Yoshuji

I get the feeling that this place could in fact be vegan however didn't ask about the ice cream on the menu so not entirely sure.

Located just near the entrance to the Mt. Kurama Shrine, this little gem is hard to spot, especially when your wifi has no service in the mountains! All signage is in Japanese except for one handwritten "cooking uses all vegetables" sign which tipped me off.

Meals range from a modest 1200 yen for soba noodles to a more hefty 3200 yen for a large traditional shojin-ryori meal.

IMHO the cost is well worth it for the experience and delicious, fresh and authentic Japanese cuisine. Get stuck in!

Location:A five minute walk from Kurama train station (Eizan line); turn left at station exit, walk up street to the steps at the Kurama -dera temple entrance. As you climb the stone steps, the restaurant is on the right, just before the gate where admission tickets to temple grounds are sold. It has the traditional split curtain (noren ) and a price list in English is posted beside the door.

Ambiance & menu: Rustic decor with a fire pit and kettle in the middle of the dining room, Western-style wooden tables & chairs, big windows. There is an English menu with choices of soba topped with mountain vegetables (cheapest) to multi course shojin ryori ($32)with soba, stuffed tofu, pickles , vegetable broth, mushrooms, chestnuts, Sesame tofu, tempura veg, sticky rice with mountain vegetables, etc. This was a feast --and while there are less expensive versions of the same meal with fewer dishes on the menu, I'm glad I ordered it. It was much better than the shojin ryori lunch I had in Arashiyama. I recommend visiting Kurama, a lovely mountain village and easy half day trip from Kyoto, the temple, and the restaurant .