CONTENTS
Lab Kyoto: <br>Taipei's Mad Scientist <br>Triumphantly Returns to Kyoto's Gion Old House! - Part 1 - <br>

INTERVIEW

Lab Kyoto:
Taipei's Mad Scientist
Triumphantly Returns to Kyoto's Gion Old House! - Part 1 -

new #Interview

Makita Takafumi／牧田貴文 from「Lab Kyoto」

Takafumi Makita (aka Taka), owner-bartender of Taipei's "Lab"—which debuted at #57 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025—quietly opened "Lab Kyoto" in late 2025. Why Kyoto? What kind of bar is it? That's why I headed straight to Kyoto!!

writer：DRINK PLANET　撮影：Takuya Oshima

A bar in a traditional townhouse with an eel bed?

Near Yamato Bridge in Kyoto's Gion Shirakawa district, where red-latticed townhouses line cobblestone streets.

Relying on Google Maps, I searched for "Lab Kyoto," but found no sign, no nameplate, and not a single shop that seemed like it could be the place.

Thinking, "Surely it can't be just ahead?", I opened a lattice door facing Yamato-oji Street and walked down a narrow alley. At the very end, a two-story Kyoto townhouse appeared.

It featured the quintessential Kyoto layout known as an "eel's nest."

Just to be sure, I peered through the glass door. A dimly lit space resembling a bar spread out before me, and there stood Takafumi Makita (aka Taka) behind the counter!!

Editor's note: Taka and Taipei's "Lab" have already been featured on DRINK PLANET. Check out this article!

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