Hi, my name is Shar, and I am a Rilakkuma addict. I am his #1 fan. I am pretty sure of this, and anyone who knows me well (and even those who don't know me well) know this simple little fact about me.
WHO IS RILAKKUMA?
Why, let me tell you...!
Rilakkuma (リラックマ) is a character produced by the Japanese company San-X who is very popular in Japan. He was created in 2003 and appears on merchandise such as stationery, home and kitchen goods, and plush stuffed toys. He's not quite Sanrio's Hello Kitty level popular, but he's definitely getting there. I first found out about him when I moved to Japan to teach English in 2010, where my students introduced me to this character. His popularity has continued to grow, and now, not only does he have a tea room in his name, but he has several dedicated Rilakkuma merchandise stores around Japan, a temporary pop-up shop that opened in Florida, and Netflix is producing an original stop-motion animated series based on his character called Rilakkuma and Kaoru.
ABOUT THE TEA ROOM
As I mentioned, I used to live in Japan for a couple of years, but I hadn't been back since returning back to the US. I jumped on a travel deal to fly back earlier in April 2018, and while I had many reasons for wanting to go back, I'm not going to lie: visiting the Rilakkuma Tea Room was one of my top reasons.
The Rilakkuma Tea Room, known in Japanese as Arashiyama Rilakkuma Sabo (嵐山 りらっくま茶房) is located in an area of Kyoto called Arashiyama. It's a bit tucked away and takes a bit of effort to get to. Most character cafes are located in big cities like Tokyo or Osaka and can be easily accessed by train or subway, so I thought it was unusual that they selected Arashiyama for their site. However, the tea room fit in perfectly, as they maintained traditional Japanese tea room decor and architecture.
This character cafe is a two-story location in a traditional styled building. The first floor offers a shop with many kinds of unique items and also features a "Rilakkuma Honey Stand", a small outlet that serves soft serve ice cream and other small snacks that you can take to go. The second floor is a sit-down cafe. I wrote an in-depth review about the Honey Stand, Gift Store, and Cafe on their Yelp page, so check it out if you have some time or are curious about visiting yourself. I went into detail regarding the menu offerings, prices, as well as what I ate while I was there. (For those too lazy to navigate over, if you're wondering what to order yourself, I recommend dessert! The parfaits are excellent!)
WHERE IS IT AGAIN and HOW DO I GET THERE?
So, assuming most of you have flown into Narita International Airport or Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, you will first need to catch a shinkansen, or bullet train, to Kyoto.
From JR Kyoto Station, switch to the JR San-In Line for Kameoka and get off at Saga-Arashiyama Station. From this station, it's about an 8-minute walk. Head south, take the elevator down, and then turn right at Prefecture Route 29 (府道29号線), just before the Bank of Kyoto Saga Branch Office. You'll be heading west now for a few minutes, and eventually you will see it on your right. I suggest, if you have access to Google Maps and GPS, to use this. :)
More info: yelp.com
Arashiyama Rilakkuma Sabo - tea room store front!
Rilakkuma Honey Shop and Gift Shop!
Lots and lots of merchandise
A stone statue surrounded by bamboo
Dining on the Second Floor
Like I said, go for dessert! This is a Korilakuma Strawberry Parfait and a display of their crepe selections!
