Sanjo Izakaya Crawl With Local With Chopstick Craft
About This Crawl
An izakaya crawl in Kyoto's Sanjo area with a chopstick-making craft component at the start. The craft element adds a cultural activity before the drinking begins, which either appeals or feels like an unnecessary addition depending on your priorities.
What to Expect
Sanjo (three-jo) street runs east-west across central Kyoto, connecting the Kamogawa river to the Higashiyama district. The Sanjo-Kawaramachi area around the river bridge has been a commercial and social hub for centuries and has a concentration of traditional craft workshops, restaurants, and izakayas. The chopstick-making component typically runs 30-45 minutes at a craft workshop. You select wood, sand and shape the chopsticks, and finish them with lacquer or oil. It's a legitimate traditional craft, and the chopsticks you make are what you use for the rest of the evening. The conceptual thread is neater than it sounds. After the craft portion, the tour moves to two to three izakayas in the Sanjo area. The venues here tend to be mid-range: not the tourist-facing restaurants on Pontocho, not the cheap student spots near the university. Neighbourhood izakayas serving the local shopping and working population.
Who It's For
Travellers who want a cultural activity to anchor the evening; couples who want to do something together before the bar portion begins.
Tips
- The chopstick-making takes concentration. Don't arrive already drunk.
- The chopsticks you make are yours to keep. They're a functional souvenir.
- Sanjo-Kawaramachi is well-connected by Hankyu and Keihan train lines.
- The craft component means this tour starts earlier than a straight bar crawl. Plan your daytime activities accordingly.
- Kyoto izakayas in the Sanjo area are typically higher quality on the food side than the large tourist-facing restaurants. Order food at each stop.
Verdict
The craft component is well-integrated rather than tacked on. The chopstick-making gives the evening a beginning that a straight bar crawl doesn't have, and the Sanjo izakayas are a good setting.
