BAR ORU — Restaurant in Kyoto

From the moment we stepped inside Bar Oru, we felt instantly welcomed and at home. The cozy and intimate atmosphere was the perfect respite after a long day exploring Kyoto's beautiful sights. As huge fans of gaming and anime, we were drawn to Bar Oru's theme, and discovering the owner's shared passion for Cowboy Bebop – a series surprisingly difficult to find represented in Japan – was a fantastic bonus! Ochi, the owner, was an absolutely incredible host. Despite the language barrier, he went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, using Google Translate to engage in lively conversations. Knowing my love for Bebop, Ochi even arranged for three rare, Japan-exclusive items to be delivered to the bar during our short stay in Kyoto, ensuring they were ready for me to collect on our last evening! He also remembered my preferred whisky taste and, incredibly, spent his day off searching for a bottle he thought I'd particularly enjoy. He nailed it – it was absolutely delicious! Beyond the amazing hospitality and thoughtful gestures, the food was delicious, and the whisky selection was simply outstanding. We highly recommend checking out the very limited edition Cowboy Bebop whisky and the Hakushu 18 – both were superb. Our visit to Bar Oru truly elevated our Kyoto experience. It was so special, in fact, that we're already planning our return to Japan sooner than we thought! Thank you so much, Ochi, for everything! We already miss you! -...

We (a group of 3 women) came into this bar on a saturday night, motivated by the reviews that mentioned that the bar has anime related ambiance and the owner was open to chat with foreigners even if they dont speak japanese. We were looking forward to have a connection!

When we arrived the bar was empty and the guy behind the bar started talking incredibly fast in japanese to us (not fluent and visibly foreign). We managed to communicate (as we have been doing the rest of our trip in japan just fine) and sat down, praising the decor (if you like anime and retro videogames, the place is really cool!). This person seemed uncomfortable with us, but handed us menus and we ordered. We tried to clarify (in english) if food was still an option, as it was late, and he got flustered and started talking really fast in japanese to us. We only got "we are in japan, here we speak japanese" out of it. We managed to order beers, deciding not to engage any further, and confused since at the door there is a "tourists welcome" sign. We saw later how he started a nice conversation in english with a guy that came in, using his phone to translate.

We left after one beer and we don't really understand what happened, if it was a communication breakdown /confusion or if the guy just didn't like us. But i would not recomend this place to anyone based on our experience, specially if you are a woman...

We were a group of 3 who were returning back to our Airbnb after a disappointing night out in Kyoto. Got turned away from multiple places due to what felt like racism but could be just disapproval of tourists.

On the walk back, came across this quaint little bar. The hospitality was immaculate the moment we entered, we were welcomed, our drinks served and unbothered. There were few people speaking English that spoke to us and the atmosphere felt like a place of comfort where it was okay being yourself.

Loved it and came back to it all 3 nights we...