KYOTO--To beat the heat in the ancient capital, about 90 eating establishments temporarily offer outdoor dining on raised platforms along the Kamogawa river’s west bank.

They can be found along a 2-kilometer stretch between the Nijo-Ohashi and Gojo-Ohashi bridges.

Increasingly diverse establishments in recent years are running the Kamogawa Noryo-Yuka, the name for the annual installations with a history spanning four centuries.

FLOURISHING AGAIN AFTER COVID

A row of illuminated Noryo-Yuka floors could be seen along the riverbank one typical evening.

Chimoto, an established restaurant of Kyoto cuisine, operates one of the raised platforms at the western foot of the Shijo-Ohashi bridge. Founded in 1718 during the Edo Period (1603-1867), it offers the season’s “kaiseki” full-course meals on the tatami-covered raised floor under murmurs of the river and a night breeze.

The establishment is operating the floor this summer without restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time in three years.

“It was really hard for us, but regular customers have returned this year,” said Kaoru Matsui, Chimoto’s proprietress. “A cook who joined our restaurant just before the pandemic was rolling his eyes up and down because he had never been so busy earlier.”

The Noryo-Yuka floors are running from May through October this year.

Lunches generally start from around 3,000 yen ($21) and dinners from around 5,000 yen. Kaiseki meals typically cost more than 10,000 yen.

The raised floors date to the early Edo Period, said officials of the Kyoto Kamogawa Noryo-Yuka cooperative association.

The Kamogawa’s beach, which had become dilapidated under a succession of wars, became livelier around that time, with kabuki plays--just initiated by entertainer Izumo no Okuni--and street vendors.

Merchants installed spectator seats and about 400 teahouses used to set up stools in the mid-Edo Period, the officials said.

The raised floors became geographically confined to the west bank during the Meiji Era (1868-1912), partly because the Kamogawa Unga section of the Biwako Sosui canal was cut along the east bank.

Tatami-covered floors of ryokan and luxury Japanese-style restaurants accounted for most of the Noryo-Yuka until the 1990s.

Lunchtime operations began in 1999. A growing number of establishments, such as Italian places, French restaurants and cafes have set up Western-style tables on the floors.

Starbucks Coffee Co. started operating a raised floor in 2006.

Some places have begun offering raised-floor experiences from the morning, too.

Kacto, one such establishment, bills itself as a “modern American” restaurant. It opened by the side of the Donguri-bashi bridge in February and offers, among other things, pancakes and hamburgers.

The place opens at 8 a.m., and it sometimes only takes about 30 minutes for all the 30 seats on its Noryo-Yuka floor to be taken up.

“We hope to propose a lifestyle whereby you eat a leisurely breakfast by the riverside before sightseeing or to kick off a day,” said Hisao Kitade, 43, Kacto’s manager.

To the south of Kacto is Babbi Gelateria Kyoto, which opened in 2019 and serves 18 types of gelati. It is the first gelato shop to set up a Noryo-Yuka floor, officials said.

“Our place offers casual and reasonable Noryo-Yuka experiences in the cool evening breeze,” said Ikumi Nishida, 32, the Babbi manager.

RETAINING FLAVOR OF KYOTO

The raised-floor operators may be becoming increasingly diverse, but they still continue to maintain a distinctly Kyoto-like atmosphere on the basis of the prefectural Kamogawa ordinance adopted in 2007.

Under related regulations, the raised floors of neighboring establishments may have a step only up to 50 centimeters between them so the view of the beautiful rows of floor can be preserved.

The floors must be wooden, in principle, and should be painted in the color of wood if they are made of steel or other material. The illumination should be just bright enough for reading a newspaper.

Music performances or signboards being installed on the floors are not allowed.

“We hope to continue cherishing the charm of Kyoto, where you can dine and enjoy a silent night under the moon rising over the Higashiyama hills to the east,” said Hiroshi Tanaka, the 68-year-old chief director of the Noryo-Yuka association.