On a day in February 2023, I visited Gion Shrine with a friend from Tokyo, had lunch in the Nijo area, and then moved to the Gion area. Since it was a holiday and everywhere was crowded, I pre-ordered a takeout set of 4 pieces of warabi mochi from "Gion Tokuya" to avoid waiting in line. When I got home, I chilled them a bit before eating. The smooth and chewy texture of the warabi mochi was divine. I'm not a fan of kinako, but the generous amount of black honey made it delicious without feeling powdery. It was still as tasty as ever. Thank you for the meal.

I had the best atmosphere and enjoyed the best traditional Japanese sweets at a famous tea house in Gion. There are seating options on the first and second floors, and there is always a line shortly after opening. You can get a numbered ticket at the entrance and enter your phone number into a machine, which will call you when it's your turn. Thanks to this service, I was able to enter the store without waiting in line even during hot weather. The taste of the traditional Japanese sweets was also excellent, and the sweet red bean soup was very elegant.

When it comes to Kyoto, I had always dreamt of visiting, so I was prepared for the long wait. However, I was grateful for the system where you can get a ticket and come back later! I got my ticket around 2:30 PM on a Sunday, and finally got into the shop around 3:45 PM. Unfortunately, the matcha mochi was sold out, so I tried the hon warabi mochi instead...! It was so soft and melted in my mouth instantly. My family from Kanto also enjoyed it.

On a short trip to Kyoto, I planned to have lunch at a certain restaurant but gave up due to a longer-than-expected line. Instead, I decided to stroll around Gion and stumbled upon "Gion Tokuya" just as it was opening. I ordered a combination of chilled soup with rice flour dumplings, kudzu mochi, and bracken starch dumplings as a substitute for lunch. The elegant sweetness of the Japanese sugar made it delicious.

A shop located on Hanatoro-koji known for its warabi mochi. Look for the shop with the red lantern. This time, as summer is coming to an end, we ordered the summer limited edition shaved ice. My companion chose the popular warabi mochi. The shaved ice was served high with a lemon slice for garnish, making it look very appealing. We poured green tea syrup over the shaved ice and it was delicious! The slight bitterness of the green tea syrup paired perfectly with the cold ice. When we added condensed milk syrup, it turned into a milk tea shaved ice as the staff had explained, offering a different flavor experience. You can also take the warabi mochi to go (reservation required in advance) and it was also incredibly delicious! Shaved ice is a must-try in the summer!

■Gion Tokuya■ ・Kyoto Mini Trip. ・After eating a satisfying lunch, we strolled around the city to work up an appetite. ・Our destination was [Gion Tokuya]. ・Expecting to wait in line due to its popularity, we were lucky to get in without a wait. ・This time, we ordered: ・◉ Assorted plate of hon warabi mochi and hon kuzu mochi for 1420 yen. ・With 4 friends, we ordered 2 plates to share. ♡ ・The smooth and subtly sweet warabi mochi was truly delicious. ・You can enjoy different flavors by dipping it in kinako, matcha, anko, or honey on the side. ・There was shaved ice inside the warabi mochi, so we topped the remaining ingredients and enjoyed it as shaved ice until the end. ・The authentic warabi mochi was the best! ♡ ・By the time we left, a line had formed, so we were really lucky. ・□570-127 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City ・#Gion #GionTokuya #Kyoto #KyotoGourmet #KyotoCafe #KyotoSightseeing #WarabiMochi #KuzuMochi #KyotoTrip #KyotoJapan #GirlsTrip

The atmosphere of the shop was quaint and wonderful. This year, I have been going around trying different shaved ice desserts, and I tried the hojicha (roasted green tea) shaved ice here. The ice was soft, but compared to specialty shaved ice shops, it was a bit harder and the bottom part was a bit too frozen. The hojicha syrup was rich and delicious, and it came with condensed milk syrup which was a nice touch. The bottom part of the ice had a strong lemon flavor, which might be a hit or miss for some people. Overall, it was okay. Shaved ice might be a good choice on a hot day, but I think I should have ordered their traditional warabi mochi instead. I'd like to come back next time to try their warabi mochi.

This time, I used it for lunch. I was undecided on what to order, but this time I ordered the matcha warabi mochi, etc. The restaurant was full, so I was waiting. It is a shop with a ticket system, where you choose whether to wait in line outside or be called by phone, and then receive a ticket at the reception machine inside the store. Order details: Matcha warabi mochi 1,280 yen, Tokuya's original warabi mochi 1,320 yen. The matcha warabi mochi is made by kneading authentic warabi powder with Kyoto matcha, served with sweet red bean paste. It was beautifully presented on ice to keep it cold. The sweetness was just right, refreshing, and very delicious. The restaurant has a clean and calm atmosphere. The staff's customer service was polite. It is a sweets shop near Yasaka Shrine.

The wait was worth it, got a ticket around 12:30, got called around 2:00, they inform you when it's your turn by phone, which is great. The warabi mochi with kinako and kuromitsu was amazing, each bite was delicious. The shaved ice was huge, but the matcha flavor, along with the red bean paste and dango inside, was too good! It was so hot, so glad I ordered the shaved ice. I still want to try both flavors again! (I recommend trying leftover kinako and kuromitsu on the shaved ice, it's amazing!).

