The short version
- When: the last weekend of September 2026. It rained on and off both days.
- From Nagoya: Nozomi to Kyoto in 34 minutes. Our two seats home cost ¥11,200, so ¥5,600 each.
- The boat ride we skipped: the Hozugawa River boat ride, ¥6,000 per adult. We cancelled because of the rain, then watched the boats leave with a roof on and everyone in raincoats. Next time we go anyway.
- Best dry afternoon: BAL Kyoto on Kawaramachi, where a Starbucks and an organic tea stand share one building.
- Souvenirs we priced: Starbucks Kyoto mug ¥2,800, yatsuhashi “Yuko” 10 pieces ¥702, embroidered coin purse ¥1,650, rabbit chopstick rest ¥650.
We had two days in Kyoto and a forecast of rain for both. We went anyway, and apart from one boat ride I wish we had not skipped, I would do it the same way again. Rain empties the famous lanes. Pontocho on a wet Saturday afternoon was a walk, not a queue, and the paving stones looked like they had been polished for us. What rain changes is where you spend the afternoon. This is the order that worked, with every price we saw on a shelf, a menu or a booking email.
Getting there from Nagoya
The Nozomi from Nagoya to Kyoto takes 34 minutes. Our return, two reserved seats on a Sunday evening, came to ¥11,200 on the booking email, so ¥5,600 each. We booked it in the EX app about ten minutes before the train left, which tells you how easy seats were on a rainy Sunday.
The Hozugawa River boat ride: we skipped it, and should not have
The boat leaves from Kameoka, one valley west of Kyoto, and ends in Arashiyama. The river section is about 16 km and takes roughly two hours, depending on the water. The fare is ¥6,000 for adults and ¥4,500 for children, tax included, according to the operator’s own price list.
Honest version first: we did not ride. The rain got heavier on our way there and we called it off. But we still walked down to the dock in Kameoka, and what we saw changed my mind. On rainy days the boatmen put a tent roof over the boat and people wear raincoats, and the boats kept leaving, full of people who were clearly having a good time. The operator says the same: in rain, they put up the roof and run as normal.
So if rain is the only thing stopping you, go. If you want to book ahead, the same ride is sold on Klook. That is an affiliate link: if you book through it we earn a small commission, at no cost to you. We are telling you plainly that we have not ridden it ourselves.
- The ride finishes in Arashiyama, so you can walk to the bamboo grove afterwards.
- From March 10 to December 10 you can buy tickets at the counter if seats remain. In winter (December 11 to March 9) they ask you to book in advance.
- Children under 80 cm cannot board.
BAL Kyoto: the best dry afternoon on Kawaramachi
BAL is a shopping building on Kawaramachi, just south of Sanjo. Two places inside made it our rain shelter.
Starbucks Cafe & Art Gallery: the Kyoto mug
This branch sells the “Discovery Series” Kyoto mug. Shelf prices on the day:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Kyoto mug, 414 ml | ¥2,800 |
| Stainless bottle, 473 ml | ¥5,800 |
| Notebook | ¥2,200 |
KOTOSHINA Chaya: organic tea on the ground floor
A small tea stand run by a Kyoto skincare brand, on the first floor of BAL. The menu is in English, and pot tea comes with a small Japanese sweet.
| Order | Price |
|---|---|
| Top grade sencha, with a sweet | ¥950 |
| Hojicha, with a sweet | ¥880 |
| Japanese black tea (wakocha), with a sweet | ¥1,100 |
| Organic matcha latte, hot or iced | ¥900 |
| Top grade matcha from Uji, with a seasonal sweet | ¥2,600 |
| Matcha gelato | ¥740 |
| Seasonal Japanese sweet | ¥630 |
| Oat milk instead of milk | +¥55 |
Souvenirs we priced on foot
Yatsuhashi at Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo, Gion main store
“Yuko” is the soft, unbaked yatsuhashi folded around sweet bean paste, and it is the box most people carry home from Kyoto. The Miyama Milk flavor was ¥702 for 10 pieces. The limited Pineapple Candy flavor (8 pieces) and the Milky collaboration were ¥777 each.
An embroidered coin purse at Kyoto Karankoron, ¥1,650
Gamaguchi are the clasp purses you will see in every Kyoto gift shop. The one I picked up at Kyoto Karankoron had the Golden Pavilion stitched under a crescent moon, from their “Hello Kyoto” line, at ¥1,650 tax included.
Cacao Market by MarieBelle
A chocolate shop in an old building with a clock on the corner, in the Gion Shijo area. Chocolate is sold by weight at ¥1,400 per 100 g, and the round “Pillow” sweets are ¥650 each.
Usagiya in Pontocho: rabbit chopstick rests from ¥650
A few minutes up Pontocho from Shijo, a narrow passage lined with goldfish in glazed pots leads to Usagiya, the “rabbit shop” (its full name is Usagi no Atelier Pyonpyokopyon). It sells Japanese tableware and small gifts, almost all of it with a rabbit on it somewhere, and every item has a price card in Japanese and English. If you want a souvenir that fits in a coat pocket and survives a suitcase, this is the stop.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Small plate that doubles as a chopstick rest | ¥600 |
| Rabbit chopstick rest | ¥650 |
| Seasonal chopstick rest | ¥800 to ¥1,000 |
| Rabbit magnet | ¥1,100 |
| Rice bowl | ¥1,250 |
| Sake cup | ¥1,250 |
| Small cup for matcha | ¥1,800 |
| Matcha, 100 g | ¥2,100 |
| Rabbit uchiwa fan, made by Kyoto fan maker Komaruya Sumii | ¥2,400 |
| Small dish for appetizers | ¥3,600 |
| Sake set | ¥4,000 |
Address: 207 Shimokoriki-cho, Pontocho-dori Shijo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku. The shop lists its hours as from around noon to around 11:30 pm, so it also works after dinner in Pontocho.
Notes from a local
- Wear shoes with grip. The boat dock steps and the Pontocho paving stones are slippery when wet. A clear umbrella from any convenience store is enough.
- If you do the boat, put it first in the day. Arashiyama is where it ends, and Kawaramachi is an easy train back.
- BAL, Gion and Pontocho are all walkable from each other. On a wet day that matters more than any bus pass.
- Shelf prices here are what we saw on September 26 and 27, 2026, tax included.
FAQ
Does the Hozugawa boat ride run in the rain?
Yes, in normal rain. The operator puts a tent roof on the boat and runs as usual, and we watched boats leave the Kameoka dock on a wet, grey Sunday afternoon with passengers in raincoats. It stops only when the water level is unsafe.
How much is the Hozugawa boat ride?
¥6,000 for adults and ¥4,500 for children, tax included, as of September 2026.
How much is the Starbucks Kyoto mug?
The Discovery Series Kyoto mug (414 ml) was ¥2,800 at Starbucks in BAL Kyoto in September 2026.
How long is the train from Nagoya to Kyoto?
34 minutes on the Nozomi. We paid ¥5,600 per seat.
Sources: boat fares, duration and rain policy from the Hozugawa Kudari official site; KOTOSHINA Chaya location from BAL Kyoto. Everything else is from our own photos of price cards and our booking email.