Francois Kissaten

Café · Historic coffee house$$Shijo Kiyamachi, Kyoto

A salon-style coffee house opened in 1934 beside the Takase River, the first café in Japan to be registered as a Tangible Cultural Property.

At a glance

Type: Historic coffee house
Area: Shijo Kiyamachi, Kyoto, Japan
Price: $$ · Mid-range
Opening: Open daily · 11:00–22:00
Official site: francois1934.com

Good to know

Registered cultural property
Non-smoking
Cash only

Why we recommend it

Francois Kissaten opened in 1934 in a narrow lane just south of Shijo-Kobashi, the bridge where Shijo-dori crosses the little Takase River. Its founder, Tateno, intended it as a place where people could talk about art and ideas at a time when Japan was becoming increasingly restrictive, and contributors to the anti-fascist newspaper Doyo Shimbun were among its regulars. It is the first coffee shop in Japan to be listed as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

The interior is the main attraction. Young artists, including an Italian designer, helped create it, and it was conceived from the start as a luxurious salon: stained-glass windows, a white ceiling, red velvet chairs and a reproduction of the Mona Lisa on the wall. Its registration as a cultural property recognises how much of this original design survives, and the room still feels much as it must have done in the 1930s. The overall effect is closer to a European café than to a modern Japanese coffee shop.

The menu is that of a classic kissaten, with coffee, tea, cakes and light meals rather than elaborate specialty drinks. Food is served until 20:00 and drinks and cakes until 21:30, so it works well as an evening stop as well as an afternoon one.

The café opens every day from 11:00 to 22:00, closing only on 31 December and 1 and 2 January. It has clear house rules: payment is cash only, reservations are not taken and the whole café is non-smoking. Children under school age are not admitted, phone calls and long laptop sessions are not allowed, and large luggage may be refused. When it is busy, guests may be asked to give up their table after about two hours. These rules help keep the calm atmosphere that regulars value.

Francois is a few minutes' walk from Hankyu Kyoto-kawaramachi Station and from Keihan Gion-Shijo Station on the other side of the Kamo River. The Kiyamachi and Pontocho areas, with their restaurants and bars, are on the doorstep, so it makes a pleasant place for a coffee before dinner. There is no bicycle parking at the café itself, so use one of the nearby paid bicycle parks.