Kayu is one of the ways to cook rice and it looks like oatmeal or porridge. It is boiled rice in water flavored with usually fish stock or plum. In Nara the Monks have been eating Kayu with green tea flavor called Cha-gayu for over 1200 years. It has become popular among common people in the area. Kayu is usually slightly slimy like oatmeal or porridge but with green tea it’s more like soup.

The place you can have very traditional Cha-gayu is called Tounochaya. It comes with beautiful Kaiseki cuisine. The ingredients change depending on the season and you can have the best seasonal food at any time. Cha-gayu course for both lunch and dinner is highly recommended.

It is next to Nara Koen Park and you will see dome deer wandering while eating. The restaurant is very authentic and the plates and dishes they use are absolutely beautiful.