I visited during the Bon festival. As expected from a popular restaurant, it was quite crowded. When receiving a ticket, you can choose to wait outside or receive a notification on your phone. Since it's hot this time of year, I recommend opting for the phone notification, but sometimes those waiting in line are seated faster. I ordered a popular menu item. It was the last one available after 2 PM, so I recommend arriving early if you want to try it.

Gion Shijo's sweets shop, selected as one of the top 100 shops with long queues. While their warabi mochi is extremely famous, my recommendation is their shaved ice! They offer a call-ahead service so you don't have to wait in line, making it a must-try. Around 10 groups were waiting for their ticket before noon on a weekday. When I got to the ticket machine, the first round of customers were already seated. You can choose to wait in line or use the call-ahead service when getting your ticket. Surprisingly, many people chose to wait in line. The staff never come outside to manage the queue, making it confusing to tell who is waiting for a ticket and who is waiting for a table. Many people end up waiting in line without knowing they need a ticket. Also, the call-outs are only in Japanese. I had to help a confused foreigner nearby understand how to get a ticket and how to read the numbers on it in Japanese. While the staff are not unfriendly, the system is quite unfriendly, I must say. (I'm sorry) It took me about 30 minutes to get my ticket and wait for a table. My ticket number was 11. For reference. [What I ate] Tokuya Warabi ¥1320 Matcha Shaved Ice ¥980 The service was quite fast, with the order arriving in about 5 minutes! The specialty warabi mochi was truly delicious. It was served on top of the shaved ice, with a modest amount of warabi mochi itself. Changing the flavor with kinako and honey while eating keeps it interesting. Delicious. However, what truly impressed me was the ice!!!!!! This was the first time I thought shaved ice could be this delicious (*´ω`*) It's sweet but not too sweet, just perfect. The lemon also added an interesting flavor change. I never expected shaved ice to be this delicious, I was truly impressed! I never felt the urge to wait in line to try it before, but I definitely want to come back again. I feel like I understand the ticket system and have a strategy now. It might be more convenient to come during busier times like around 2 pm, spend 1-2 hours killing time nearby, and then return when called. Personally, if there aren't many other shops I want to visit nearby, waiting for about 30 minutes might be a bit inconvenient. Thank you for the meal!

Ticket issuance was smooth and the staff, especially the girls, were friendly. There are about 6 tables on the first floor and also seating available on the second floor. They offer a menu for overseas visitors. I recommend the Hon Warabi dessert, which I thought would be filling but it was served with ice so it was easy to eat even when full. The middle part was just ice, I wish it was more like shaved ice. They accept card payments. It's a good spot for tourists visiting Kyoto, as you can catch a glimpse of Maiko passing by, which delights the tourists.

I visited on a Sunday in August and arrived 15 minutes before opening time to be in the first group. I ordered the basic warabi mochi. It was delicious with a nice texture, elegant sweetness, and the kinako and kuromitsu paired well. I finished quickly because there were many people waiting outside. It was very tasty. I want to eat it again!

In Gion, there is a very famous traditional Japanese sweets shop. When I went around noon, the first floor was full so I was guided to the second floor. I ordered the Hon Warabi Mochi and Hojicha Shaved Ice. Sweet treats are the best way to relax and unwind after a long day. The hojicha tea served while waiting was delicious. First, I tried the Hon Warabi Mochi. I had only ever tried cheap versions before, but the Hon Warabi Mochi was truly exquisite. It melted smoothly on my tongue without needing to chew, and the texture was truly impressive. The combination of the cool black syrup and the Warabi Mochi was perfect for the hot summer weather and put me in a good mood. I definitely want to eat this again. After finishing the Hon Warabi Mochi, the Hojicha Shaved Ice arrived. Its fluffy appearance was evident at first glance. Just pouring the hojicha syrup over it made it so delicate that it crumbled easily. The syrup was delicious too! It was sweet, but just the right amount, and there was plenty of it so the taste didn't fade away halfway through like with some shaved ice. Eating it with the lemon on the side added a different, but equally delicious, flavor. Thank you for the meal!

It was a warabi mochi with a shape I had never seen before. It was square when picked up with chopsticks, but when placed on a plate, it stretched out into a round shape due to gravity, which was quite cute. It tasted delicious even when eaten as is. To be honest, I thought that if I could be full just by eating this, I would be truly happy, sorry. The anmitsu was also delicious, and the flower-shaped decoration was beautiful! In conclusion, this is a restaurant I recommend visiting when you come to Kyoto!!!

I received a reservation ticket and was called by phone. However, it took quite a long time. I went around 2:20 pm on July 17th, but there were 55 groups ahead of me. I passed the time at a nearby cafe and returned to check at 3:35 pm. There were still about 20 groups ahead of me, but I managed to get in during a gap when some groups were taking longer. I entered at 3:45 pm and left in less than 2 minutes. Those who arrived at this time were told, "Today's reservation tickets are finished." However, the wait was worth it as the food was delicious. Some people complained that they couldn't enter right away after being called. The system is to return within 30 minutes after being called, but it's better not to expect to enter immediately.

I waited in line for about 30 minutes to enter at 3:00 pm. The coveted warabi mochi was delicious on its own, with a sweet taste, and even more delicious when topped with kinako and black honey. It was the best warabi mochi I have ever tasted, with a smooth texture. It was worth waiting in the heat.