Two years ago I was introduced to Hisagozushi’s Setsubun Onimaki, literally ‘demon roll’ by Miwa. I had eaten this shinise’s sushi several times but I had no idea of their magical and very visually appealing eho-maki. Last year, I really wanted to eat one again but we were too late and Hisagozushi was sold out.

Seven Lucky Ingredients for Hisagozushi Ehomaki Onimaki 'Demon Roll'

This year, not only did I make a reservation the day before and schedule the pick up in the a.m. not the p.m., I arranged to do a short interview and get some photos of the master, Chef Ujita making my demon roll!

I knew that Hisagozushi must sell an insane amount of these delightfully decorated and very tasty sushi rolls on Setsubun but I assumed that they had some kind of fantastic machine that just cranked them out – they are a small shop!

The day before Setsubun, and two days before spring, I got to speak with the owner and head chef and he said that he and the staff we going to be up all night making ehomaki and working all day on Setsubun to fill orders. However, as I knew from my experience last year, they would not be able to meet the demand. And, everything is made by hand, no fancy machines!

Seven Lucky Ingredients for Onimaki 'Demon Roll' on Rice and Egg Sheet

Seven Lucky Ingredients for Onimaki 'Demon Roll' on Rice and Egg Sheet - detail

About Hisagozushi and Onimaki
This morning, February 3rd, I went over to Hisagozushi (ひさご寿し) to take some photos of my Oni Maki (鬼巻, demon roll) being made and to learn first hand about this foodie product that has fascinated me for a long time. By the way, I know from the KF access stats that this product is among probably the top 3 that have appeared on KF! Visually, it is a very compelling piece of sushi. As someone with a background in design and currently doing product and brand development, this is a product that I often recall.

The master was looking rather tired at 10 am this morning when I arrived and he still had a long, long day ahead of him! Chef Ujita gave a quick demonstration of how they make their Demon Roll. First you have to understand that 7 is the luck number in Japan and you want to have a lucky year ahead. So, the eho-maki has 7 ingredients rolled up inside rice and the egg wrapper. The ingredients are sliced shiitake mushroom simmered in sweetened soy sauce, kanpyo (dried gourd strips), chopped grilled anago eel, sliced takuan tsukemono (pickle), shrimp, cucumber and atsuyaki-tamago (thick egg omelet) strip. And this is all wrapped up inside that wonderful demon branded sheet of egg.

As Chef Ujita had a long day ahead of him so I asked the Okami-san 女将さん (proprietress), literally ‘woman general’, about the history of Onimaki and Hisagozushi.

Hisagozushi Master, Chef Ujita Rolling Onimaki 'Demon Roll'

Hisagozushi Master, Chef Ujita Rolling Onimaki 'Demon Roll'

Hisagozushi Master, Chef Ujita Rolling Onimaki 'Demon Roll'

Hisagozushi Master, Chef Ujita Rolling Onimaki 'Demon Roll'

"And here is Michael's Onimaki for 2010!"

Hisagozushi opened for business in 1945, the store has been in its current location since opening and now has counters in both Takashimaya Kyoto and JR Kyoto Isetan department stores. Hisagozushi, located in downtown Kyoto, is a small shop and uses lots of eggs in their various sushi offerings. Hisagozushi doesn’t have the space to cook eggs in addition to making sushi, so for 60 years they have been collaborating with a famous Kyoto egg shop. Hisagozushi is quite well known for their chirashi-zushi, which uses a lot of egg.

As I spoke with the Okami-san, I found myself beside myself for not picking up on this. First off, I have to say that this sushi roll is just the most compelling that I have ever seen. And, I didn’t realize how ‘Kyoto’ it is. The Okami-san was very understated about it, inarticulate almost. I distinctly felt that she might not be fully aware of how epic this was as she told me the story. “Well, about 10 years ago we and our egg maker were talking about making a new eho-maki. The egg maker suggested that we could make a wrapping with egg and we never liked the ones wrapped with nori because nori is rather hard to chew, and just quite plain.” I mean, every eho-maki in the land is wrapped with nori, right? Yes!

