An Evening Along the Kamogawa — A Drink at a Bar or on a Riverside Terrace

Listening to the river

Along the Kamogawa, Pontocho and Kiyamachi shift in character from dusk into night. From May to September, "yuka" terraces extend out over the river, where you can enjoy a drink in the river breeze. This article introduces three places for a drink along the Kamogawa, from a cocktail bar to a riverside dining restaurant.

Cocktails at a counter on the riverside terrace — Bar Atlantis

Bar Atlantis is a cocktail bar in Pontocho. From May to September it sets a counter on its Kamogawa terrace, where you can have a drink out over the river. It pours a deep cocktail list — said to run to some 500 varieties — including its own "Pontocho Cooler."

A 100-year machiya on the riverside — Restaurant bar KAWA Cafe

Restaurant bar KAWA Cafe stands along the Kamogawa at Kiyamachi-Matsubara. A riverside space that makes use of a 100-year-old machiya, it works as a bar in the evening, and from May to September it, too, opens a terrace.

A drink with Kyoto cuisine on a Pontocho terrace — Pontocho Robin

Pontocho Robin is a Kyoto-cuisine restaurant along Pontocho-dori. From May to September it opens a Kamogawa terrace (with table seating), where you can pair Kyoto cuisine with local Kyoto sake, Japanese-style cocktails, fresh-fruit cocktails, and wine. It offers a different kind of riverside drink — one taken over a meal on the terrace. Note that using the terrace may require ordering a set course, so it is worth checking ahead.

Before you go

The riverside terraces usually run from May to September and may be canceled in poor weather. Bars and restaurants work differently (Robin's terrace may be course-based), and reservation policies and hours vary by venue. Check each venue's official channels or Google Maps.