"Amazed It Hasn't Gone Under": Japan's Verdict on Arashiyama's Most Notorious Tourist-Trap Cafe
「まだ潰れてないんだ」嵐山の“映えカフェ”に日本人が下した判定
The most-liked of 3,243 comments under Japan's bluntest food reviewer's visit to Ransui Coffee — the ornate Arashiyama cafe that made national news in 2024 for serving resold cakes from Chatraise, a budget chain where most cakes cost ¥300–350 — is pure disbelief: "My only impression is that it still hasn't gone under" (44,729 likes). What the review found on the plate: supermarket yogurt served in its original store container (19,708 likes on "I've never seen anything like this") and microwaved everything. One commenter explains how it survives: the clientele is one-time tourists, and the prices aren't extreme enough for the police to touch (582). The thread's warning doesn't stop at one shop — Arashiyama has more like it.
“My only impression is that it still hasn't gone under…”
まだ潰れてないんだという印象しかない…
Scroll while you watch
What locals said (excerpted from 3241)
- @os-xl9cw👍 19,708
Serving the Danone straight up — not even transferring it to a dish — is almost admirably shameless. I've never seen anything like this.
ダノンを器に移し替えるでもなくそのまま出してくるの潔すぎて笑う こんなの見たことない
- @mcy4804👍 13,596
The yogurt genuinely shocked me.
ヨーグルトに衝撃を受けた
- @motipuninin👍 4,361
They serve the yogurt in its original store container?! It could not clash harder with this decor. 😹😹😹
ヨーグルト容器そのままの提供なの！？この空間に合わなすぎる😹😹😹
- @岩崎三朗👍 234
Wait, that's the one from the drugstore, served as-is? Those come four to a pack for a bit over ¥100 — that's ¥30 a cup…
アレドラストにあるやつそのまま出てくるの？百円ちょっとで4つ組だから1つ30円だぞ…
- @313sin3👍 1,833
It's hilarious that this is barely different from my own breakfast.
俺の朝ごはんと大差ないの笑える
- @goriratchotchoberimatcho👍 15,131
I remember a review on their page back then that read: "No Japanese spoken, the food is microwaved, and the cake that came out was from Chatraise." Weirdly poetic. It stuck with me.
当時のサイトで「日本語通じず料理はレンチン、出てきたケーキはシャトレーゼ 」って文章あって語感がよくって面白かった記憶ある
- @migeru6577👍 6,739
This review is way too gentle. This place deserved a much harsher verdict.
レビューが優しすぎる これはもっと辛辣に判定すべきよ
- @おたく-u3b👍 268
There was probably just too much to call out. He got tired.
もうツッコミどころ多すぎて指摘するのも疲れたんだろ
- @もち-n2d👍 2,888
This is bad enough that I want to sue on principle.
もう訴えたいレベルでこれはひどい
- @kyasuta-m5👍 901
There's something uncanny about it — like an "aesthetic cafe" reverse-engineered by aliens who have never encountered food.
なんだろう 「食を知らない宇宙人が見様見真似で再現した映えカフェ」みたいな不気味さがある
- @soumeiyosi3911👍 582
The clientele must be one-time tourists only. And since the prices aren't as vicious as a rip-off bar's, the authorities and police can't really touch it.
日本観光の一見さんのみが客層なのでしょうね金額もぼったくりバーほど酷くないので行政や警察も手を出せないのでしょう
- @ラララミュージックフェア👍 2,422
The fact that this place doesn't go under tells you everything about the state Kyoto is in right now.
これが潰れないということが京都の異常な現状を物語っていますね。
- @neon6186👍 806
We saw the exterior and my mom and I went "omg, we HAVE to go!" — then we were too tired and never made it… Thank goodness we didn't.
ここ外装見て、ママと『えー！絶対行こうね！』ってなったけど疲れて結局行けなかったとこだ…行かなくてよかった…
- @スタスタ子👍 103
Arashiyama honestly has a lot of places like this. I once got a ¥10,000-plus afternoon tea there that came with gravelly chocolate and a butter roll microwaved until it was rock hard.
嵐山こんなのが本当に多い。 前１万超えるアフヌンで、砂利チョコとレンチンし過ぎてガッチガチになったバターロール出てきたことがある。
- @2174c1👍 978
The reviewer did nothing wrong, yet he's out here half-apologizing to foreign tourists on Japan's behalf. His modesty makes it hurt more.
正直レビューさん全く悪くないのに、海外観光客に謝罪したくなってるのが慎ましくてつらい
Places named in this article
- Ransui Coffee嵐翠珈琲Arashiyama, near Saga-Arashiyama Station
The cafe in question — 44,729 likes on "amazed it hasn't gone under." As of the comments, the consensus is to skip it; listed here so you can recognize it.
Named in the source comments — hours, prices, and openings change, so check each map listing before you go.
FAQ
- What is Ransui Coffee in Arashiyama known for?
- Not its menu. The cafe made national news in 2024 when it was found serving cakes from Chatraise — a budget confectionery chain where most cakes cost ¥300–350 — in drink sets around ¥1,580; Chatraise confirmed the cakes were its products. The review behind these 3,243 comments later found supermarket yogurt served in its original container, and the top comment (44,729 likes) is amazement that the place still exists.
- Is Ransui Coffee worth visiting?
- The Japanese comment section's answer is a flat no — 2,888 likes on "this is want-to-sue-level bad." One commenter explains why it survives anyway: the clientele is one-time tourists, and the prices aren't outrageous enough for authorities to act (582 likes). As of the comments, the consensus is: admire the exterior if you like, then keep walking.
- How do I avoid tourist-trap cafes in Arashiyama?
- A 103-like comment warns that Arashiyama "has a lot of places like this," citing a ¥10,000-plus afternoon tea that arrived with over-microwaved rolls. The thread's practical takeaway: an ornate exterior and a photogenic setting prove nothing — check what's actually being served, and who's in the seats, before you commit.
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