Gion Komori — Restaurant in Kyoto

Unfortunately the worst place I have been in japan, a striking difference from the amazing Japanese service we have seen everywhere else in the country. After waiting in line outside, we were sent upstairs to a large room where our order was taken along with a couple other tables. No staff came back to this room for over 30 minutes as we waited. Some other tables began to get frustrated and explore the building looking to see what the wait was. When people complained, their food was brought out shortly after. We then went downstairs to see what was going on and inform them we were going to leave, and then they brought up our dessert. Every table in the room seemed frustrated. The food was ok, if not overpriced, and the ambiance was nice, but making people wait for 45 min (not including a 25 min outside wait) for a scoop of ice cream or shaved ice with nobody even checking on you...

I definitely have a different opinion than the rest, but this place is an overpriced tourist trap and I don’t understand why it gets such high reviews.

The atmosphere is why you’d come here. The tea house is truly old, and you feel transported back to the 1800s when you sit down next to the bubbling river. Low ceilings, wood everywhere… it’s masterfully maintained. The staff will take your shoes on entry, so make sure you wear some socks!

The food? Meh. The green tea was just a heap of matcha powder they dumped in and stirred. Fine, and with a single Japanese sweet, they’ll charge you 1200 yen. Ugh.

You’re basically paying for admittance. And then you sit on the floor and relax for about 30 minutes. It’s a nice break. Just don’t think you’re getting anything exceptional to eat. Cash only. English...

Kyoto has some amazing places for shaved ice and mochi, but this place is not one of them. Impressive if you have no experience, but a waste of time if you've explored other places. The ambience is not great, a lovely building from the outside, but no effort put toward the inside, the lighting is harsh and the decor is cheap. It can be charming if it's your first time in Japan though, but it would be so much nicer with a bit of effort from the owners.

The food? The mochi had a very strange, almost slimy texture, although it looked very pretty. The shaved ice was nice and light, but the 'orange' flavour is actually not an orange, it's a type of orange which tastes like a grapefruit, grapefruit is an acquired taste which many people don't like.

Overpriced...