Photo By: Husband&Wife
Region
Kansai
Island
Honshu
Largest City
Kyoto
Population
2,644,331

Wife&Husband Cafe

Take picnicking to an art form in this sweet and unique way of experiencing Kyoto.

The natural beauty of Kyoto makes it a great place for a picnic. But to do the city justice, skip the ham sandwich and can of Coke and picnic properly with a coffee hamper and choice rental accessories from the Wife&Husband cafe.

What gardens are nearby?

This coffee shop’s picnic basket service gives you a generous serving of fresh coffee in a thermos, ceramic cups, a tablecloth and rusk biscuits, which you can carry over to the grassy banks of the Kamo River – just 100 paces away – and chill like a local.

It’s a gentle, timeless and placeless space that’s just right for a tea break. Coffee is on the menu, too, of course. Wife&Husband roasts and sells single-origin coffee beans from five different countries and makes its own blend called “Daughter.” The sparse menu also includes tea, orange juice, cake and the popular honey-and-blue-cheese toast.

Take picnicking to an art form by also renting a wooden stool or bench, or a folding table or a straw mat for sitting on – even a straw hat, a parasol, or a lap blanket! All of the items exude a natural, olde-worlde aesthetic that makes for fabulous photos.

The picnic hamper service costs ¥1,000 for 90 minutes. Pay just ¥50 for a 30-minute extension and an extra ¥100 a person for iced coffee. Rental of a stool or any other extra items costs a few hundred yen each.

Photo by: Kirsty Kawano The storefront in Kyoto.

The cafe is located down a side street that’s one block west of the south-west corner where Kitaoji street meets the Kamo river (there’s a gas station on the corner). Wife&Husband itself lives in an old house. It has a wooden counter and two tables and, as well as coffee and picnic paraphernalia, is filled with ancient objects the owners – a real-life husband and wife team – have collected during their travels around the world. A small collection of antiques for sale adorns one corner of the store.

If you want to beef-up your picnic, try Dai’s Sandwiches on the corner of that side street, or cross Kitaoji road and visit the take-out window of the popular Hasegawa Coffee & Grill.

Trivia

Kyoto Botanical Gardens

Unwindddddddddd.

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Things To Know

Hours and details

The café and picnic service are both open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last order for the picnic is 3 p.m., and at the café, 4:30 p.m. Usually closed on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays, but holidays are irregular. Look here to check the operating schedule: http://www.wifeandhusband.jp/openingschedule

How To Get There

Address

Japan, 〒603-8132 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Kita-ku, Koyamashimouchikawarachō, 106−6 ワイフアンドハズバンド

By train

A 4-minute walk from Kitaoji Station on the Karasuma subway line. Wife&Husband is a short walk from the Kyoto Botanical Gardens and is convenient if you are transferring between bus and subway at Kitaoji.

By bus

A 3-minute walk from the Karasuma-Kitaoji bus stop on the Kyoto City Bus.

Where To Stay

Guesthouse Bon
  • 63-2 Murasakinokamimonzencho, Kyoto-Shi Kita-Ku, Kyoto, 603-8217 Japan
  • From ¥4300
  • 1.3 km
Kyoto Nishijin no Yado
  • 124-8 Kamiogawacho, Kyoto-Shi Kamigyo-Ku, Kyoto, 602-0052 Japan
  • From ¥24000
  • 1.5 km
Riverte Kyoto Kamogawa
  • 202 Seiryucho, Kyoto-Shi Kamigyo-Ku, Kyoto, 602-0822 Japan
  • From ¥24140
  • 1.5 km
Hostel Sui Kyoto
  • 732 Makuracho, Kyoto-Shi Kamigyo-Ku, Kyoto, 602-8488 Japan
  • From ¥3480
  • 1.9 km
Villa Front Kyoto Seimei
  • 816-1 Seimeicho, Kyoto-Shi Kamigyo-Ku, Kyoto, 602-8222 Japan
  • From ¥9000
  • 2.0 km

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