“So, we thought that if the wrapping were done in egg it would be more elegant — more Kyoto, and it would be easier to chew. The wrapping would be soft and tasty. And, our egg maker suggested that we could use an oni themed hot iron brand on the egg. We came up with an ‘oni’ demon design and that has been quite a hit ever since!”

This truly is one of the artifacts of Kyoto culinary culture that even in other season I often find myself thinking about.

Onimaki Box

Hisagozushi's Setsubun Onimaki 'Demon Roll'

Hisagozushi's Setsubun Onimaki 'Demon Roll'

Ehomaki - Directions for 2010 - This Year Face West by South-west

Setsubun Customs and Food
The main customs for Setsubun all involve food. Setsubun can be thought of as a kind of New Year’s celebration and you wish for plenty of good fortune for the new year and do anything possible to avert illness and bad fortune. The demon often seen at Setsubun brings bad fortune and you want to drive him out, especially out of your house.

Eho-maki – Lucky Direction Sushi Roll: Eat a sushi roll with 7 lucky ingredients facing the direction of good fortune for that year. (The direction changes every year. Eat it quietly and don’t stop while eating, wish for what you want in the coming year. (see this KyotoFoodie How to Eat Ehomaki and How to Eat Ehomaki article for more)
Mame-maki – Throw Beans Out Your Door: Put roasted ‘fukumame’ soybeans in a square wooden ‘masu’ cup and place in the ‘kamidana’ family shrine during the day on February 3rd. (If you don’t have a shrine, place in a high place, above the level of your eyes.) Between 8 and 10 pm throw beans out every door and window of the house (do the ‘genkan’ front door last) twice and say ‘Oni wa soto!’ (Demon out! 鬼は外) and close the door or window quickly and throw beans inside the room twice and say ‘Fuku wa uchi!’ (Good fortune and happiness in! 福は内).
Eat Beans: Pick up beans from the floor of the house, these are all charged up with good fortune now. This will keep you healthy and give you longevity. Eat the same number of roasted soybeans as your age, plus one. Eating off of the floor is not something normally done anywhere, least of all hyper-clean Japan. Traditionally, this is how it was done and Japanese homes have very clean floors. Now some companies sell ‘fukumame’ roasted soybeans in a hygienic sack that you can toss around your house, pick it up off the floor, open it and count out your beans, nice and clean. I have never thrown beans in the house. I just counted them out of the bag. Opps. Miwa checked various websites and this is indeed the proper way to do it. While I have never eaten off the floor, I like the idea because I am really into cleanliness. The floor in one’s home SHOULD be clean enough to eat off of – even if you do not do so in practice!
Hiiragi Iwashi – Put the Head on Your Front Door with Holly Leaves: The demon doesn’t like the strong smell of sardines, so grill one and eat it on Setsubun. The demon is afraid of getting his eyes poked. So, put the grilled sardine’s head on a holly stick with plenty of holly leaves and then put that on or around your front door. The smell will drive off oni and he will be afraid of getting his eyes poked by the thorns on the holly leaves if he were to try to come in your house. Aren’t Japanese demons easy to deal with? No magically passing through walls and so on! (see this KyotoFoodie Hiiragi Iwashi article for more)

Origin of Ehomaki
There are two competing theories regarding the origin of ehomaki. One says that merchants in the late Edo and early Meiji eras Senba (a part of Osaka) ate this special makizushi at Setsubun hoping for a new year of prosperity. Therefore this custom is more common in the Kansai region, rather than Kanto. Another theory states that a samurai under Toyotomi Hideyoshi coincidentally ate makizushi at Setsubun the day before a battle and was victorious; it then quickly became a custom. Peko likes the merchant theory best. source Setsubun Ehomaki, Mame-maki and Grilled Sardine

Here is our first Onimaki article, Setsubun: The Day Before Spring, Demons, How to Eat Eho-Maki and Throw Your Beans.

Kyoto Hisagozushi 'Honten' Storefront

Hisagozushi
Hisagozushi honten (main store) is located on Kawaramachi Street just north of Shijo Street. It on the west side of Kawaramachi Street, next to OPA shopping center. The nearby Shijo-Kawaramachi intersection is the heart of Kyoto. Hankyu Kawaramachi Station is there as well as Takashimaya Department Store. The honten offers both takeout and sit down dining.

