Bars & Nightlife · Shijo Gokomachi

Bar Rocking Chair バー ロッキングチェアー

Champion bartender Kenji Tsubokuras gentle back-street cocktail bar: rocking chairs, a crackling fire, and drinks built on Japanese fruit, tea and spirits.

About

Kenji Tsubokura, a winner at the Japan Bartending Competition, opened Rocking Chair in the quiet streets south of Shijo, a short walk from Kawaramachi. The room is calm and wood-panelled with actual rocking chairs and a fireplace in the cooler months, and his cocktails are precise but warm, using seasonal Japanese fruit, matcha and hojicha, sake and Japanese whisky. It is a fixture of Kyoto bar guides and lists, and a lovely counterpoint to the louder Kiyamachi strip.

Highlights

• Owner Kenji Tsubokura, Japan Bartending Competition champion
• Rocking chairs and an open fire
• Seasonal Japanese fruit cocktails
• Quiet back-street location
• Excellent Japanese whisky selection

Tips

• Closed Tuesdays
• Ask for a seasonal fruit cocktail
• Good second bar after dinner in Pontocho
• Keep voices low: it is a conversation bar

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Menya InoichiRamen & Noodles · 70 m away
• Taku TakuLive Music & Karaoke · 130 m away
• Coin Lockers · Kyoto-kawaramachi Station (Hankyu)Luggage Storage · 320 m away
• Camera no Naniwa KyotoCamera Store · 320 m away
• Menya Inoichi HanareRamen & Noodles · 330 m away
• Shijo-dori Shopping DistrictShopping Street · 330 m away
• Nintendo KYOTOPokémon & Character Store · 330 m away
• Kyoto Takashimaya S.C.Mall & Department Store · 340 m away