Noryo-yuka: Summer Dining Over the Kamo River

From the first of May, the restaurants on the river side of Pontocho build wooden platforms out over the bank of the Kamo River. Kyoto summers are hot and sticky, and eating outside above running water, with the Higashiyama hills across the river, has been the local answer for a very long time.

What noryo-yuka means

Noryo is "enjoying the cool" and yuka is "floor". The custom is thought to go back to the late sixteenth century, when merchants and travellers set out benches on the sandbars in the riverbed. Today the platforms are proper raised decks built onto the backs of the restaurants each spring and taken down again in autumn.

They do not stand over the main river. A narrow, shallow channel called the Misosogi River runs along the foot of the buildings, and the decks sit on posts above it. If you walk along the riverside path you pass right underneath the diners.

Where they are

The association covers four stretches of the west bank between Nijo and Gojo: Kamikiyamachi north of Sanjo; Pontocho between Sanjo and Shijo; Nishi-Ishigaki just south of Shijo Bridge; and Shimokiyamachi further south towards Gojo. The Pontocho stretch is the one in most photographs, because the platforms are packed tightly together and the lane behind them gives the place its character.

Names for the season

Kyoto has its own words for the different parts of the season. May is satsuki no yuka, the early platforms, when the evenings are still fresh. June to August is honyuka, the main season. September is atosuzumi, the "late cool", when the heat finally breaks and the crowds thin out. With the season now running into mid-October, autumn evenings on the river have become an option too, though you may want a jacket.

What to expect

The food depends entirely on the restaurant. Many platforms serve Kyoto-style kaiseki courses, but you will also find yakitori, Italian, French and casual set menus. Platform seats usually cost more than the same restaurant's indoor tables, and many places only offer set courses outside. As a very rough guide, casual places start at a few thousand yen per person and traditional courses can go well past ¥10,000. Check when you book.

In busy months some restaurants limit how long you can keep the table. If it rains, most move guests indoors, so a platform seat is never quite guaranteed. Midsummer evenings can still be very warm and there may be mosquitoes; a fan and some repellent help.

Booking

Book with the restaurant directly or through a booking site, and say clearly that you want a seat on the yuka, because some restaurants price indoor and outdoor seats differently. Friday and Saturday nights from June to August fill up early. An early seating, around 17:00 or 18:00, gives you daylight on the river first and then the lanterns coming on. In July, during the Gion Matsuri and especially around the parade days, the whole area is packed.

Seeing them without a booking

You don't need a table to enjoy the platforms. Shijo Bridge, looking north, gives the classic view of the lit-up row. The east bank between Sanjo and Shijo shows you the whole length of Pontocho at once. And the riverside path takes you directly below the decks, close enough that it is polite to lower your voice. Our Kamo River walk covers this stretch.

Not to be confused with Kibune

Kibune, in the hills north of the city, has its own summer platforms, called kawadoko, built directly over a small, fast mountain stream. It is noticeably cooler there and often more expensive, and the trip from central Kyoto by train and bus takes around an hour. The Kamo River platforms are in the middle of town, a few minutes from Pontocho Park, and easy to fit into an evening walk.