Along the Shirakawa River in Higashiyama Sanjo.
Situated in a renovated Kyomachiya,
‘Tan’ is a restaurant focusing on breakfast and lunch.
We can have fresh ingredients in a heartwarming atmosphere which aims to create ‘a little family kitchen’.

When the lid of an earthen pot is opened, and white steam rises up from freshly steamed rice, a cheer goes up from people sitting around a table. The style of Tan’s breakfast is sitting around one large dining table, and sharing several large dishes together. In the morning of our interview, there were around 10 people having breakfast together, including tourists from overseas, families, and individual female travellers.

Tan was produced by Wakuden, the established Ryotei restaurant in Kyoto. It sounds rather luxurious when we hear the Wakuden name, but at Tan, what is served is dishes to appreciate quality ingredients, rather than luxury. ‘The concept is [home]. Tan was born based on our wish for people to be relaxed to have delicious meals as if they are at home, rather than as if they are in a restaurant’ says the manager Yasunori Kitajima.

Since the meals are simple, the selection of ingredients is thorough. The rice to be steamed in an earthen pot is home-grown in Kumihamacho Ichinono in Kyotango City by staff of Wakuden. The organic vegetables, grown using no fertiliser or chemicals, are also produced with care at a farm in Tango. ‘We deeply care about the original location of ingredients – Tango. So much so that we named Tan after Tango. This name carries our will to give something back to the place by serving delicious locally produced foods to the customers, and promoting foods where we know who produced them’ says manager Kitajima.

The concept of ‘making customers feel at home’ can be seen in the interior of Tan, which is situated in a renovated Kyomachiya house. The design is by the architect Toshihito Yokouchi. A clean, quality space has been achieved by utilising many natural materials such as wood and stone. By making a wide opening area and inviting in outside landscapes such as the Shirakawa River and willows, the space achieves a sense of openness despite its modest size.

Where to go or what to do today… At Tan, we can spend a most comfortable morning time, which gives the best start to the day.

Photo：Kaoru Sakatani