If I have to pick the most heartwarming Japanese meal I had on my most recent trip to Japan, I’d pick Shoraian in a heartbeat. I’d also list Shoraian as a must-eat while in Japan.

There’s just so many things I loved about Shoraian. Anyway! Here goes my Shoraian review:

Everything Tofu Menu

From the architecture, views, ambiance, to food- there’s just so many things I loved about Shoraian, but the highlight for me was their all tofu menu.

I wasn’t exactly a huge fan of tofu. I chose this place because I thought it’s a unique Japan dining experience and besides, after jotting down so many beef and pork-y restaurants on my itinerary, it’s probably a good idea to have a “healthier” restaurant alternative. And choosing Shoraian was actually the perfect idea.

There are 3 lunch options at Shoraian: Shoyo, Shorai, and Shofu. All sets come with appetizer and dessert, as well as their specialty, yudofu. Yudofu is a silky, jiggly, extremely soft tofu, yet it doesn’t break apart easily.

Shorai and Shofu sets are more complete than Shoyo set. Shofu set, however, comes with more: wagyu beef, tofu gratin, tofu skin (toyuba) tempura, and free refills of yudofu 😉 their Shofu set was so huge already though, I didn’t have enough space in my stomach to ask for more refills.

Warm Ambiance & Service

Traditional Japanese architecture at a serene location- there’s nothing more perfect and calming than this. I was able to see the turquoise water of Katsura River, surrounded by the lush greeneries just outside our huge window. There’s not a lot of seats available in the building, I think there were only about 2-3 other groups of people beside me, which made the whole experience felt like a private dining.

FYI the building was actually made hundreds years ago, so it’s such a pleasant experience to dine at a heritage building.

We were assisted by 2 lovely grandmas during our visit. They paid attention to all our needs, gave us thorough explanation about our foods, and just being really nice and warm 🥹 felt like I got invited for lunch at a cozy Japanese home.

Location

Shoraian is located at a quite hilly & stony location. It’s indeed a bit of a hike to get there, so best to wear comfortable shoes. I think it was about 8-min short hike for me. The hike was a bit steep, so please be careful, especially when it rains.

To get to Shoraian, we walked along the Katsura River until we reached the dead-end, and there’s a pathway (stairs) which is the sign to start the mini-hike up to Shoraian 😉

Pricing

These were the prices when I came in May 2023 for lunch:
Shoyo – 3800 JPY
Shorai – 4600 JPY
Shofu – 5800 JPY

Booking

Booking was a bit difficult, because it was available through phone-call only. I managed to get a booking by asking the hotel where I stayed in Arashiyama, Muni Kyoto (which was an amazing stay by the way!).

I booked the lunch around 1 month before my visit and it wasn’t that easy finding a desirable time slot. In the end, I was able to lock in the time for 14:00, which was not the most ideal hour for lunch. So probably better to book your visit earlier than 1 month for Shoraian 😊

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Hope this helps!

What’s your most memorable restaurant in Japan? I know it’s probably not the easiest question because everything in Japan was that good and the people were really nice 😄

Here looking forward for my next trip to Japan 🤞💖

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