Douze Gout, Kyoto

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 […]

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 […]

Orihara Shoten, Monzen Nakacho (折原商店)

The ‘renewal’ of stores in Monnaka continues. You’d swear this was economic vitality, but I still insist it’s the opposite – economic vitality means existing stores stay in business. The number of new shops opening in the last year is more than the sum of the preceding 5 years. Orihara Shoten, run by Ikebukuro’s Orihara […]