Tag: Kansai Winter 2024

Eight courses were served that night, comprising an appetiser, soup, sashimi, a grilled dish, a fried dish, hot pot, rice and dessert.

Ippon Unagi at Yondaime Kikukawa in Kyoto Gion

Food
Travel

January 8, 2025January 6, 2025 Alvin Lee

My grilled eel had been patiently waiting for me, and after admiring it one last time, I picked up the small wooden paddle and dug right in.

Restaurant quality takeaway from Takashimaya depachikas

Food
Travel

December 28, 2024December 23, 2024 Alvin Lee

Short for depāto (department store) chika (basement), these bustling food halls are de facto tourist attractions that shouldn’t be missed.

Gion to Kiyomizudera via Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka

Travel

December 21, 2024December 18, 2024 Alvin Lee

Though the journey could have been completed in 36 minutes, we prefer to take things slow when travelling. Our 2.4 km walk took 4.5 hours, with numerous stops along the way.

Kyo Yuba Mitakyu was an unexpected find in Kiyomizu

Food
Travel

December 18, 2024December 18, 2024 Alvin Lee

When soymilk is heated in a large pot, the lipids and proteins contained in the soybeans form a film on the surface and harden. By scooping it up, it becomes yuba.

Pilgrimage to Higashiyama for Studio Ghibli merch

Travel

December 14, 2024December 13, 2024 Alvin Lee

The highlight for most people is the majestic Kiyomizudera Buddhist temple. But for us, it was the two Ghibli stores in Ninenzaka and Kiyomizu.

Two very different Yasaka Jinjas in Namba and Gion

Travel

December 11, 2024December 11, 2024 Alvin Lee

A large, ominous-looking lion glared at us menacingly, with a fierce and imposing expression that threatened, “Enter at your own risk!”

Sake bingo at Asano Nihonshu Ten in Kyoto

Drink
Travel

November 30, 2024November 26, 2024 Alvin Lee

That night, we had Kaze no Mori (風の森) from Nara, Yuki no Bosha (雪の茅舎) from Akita, Zaku (作) from Mie, Daishichi (大七) from Fukushima, Mimurosugi (みむろ杉) from Nara and Tamajiman (多満自慢) from Tokyo.