This article reflects information as of 2020. For the latest details, please contact us.
Written by: Qian Yunwen, tentus inc.
Hello, everyone! Last month, timed right with the once-in-40-years extreme cold wave, I headed to Kyoto! This time I got to try out a new service offered by Zenkoku Wataridori Seikatsu Club Inc. They use lovely vacant homes across the country and — in the form of a flat-rate, live-as-much-as-you-like plan — seem to be developing a service made for exactly this era, letting you live throughout everyday Japan like a migratory bird. The property that serves as the stage for this wataridori life is at the foot of Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. What can you do there? What can you do only at a Wataridori House? Let's read the article together and find out! The Zenkoku Wataridori Seikatsu Club brand site is here.
1. The Start of the wataridori Life
Normally a one-month stay is assumed, but this time we used it for two nights and three days. And off we went — from Tokyo by bullet train!
Arriving at Kyoto Station, we took the city bus from in front of the station, got off at Gojozaka, and — gazing at Kiyomizu-dera along the way — reached a property so splendid you can see Kiyomizu-dera from it, and can't help asking, "This is a vacant house?!" When I got off at Kyoto Station, I'd dressed wrong and it felt like the cold wave might do me in, but it turned into the feeling of visiting a friend's family home out in the countryside, and I got excited! The two-night, three-day experience starts here!
2. Ramen-Centered Mini-Kaiseki @ Kiyomizu-dera
Shanghai has hairy crab; Tokyo has monjayaki and Edomae sushi, and so on — everywhere has its signatures. I asked Kyoto people too: what's Kyoto's soul food? "Unlike Osaka where they eat takoyaki around the clock, Kyoto folks eat seasonal, in-season things. Also famous are Kyo-yasai — Kyoto vegetables named after places, like Kujo leeks. Yudofu is for tourists; Kyoto people don't eat it. And things like Kyo-curry aren't soul food just because they've got 'Kyo' stuck on them." A very Kyoto-like answer. lol
So, I'd love to introduce everyone to "Le Sel Organic," a ramen-centered mini-kaiseki place about a 7-minute walk from Wataridori House! You can savor a perfect marriage of in-season and Kyoto vegetables!
The chef is only 26 years old, believe it or not!
Price: 2,500 yen (tax incl.) Food: a course of 2–3 kinds (5 dishes, vegan-friendly) Opened: April 2019 Hours: 11:00–17:00 (solo operation, counter with only 8 seats)
Since it was already 2 p.m. when I got to Wataridori House, I looked up restaurants on Google Maps, and while many places were on their afternoon break, Le Sel's 11:00–17:00 hours saved me! I was the only customer inside, which was a little lonely, but I could take my time, eat delicious food quietly, and chat with the chef — it was soothing.
I chose and bought from the menu at the vending machine inside the shop.
- Sautéed vegetables: a paste of avocado and such arranged on crackers. Bite-sized, yet condensing all sorts of flavors — a lovely appetizer.
- Vegetable ravioli: described as "boiled dumplings using only vegetables," but with a wonderfully smooth texture where black pepper made a great accent — a dish you'd never think was vegetables only.
- Kyo tea rice: a rice dish using Koshihikari from Kyoto. The yellow powder on top of the rice is apparently salted egg yolk, shaved into powder.
- 99% chicken paitan ramen: rich yet refreshing! I ate it in amazement, careful not to let it show on my face at all.
- Dessert: the final dish. This was my favorite in the whole course! Caramel wrapped around a ring, with soy-milk-and-yuzu sherbet shaved over it — fluffy and crisp, a double punch of texture and taste! I desperately wanted seconds!
Eating the dessert, I was doing full Chūka Ichiban reactions.
Seven minutes on foot from Wataridori House at the foot of Kiyomizu-dera — "Le Sel Organic," a place you'll want to brag about.
3. Telework @ Wataridori House
Since our company, tentus inc., is centered on web production, work comes together with just one computer in a stable internet environment. So I tried a day of telework at Wataridori House.
I held a video call and worked in the Wataridori House living room. Opinions like "I want a monitor" and "an extension cord" came up, but for ordinary work I think it's a comfortable space.
It would be truly wonderful if not just the wataridori life, but telework too, gained more places where you can interact with locals without being disrupted!
It's worth looking forward to!
4. Nightlife @ Gion-Shijo
A stranger is just a friend you haven't met. — Irish proverb (「見知らぬ人とは、まだ出会ったことのない友人」／ A stranger is just a friend you haven't met. — Irish proverb)
I love how, while drinking good drinks at a bar and listening to the bartender and people I've just met, life gives me inspiration — so of course, coming to Kyoto, there's nothing to do but drink! And conveniently, the Gion-Shijo area, about a 20-minute walk from Wataridori House at the foot of Kiyomizu-dera, had lots of bars! Thanks to the person who told me!
The places I dropped by this time were cocktail bars along the river:
- BEE'S KNEES
- nokishita711 gin & cocktail labo
- L'EscaMoteur
BEE'S KNEES
The shop is called BEE'S KNEES, and its concept is a Prohibition-era New York speakeasy — there's no sign outside reading BEE'S KNEES, so I panicked. A Google Maps comment saved me: "The landmark is a yellow door that says THE BOOKSTORE, and a bee mark."
The ceiling was beautiful, so I took a shot. Loud music seems to be their selling point, and the walls were decorated with Prohibition-era American newspapers and photos. Once again I was the only customer. When I asked, "Is it because of corona?", they said everyone had just left. Well, it was a weekday at midnight.
