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Kyoto’s Hidden Culinary Treasure: A Mother-Daughter Team Bringing Obanzai to Life

Article by Rob Kidd | Photography by Rob Kidd | Published January 30, 2025

Koyoken Kyoto, Japan restaurant

Hidden in the backstreets of Kyoto, Koyoken is a nine-seat restaurant specializing in obanzai. For the uninitiated, obanzai is a traditional cooking style from Kyoto, defined by local, seasonal produce and a focus on minimizing waste.


Historically, obanzai was a home-cooked tradition, an everyday way for families to make the most of local ingredients and, above all, avoid waste. Preserving vegetables with salt, creating delicate broths, and combining seasonal herbs and roots led to humble yet strikingly flavorful dishes. Today, while some high-end establishments strive to modernize the concept, the essence of obanzai remains bound to Kyoto's more modest establishments. At Koyoken, obanzai is as close to tradition as one can get—thanks in no small part to the mother-daughter duo who run this little restaurant with a lively flair that is anything but conventional.


The Koyoken Experience


Koyoken Kyoto, Japan restaurant

Stepping into Koyoken feels less like entering a restaurant and more like being welcomed into a bustling, eccentric family kitchen. The space, a little bigger than a shipping container, was so cramped that they invited us to enter through the backdoor to reach our seats more easily. The nine counter seats surround a bar where the entire meal is prepared in full view of guests. Mom does the cooking, interspersed with beer and cigarette breaks. Her daughter handles the drinks and copious washing up from the endless tiny bowls that characterize this cooking style. This is far from most Japanese restaurants’ efficient service and hushed tones of. Instead, the two exude a brash warmth that sets diners immediately at ease, teasing patrons, playfully urging them to "eat more," and guiding guests out of their culinary comfort zones.


There is no menu. For ¥5,000 (around $33) per person—including two drinks—the meal unfolds as a series of small dishes, each celebrating different textures and flavors. Koyoken’s offerings aren’t shy: they’re bold, unexpected, and rich with Kyoto’s brand of hospitality.


The dishes we ate included:


  • Snow crab with pickled cucumbers: sweet and succulent crab paired with refreshing cucumbers marinated in a lightly sour pickling sauce.

  • Bean sprout salad with pickling sauce: the essence of obanzai—an unassuming dish elevated by expertise in the art of pickling.

  • Stewed offal: though the origins of the offal remain unknown, it was simmered to melting tenderness.

  • Omelette with fish, potato, and onion: a savory slice that offers a cozy counterpoint to the livelier, tangier dishes on the menu.

  • Kimchee with turnip greens: a Japanese twist on the Korean staple, incorporating local turnip greens into the spicy-sour fermentation mix.

  • Hamburger with meat sauce and shimeji mushrooms: a comforting dish served with an umami-rich meat sauce, topped with earthy shimeji mushrooms.

  • Grilled carp with grated turnip and pickled shallots: the grilled carp, a regional specialty, is served with grated turnip and sharp pickled shallots, marrying smoky, sharp, and bitter flavors in a single dish.


Interestingly, Koyoken skips the rice that features in every Japanese meal—not that we missed it, with the volume of everything else. And while dessert is omitted, diners receive a bag of store-bought heart-shaped chocolate biscuits. We were encouraged to break them open before leaving, adding a charming, personal finale not unlike visiting your kindly grandmother.


The experience is as much about the people as the food. The mother-daughter team brings a refreshing spontaneity, regularly engaging with guests and challenging typical notions of Japanese hospitality. They nudge diners to try new things, even taking the chopsticks out of one diner’s hand to demonstrate the correct combination of flavors.


Package of "Heart Biscuit" with heart-shaped cookies and wheat design. Text reads "Have a Heart." Set on a table with a drink nearby. Koyoken Kyoto, Japan restaurant

A Parting Gesture


As we asked for the bill, the mother looked crestfallen, asking if we were genuinely full. The total was ¥10,000 for the two of us, but their card machine was down, and we only had ¥9,000 in cash on hand. They graciously accepted what we had and rejected our offer to go to the ATM, a moment of generosity that felt deeply personal. (Of course, we returned shortly with the rest.)


For anyone eager to understand Kyoto beyond the usual tourist trappings, Koyoken is a must. It’s an experience that brings you closer to Kyoto’s beating heart: simple, soulful, and as memorable as any of the city’s grandest temples.

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