I’m often asked for a "best of" list for Kyoto. Usually, I hesitate though. Kyoto isn't a city that yields its secrets to a generic Top 10 list. The real magic here is found in the specific—the small businesses run by people who have spent decades obsessing over a single craft, or the friends who have built spaces simply because those spaces needed to exist.
This isn't a checklist. It’s a collection of people and places I respect. It’s a map of the city I actually live in.
I’ll keep adding to this as I find more, but for now, if you want to see the Kyoto I know, you can begin here. Last Updated: December 2025
The Spaces Between
8B Google Maps •
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WebsiteRun by a couple I’m lucky to call friends, 8B is a perfect example of the Kyoto creative spirit. It’s a multi-hyphenate building in the northeast: part art gallery, part tea ceremony space, part workshop upstairs. Downstairs, you'll find a hairdressing salon with a visual edge that feels like a bridge between Berlin and Tokyo. It is intentional, aesthetic, and deeply welcoming.
Keiokairai Google Maps •
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Keiokairai is another "very Kyoto" business. It’s a building that refuses to be just one thing. Inside, you’ll find a curated bookshop full of beautiful and weird art books, a clothes store, a record shop, and a cafe. It’s the kind of place where you go for a coffee and end up leaving with a rare print and a new perspective on Japanese design.
Sound & Spirit
Meditations Google Maps •
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My favourite record store in the city. Meditations focuses on Ambient and Indian music—a niche so specific it feels like a miracle it even exists. It is a quintessentially Japanese "thing": a business that focuses on one beautiful corner of culture and does it so well it supports a whole lifestyle. I love this place.
RRRRR Google Maps •
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Run by Jason, a Canadian expat who truly knows his craft. RRRRR is more than just a record store; it’s an archive of interesting antiques and vintage audio gear. Jason has fixed my own amplifier and cassette radio for incredibly fair prices. Go for the records, stay for the lovely antique goods, and then head downstairs to the legendary HoHoHoZa bookstore.
Collxn Website
While you can’t "visit" Collxn in the physical sense, it lives here. My friend Ash created this app to solve a modern problem: forgetting what’s in your own vinyl collection. It gives you one random recommendation from your shelves each day. It’s a digital tool with a very analog soul.
Rituals: Coffee, Flowers, and Scent
Style Coffee Google Maps •
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Objectively some of the best coffee in the city. The owner, Kurosu-kun, studied the craft in Melbourne before bringing a Kyoto sensibility back home. If you want a recommendation, their Brazilian roast is superb. It’s coffee as a high art form, with none of the pretension.
HanaYou Ikebana Instagram •
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If you want to try your hand at Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), my friend at HanaYou is the person to see. She spent years teaching in New York and now brings that global perspective back to Kyoto. Her classes are low-stakes, English-friendly, and genuinely fun. It’s a great way to engage with Japanese tradition without feeling intimidated.
Shoyeido Incense Co. Google Maps •
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I am a huge incense lover, and Shoyeido is the gold standard. They’ve been at it for over 300 years. It isn’t a "friend's business," but it is an essential Kyoto stop. Find the location closest to you and let your nose guide you.
