Bar Rocking Chair

Bar Rocking Chair is a top-50 world bar nestled in a renovated traditional machiya near Kyoto's Kiyamachi area, owned by Kenji Tsubokura, a world-class bartender who won the 2015 All Japan Bartenders Competition and World Bartender of the Year. The dimly lit interior features original elements of the historic townhouse including heavy wooden pillars and Yakusugi cedar transom, with the atmospheric centerpiece being a fireplace that inspired the bar's name, surrounded by rocking chairs. Signature cocktails include The Best Scene—which won the world championship—alongside the Kyoto Martini and Kinobi Negroni, all crafted with attention to distinctly Japanese flavor profiles. The bar operates daily from 5 PM to 1 AM in an old-world setting complemented by classical music.