Hirobun

This review is for the bamboo somen noodle experience. Hirobun Somen Noodles next to Kifune Shrine. 1 subway plus two bus rides away from Kyoto. Despite being 1hour and 15 minutes away, it was a fun adventure. They open around 10:15 and there were 20ish people ahead of us when we got there around 10. They have 1 row eating, 1 row waiting at the top level and then a tatami mat of three rows of people waiting on the bottom mat. We sat on mats over the running creek so it was nice and cool. Each turn over of people is around 8-10 people and you get to eat around 15 minutes. So we waited 45-60 minutes after sitting on the first floor of the tatami mats.

Hirobun was an amazing experience! Catching noodles was more enjoyable than I even thought, even the pessimism from my family was quickly turned when we were catching them. The area is extremely scenic, a beautiful location. Some words of caution, if you get there too late, it is a 4 hour wait, once you get your ticket, you can walk around the nearby area, some lovely scenic places to see. Also, we'd advise a taxi if you can afford it, the bus ride was not enjoyable as we were squashed and couldn't see anything out the windows. All in all, still a fantastic experience, I would highly recommend.

The noodle experience was great and tasty, I thought we would have less noodles tbh. The wait was long but you can walk around the beautiful area and visit some shrines. I thinks it’s worth the wait:)

The noodles were cool however they honestly didn't taste interesting at all. The experience is what you go for. We got there at 11.30 and I think we're close to the last reservation. Then we're told to wait 2.5 hours which was ok however there is very little to do in the street and it ended up being 3.5 hours once we went down and waited some more. Would recommend if you think it sounds cool and are willing to hang around and wait but it's definitely not a crazy life changing experience.

Finally here! Long awaited and longing to come and experience this. Traditional lodging in Japan. First and foremost as the country the culture, people here are super nice, as we took a cab from the train station. Kudos to the taxi driver, when we arrived, he help us contact the hirobun staff to come pick and assist us into the accommodation. Super nice and excellent service. Secondly, there is a cut off time for their signature dinner, which we did managed to arrive in time from osaka. Please dont miss the dinner, its superb! The course presentation, the environment, the elements and also the service. The food was awesome, nicely timed and spaced out, so it wont be a rush dinner service, the staff seem to be twin sister, are super attentive to needs and also details. Making sure we know what we are eating, making sure we get the most experience out of it. And going the extra miles to use translation from phone to make use understand everything she was saying (; Then comes to the accommodation, its very very limited, so please book early and also planned. They are hard to come by! The room is big nice and have a very nice scent of wood and nature once you step into the place. The whole accommodation is big! There living room sleeping room balcony and a big bathtub with a view! Comfy bed, nicely furnished, all comes with Traditional wear and also amenities kit which are very thoughtful! Breakfast food was also awesome nonetheless to say, please look at the pic! Lastly, there is also shuttle services that bring you up and down to the lodge to a nearby train station. Just have to infrom in advance! So surrounding the lodge have many famous shines to visit and super peaceful! Just that at the period when we are there, everywhere is preparing for the sstat of summer of the flowing somen at the river bed. That we kinda miss the period when we are at. But overall!! Very very good place to stay, and good food! If you have the chance to come! Dont miss it.