Have you had this happen? You go somewhere a bit old-fashioned and traditional, like Kyoto, and spend a long weekend being old-fashioned and eating traditional food. By the end of it, you feel like you could murder a burger. It leads you to think things like “European food for lunch.” Silly me, I was a […]
Kyoto
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Tsunoki sake, Nishiki market, Kyoto (津之喜酒舗)
Nishiki Market, ‘Kyoto’s Kitchen’. Or if you ask a local, ‘kitschy Kyoto’ and “locals get their food at supermarkets nowadays”. Way fun to walk around in any case – touristy stuff is fun when you’re a tourist. It’s true that you can sense the tourist veneer on everything, but that’s not a big deal. Embrace it. Also, […]
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Sakagawa, Kyoto (阪川)
Ahhh, Sakagawa. How do I feel about you? Bruised, perhaps. Not cheated, but worked hard… Gion at night is absolute magic. You should see it. The cobbled streets, unremitting stretches of old buildings, lanterns marking places you’re never going to be allowed in to, and odd twists that leave you confused as soon as you […]
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Kasagiya, Kyoto (かさぎ屋)
If you were only going to eat old-fashioned Japanese-style tea and sweets once, this would be the place. It’s not because there’s anything marvelous about the food or drink. It’s because there are so few places where you can duck off an insanely picturesque street (Ninenzaka, near Kiyomizu Temple) and immediately enter another, quieter world. […]
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Shimogamo Jinja, Kyoto
I think most travel sites aren’t very helpful, but it’s pretty easy to upload a few pictures per temple. Consider these a teaser to help you decide where to go. Also, they’ll all be on the map (once I get the map fixed). “Check back frequently for updates,” as they say when they’re not really […]
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Kamo Mitarashi Chaya, Kyoto (加茂みたらし茶屋（亀屋粟義))
Love was in the air as we walked down to Shimogamo shrine. Seriously, this is a sweet picture, isn’t it? And despite, or perhaps because of, a volumific but uninspiring luncheon, we were more than willing to eat more. Especially given our love of sweets, and generic desire to eat mitarashi dango while in Kyoto. […]
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Suehiro, Kyoto (末広)
You’ve gotta eat, and as we walked around the Kitayama / Kamigamo area, things evolved into lunch time. Passing this little place sequestered in a small street, the smell of soup stock was overpowering and sorta bewitching. Inside was very ‘timeslip’, as we say here in Japan. Time had definitely slipped for the two women […]
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Jizake Bar Zen, Kyoto ()
Zen is really one of the best sake bars I’ve been to. Since I posted a long and loving review of my initial visit there, here’s a capsule view of the two consecutive nights we went during this trip. Which means I didn’t drink everything here, sadly. Highlights from my perspective were: Furosen. Can’t get enough […]
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Sakurada, Kyoto (桜田)
Sakurada is really one of the best restaurants I’ve been to. Since I posted a long and loving review of my initial lunch there, here’s a capsule view of dinner. Highlights from my perspective were: The daikon with the tsukuri (2nd row center, next to the tuna). Instead of cutting the daikon into a long […]
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Shoraian, Kyoto (松籟庵,嵐山)
Ahhhh, the whispering bamboo forests of Arashiyama. Strangely, it was quiet here despite it being the Saturday of a long weekend, and the one of the forced exodus from Tokyo. And it was quieter after we walked through the forests, along the river, and up the rough rock steps to the entrance to Shoraian. Down […]