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?
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.