Ordered a PB&J Manhattan! A whisky-based short cocktail. PB&J is peanut butter & jelly, so it's a sweet, strong one! Honestly, the volume was so loud I couldn't concentrate on the taste. lol I think it's better to come with friends and drink it up together than to come alone!
nokishita711 gin & cocktail labo
I love you more than GIN
It's a craft gin & cocktail bar. Perfect for gin lovers!
The menu wasn't accessibility-friendly, so I ordered the easy-to-read Botanical Garden in the bottom right. lol If you know gin, you might be better off not reading the menu and just choosing your favorite gin and how you want it served yourself.
I regretted ordering wrong. lol I want to bring a gin-savvy friend and go for a rematch!
L'EscaMoteur
Full of surprises. The cutest bartenders. Top 3 of my life. A bar with a wizard.
It was getting close to 2 a.m., so this is the last stop.
It's blurry because of the cold and because I was a little tipsy. When I opened the door and climbed the stairs, an otherworldly space brimming with playfulness unfolded before me. The bartenders were a Kyoto-born girl who speaks perfect British English, and a Brit and a Frenchman who don't speak much Japanese. So I spoke a ton of English for the first time in ages. lol
Ordered a Smoke Old Fashioned! Another whisky-based short cocktail. Strong cocktails must be drunk! The taste is superb! They even gave me lovely chocolate — so grateful!
The owner is apparently a French magician; he wasn't there that day, but usually does shows and the like.
We badmouthed Kyoto bartenders to each other and I got a shot. lol Thank you!
A bar you'd never think was in Japan, in Kyoto — but riding the taxi back toward Wataridori House, it felt somehow strange, fun, and full of lovely people, so I can work hard again!
5. The wataridori × NINIROOM "Living Club Menu"
As part of improving this service going forward, they're planning a "Living Club Menu" that — to bring users closer to the locals and the culture — cooperates with local organizations and individuals and includes invitations and coordination for living within the community. And in charge of this "Living Club Menu," I visited HOSTEL NINIROOM, which regularly hosts all kinds of local activities like neighborhood gatherings, the Nini Shokudo dining events, and neighborhood-walk notebooks.
NINIROOM is a hostel opened by two sisters in Marutamachi, Kyoto, in autumn 2017. Whether it's your first time in Kyoto or you've come many times. We wanted to create a place you can drop by whenever the mood strikes — like your own second house, or like a familiar "friend's room" close at hand. Floors 2–3 are guest rooms; the 1st floor is a reception café lounge. We aim to build everyone's Kyoto base — a place that becomes the trigger for feeling Kyoto close to you. (The above is from the Facebook page.)
Arrived at NINIROOM at 6 p.m.!
The moment I stepped in — what a lovely place!
The NINIROOM owner showed me around. It's a hostel overflowing with thoughtfulness in every corner. Not just the variety of guest rooms, but the bathrooms and toilets too were so clean — I'd love to stay at least once if I get the chance! After the tour, it was finally gyoza time! This time we had three kinds of Kyoto local gyoza delivered!
- Hoan Hoan Gyoza
- Gyoza Hohei
- Gyoza no Ohsho Premium (Takashimaya exclusive)
Hoan Hoan Gyoza is a very famous Kyoto local gyoza; the timing didn't work out for delivery, but the Hoan Hoan Gyoza folks came all the way to NINIROOM to bring it — thank you! A cold wave may be coming, but it's warm and toasty!
Thinking it might get smelly indoors, we grilled the gyoza outside!
Line them up!
Add hot water!
Five minutes on medium heat!
Shake until the water evaporates!
Plate them up!
Done!
Personally, I like the Gyoza no Ohsho Premium at the bottom left! The shiso really comes through, it's refreshing, and I feel like I could eat it forever.
Besides the NINIROOM folks, two people from Kyoto came too, and taught me all sorts of things — where's good to eat, running spots, and more. Because of corona there were few overnight guests, but even non-guests can come to NINIROOM! You can eat, join events, and interact with the overnight guests, so for the wataridori life it's important. It's only my second day in Kyoto, but I've already built connections with the locals — thanks to Wataridori House. I really hope the "Living Club Menu" keeps growing more and more!
Also, NINIROOM has made a "Neighborhood Walk Notebook" packed with info on nearby favorite restaurants, drinking spots, sento bathhouses, and so on. On their recommendation, after the gyoza party ended, we also went to "KUMANO WINE HOUSE" nearby, where you can drink natural wine!
To NINIROOM's Facebook page. To KUMANO WINE HOUSE's Facebook fan page.
6. The End of the wataridori Life, and Impressions
On the afternoon of the final day, I went to Hosen-in to gaze at the 700-year-old five-needle pine. I wanted to soak up its power, but it was so cold my power almost got taken away instead. lol
Two nights and three days really did fly by. I went through the checkout procedure with the caretaker, and it was done in about 10 minutes — nice and easy. The photos may not have come out very well, and there are still places I want to go, and there were things that felt off because they differed from my own living habits — but I found I don't dislike this kind of wataridori life.
You can stay at a lovely hotel anytime, but what you can do only through the wataridori life is, rather than going somewhere else just to stay, to build connections with the locals and actually live.
There's so much I want to say, but my vocabulary… If I get the chance, the very first thing I want to do is go to the sento they told me about. lol
What kind of wataridori life would you want to live?
Check it out on the Zenkoku Wataridori Seikatsu Club brand site! https://www.wataridori-life.com