Saga Tenryuji Tsukurimichi cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto 京都府京都市右京区嵯峨天龍寺造路町31
Tel: 075-871-0448
Opening hours: 11:00〜17:30
Any Halal gourmet?
There are some recommendations we can make for our Muslim travelers. However, as they are not Halal-certified, please consume them at your own risk.
Daigakuimo Caramelized sweet potato
This is sweet is available throughout Japan and not very local from Kyoto, but this sweet represents Japanese dessert and everyone love it! This is a very simple dessert: fried sweet potato, and caramelized outside.
Inside is super fluffy and with gentle sweetness from potato, but outside is made super crispy because of sweet caramel! The only risk they can have is the flying oil, in case they share the oil to cook something else, which is a super rare case.
Fruit Candy
This cute sweet is also available in Japanese festivals. Small fruits like strawberry or grape are on the skewers, and they are coated with liquid sugar.
As written in this page, some of the Fruit candies are using red colored-liquid sugar, whose ink may have been made from an insect. Try to choose the natural color candies to be on a safer side!
Yatsuhashi / Otabe Japanese sweet
Yatsuhashi / Otabe is the most famous sweet from Kyoto, and you will see them almost everywhere in the city! They are available as souvenirs, but if you are not sure if you like the taste or not… Don’t worry, there are so many shops that lets you try in a physical stores!
They have both Baked and Raw (not baked). Both of them are made free from haram ingredients, so you can choose whichever you like. However, try to eat as many Raw ones as possible because their expiry date is a lot shorter than the baked ones so taking back as a souvenir is more difficult!
Halal souvenirs in Kyoto
Kyoto is full of Japanese sweets and Matcha products, which usually can be Muslim-friendly! Check our articles below to make a perfect shopping list!
Enjoy Arashiyama!
It is the most visited area in Kyoto, which means there are so much crowd. There is a narrow street with so many shops and restaurants, and cars are also passing by.
Wearing a traditional cloth, Kimono, and walking on the street iq also quite fun. We hope you can enjoy Arashiyama!