The wind that blows through the clear stream is comfortable. The green maple trees and paper lanterns overhead are swayed coolly. When I went up to the tatami room set up on the river, the sensible temperature dropped a lot.
Kibune in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, a valley sandwiched between Mount Kurama and Mount Kibune. Along the Kibune River, 17 restaurants and ryokan inns open kawadoko in the summer and serve multi-course meals.
In recent years, the Kibune area has been hit by heavy rains and typhoons, and the foundations of the riverbeds have been washed away, causing a series of disruptions to shops and railways. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of visitors has decreased to a quarter, but it is said that it is gradually returning.
Hirobun serves freshwater fish dishes such as sweetfish and amago, as well as nagashi somen noodles. Customers were using chopsticks to scoop up the noodles that flowed smoothly from the bamboo tube. The owner said, ``The riverbed is well-ventilated, and it's a natural cooler.
