We had some of our best and worst meals during our time in Kyoto.
A Low point:
Our grocery store-bought "breakfast of shame" sitting on the street outside the Roanji Zen rock garden. We though it would be great to bring our picnic bfast into the gardens to enjoy but that was not allowed. Nor were we allowed to eat on any of the park benches directly outside the gardens as our breakfast was not purchased from the food stalls outside the gardens. So we finally walked all the way back out to the street to eat our breakfast along the side of the road.
A Highlight:
Real life Geisha spotting on our way to dinner
Gion is where you will head to for some Geisha spotting but they are very elusive. We only spotted two one evening as they were hurrying down Pontocho and another in a bar. Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to just get a glimpse of them on our way to dinner.
Amazing traditional Japanese dinner on the Kawadoko (or noryoyuka) dining decks built above rivers in Kyoto from late spring to autumn overlooking the Kamogawa River
Fantastic Kyoto style sushi in a tiny restaurant tucked away in covered shopping street.
Kyoto is located in inland Japan, and years and years ago it was difficult to obtain fresh fish. Because of its geography 70km away from the Japan Sea special recipes were made using cured fish, or fish that did not spoil too quickly. The sushi is often eaten without soy sauce because it brings out the special qualities of mackerel with salt and vinegar. Another unique aspect of Kyoto style sushi is the
the ratio of the fish to rice in each sushi piece. Kyoto style sushi is beautiful to look at and though it is different from the sushi in other regions of Japan it tastes amazing.
Silk balls that area used as SPF
Baby octopus stuffed with quail eggs. It was unclear whether these baby octopus were still partially alive or not but I just didnt have the courage to try one to find out.
Menu from one of the restaurants with so many options we were overwhelmed. Did we want a set of 2 hormones or 4 hormones with our order of Deluxe Mountain Chain Tripe?
One thing that stands out when eating in Japan is the care and attention to detail that the Japanese take in the presentation of even the simplest of dishes. The beauty in the presentation of food here can only be described as an art form as not only the arrangement of the food itself is considered but also the type, colour and texture of the ceramic plates and dishes is deemed of high importance.
Customers in Japan are also lured into eating establishments by the displays of imitation food outside the restaurants and cafes. This is a never-ending source of delight and amusement for foreigners visiting in Japan as well as being an easy way of ordering when one cannot read the menu! Models of food were first made out of wax as early as 1917 and made popular by a famous Tokyo department store in 1923 resulting in a big jump in revenue as it displayed its menu in wax imitations.
These days the food models are made from plastic rather than wax and almost every restaurant employs this method to attract customers.
The plastic food factory first obtains the real food prepared by the client and each piece is put into a molding box and silicone poured in to make a mold. When the mold has hardened the real food is removed and thrown away and liquid plastic poured in. The casting is then heated in an oven to harden it before being painstakingly painted by hand.
Kingsley standing next a long line of famous Japanese restaurants overlooking the beautiful Kamogawa river.
