Francois Coffee House
Kawaramachi, Kyoto
- Daily
- 11:00 to 22:00
Last order 20:00 for food, 21:30 for drinks and cake. Closed 31 December to 2 January.
Source: francois1934.com, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Francois opened in 1934 in a lane by the Takase canal just south of Shijo, a salon-style coffee house its owner Tateno Shoichi meant as a place to talk about art and against the war. Stained-glass windows, a white ceiling, red velvet chairs and a copy of the Mona Lisa set the tone. The north half, remodelled in 1941 to a design by Bencivenni, an Italian studying at Kyoto University, was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2003.
Insider tip
Cash only, no bookings and no children under school age. Queue along the wall, facing south. When it's busy you may be asked to give up your table after about two hours.
What the guides say about Francois Coffee House
Inoda Coffee opens its main shop at 7:00 and serves the Kyoto Breakfast, ham and scrambled eggs with bread for ¥1,890, until 11:00. Francois Coffee House opened in 1934, and you sit in red velvet chairs under stained-glass windows. It's cash only, there are no bookings, and you queue along the wall.
What's on near Francois Coffee House
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Francois Coffee House, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza
京の年中行事 當る未歳 吉例顔見世興行 東西合同大歌舞伎
Time Matinee 10:30, evening 16:00 Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), exit 6, 1 min walk
Kyoto's December kabuki brings star actors from Tokyo and Kansai together at Minamiza, a custom from the Edo era, when each theatre showed off its new company for the year. Tickets go on sale on 9 Nov, there are no shows on 9 and 17 Dec, and a few sessions are privately booked.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 Miyako no Nigiwai: Five Hanamachi Joint Performance
京都五花街合同公演「都の賑い」
Time 11:00 and 14:30 Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan)
The one stage where geiko and maiko from all five Kyoto hanamachi dance together, about 70 of them, with a number by maiko from every district. Seats ran from ¥6,500 to ¥14,000 in 2026 and went on sale in April.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 Kamogawa Noryo-yuka Riverside Terraces
鴨川納涼床
Station Sanjo or Gion-Shijo (Keihan Line)
From 1 May the restaurants along the river in Kiyamachi, Pontocho and Saiseki serve on outdoor terraces looking across the Kamogawa to the Higashiyama hills, until 15 October. Some stop at the end of September, and breakfast, lunch and hours vary by restaurant.
Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 Ninja Show NARUTO at Minamiza
忍劇「NARUTO-ナルト-」
Time 19:00 on 1 and 2 February, then 15:00 and 19:00, no shows on Mondays Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan Line), right outside exit 6
A long-run Naruto ninja show with no dialogue, so you don't need any Japanese: live action, acrobatics, aerial work and projection mapping, using every bit of stage machinery in Kyoto's old kabuki theatre. It follows Naruto's boyhood story in the Hidden Leaf Village and runs from February to June.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 Miyako Odori
都をどり
Time 12:30, 14:30 and 16:30 daily (the 12:30 show on 23 and 24 April is booked out) Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan Line), about 8 min walk from exit 6
Gion Kobu's geiko and maiko dance through the four seasons in one act without the curtain once coming down, with geiko singing and playing shamisen on one side of the stage and maiko on flutes and drums on the other. The ¥8,000 ticket includes tea, served from an hour before the show.
Nearby
Around Kawaramachi
Downtown Kyoto, between Nishiki Market and the Kamo River
Kawaramachi is downtown Kyoto, the shopping streets round the Shijo-Kawaramachi crossing. The Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades run north from Shijo-dori, Nishiki Market runs west from them, and east of Kawaramachi-dori the Takase canal and Pontocho squeeze in before the Kamo River. You'll come here to eat, mostly. Some of the tea, incense and paper shops date from the Edo period.
Kawaramachi has 26 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shops, 4 cafes, 4 restaurants, 3 shrines and temples, 3 landmarks, 2 bars, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 park or garden, 1 market and 1 bathhouse. Read the Kawaramachi guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Francois Coffee House?
- 184 Sendo-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市下京区西木屋町通四条下ル船頭町184).
- What are the opening hours of Francois Coffee House?
- Daily 11:00 to 22:00. Last order 20:00 for food, 21:30 for drinks and cake. Closed 31 December to 2 January.
- How do I get to Francois Coffee House?
- The nearest station is Kyoto-Kawaramachi (Hankyu). Francois Coffee House is in Kawaramachi, Kyoto.
- How much does Francois Coffee House cost?
- Francois Coffee House is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Francois Coffee House?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Francois Coffee House?
- Evening.
Stay near Francois Coffee House
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