Hisagozushi also has takeout locations in the food courts of Takashimaya Kyoto and JR Kyoto Isetan department stores in Kyoto.

Hisagozushi’s sushi is good, maybe a little pricey for a budget traveler. If you want to purchase the Onimaki, best to make a reservation on February 2nd and pick it up Feb 3rd. Hisagozushi does offer some other Setsubun and Eho-maki sushi but the Onimaki is the one to write home about!

Hisagozushi website: www.hisagozusi.co.jp (Japanese only)
English menu: Yes, with photos and easy to understand.
telephone: 075-221-5409 (probably no English spoken)
Address: Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Kawaramachi-dori Shijo-agaru, Shioya-cho 144 (京都市中京区河原町通四条上ル塩屋町144)

Hisagozushi Kyoto Takashimaya Department Store Location - Waiting in Line for Ehomaki

Map to Hisagozushi Honten

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Toraya 'Shimokobai' Tea Ceremony Confection

While it is mid-winter here in Kyoto, we are getting ready for fruit blossoms already. In February the plum trees will bloom and the very fortunate will be treated to see plum blossoms in the snow! To me, plums blossoms are more beautiful and intoxicatingly fragrant than the over-appreciated sakura. The combination of delicate plum blossoms on a leafless, gnarled and contorted black plum tree with lichen and moss, amid snowflakes, all enveloped by the invisible yet penetrating fragrance of the blossoms is an experience with a depth of beauty that I have found unsurpassed.

I hadn’t seen a wagashi that expresses my ideal of plum blossom and snow until today when I dropped in at Toraya to have a look at their tea ceremony wagashi line-up for the second half of January. When I saw this one, I knew I had to show all you foodies out there in the 183 countries with KyotoFoodie fans.

Toraya 'Shimokobai' Tea Ceremony Confection

How to ‘Frost’ a Wagashi Confection: Shinbikiko
Flower shaped wagashi are very common but this one is covered in a kind of rice flour called shinbikiko (新引粉). Shinbikiko is similar to cornmeal in texture but is pure white. It is made with mochi rice that has been steamed, dried, ground and then roasted. The sticky mochi surface of this confection is dusted with shinbikiko creating an obvious yet delicate effect of frost.

Wagashi Frost: Shinbikiko - detail

How Did Shimokobai Wagashi Taste?
While I have complained on KyotoFoodie many times about theredundant and monotonous taste of tea ceremony wagashi, this one really got me. The sensation created by the flavors and textures was quite weird and otherworldly, but in a very subdued way. I loved it!

The filling is gooey but not too sweet white bean paste, it is very soft and creamy. The mochi covering that creates the red plum blossom is gyuhi mochi that very chewy, rather more al dente than normal mochi, like it had been stretched taut over the soft filling and allowed to dry a bit. The shinbikiko really got me though. It reminded me of poppy seeds on a muffin, but not crunchy at all, it was like damp poppy seeds, or damp cornmeal. The taste was ‘ricy’ and dry, yet damp in texture. Weird.

These three contrasting textures and flavors melting together while being chewed made it even more weird.

I found myself wishing for a whole plate to eat so that I could try to better apprehend and express the precious textures and flavors.

The 'kuromoji' traditional tea ceremony utensil is used to cut and eat namagashi.

When do Kyoto Fruit Trees Blossom?
February: Plum (ume 梅)
March: Peach (momo 桃)
April: Cherry (sakura 桜)
Due to global warming these fruit trees are often blooming earlier than they did traditionally. Forget the namby-pamby late spring sakura and seek out the ume!

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Japanese Hard Candy: Shoyu Ame

Sawai Shoyu Honten Soy Sauce Candy 澤井醤油本店 醤油の飴
Sawai Shoyu has been in business in Kyoto since 1879 and makes the premium quality brand of Marusawa Soy Sauce. The immediate neighborhood smells nearly oppressively of fermenting and brewing soy sauce and the old wooden store houses can be seen at the back of the site.

I have used Marusawa shoyu and ponzu for several years but when I stopped by the other day to get my favorite grapefruit ponzu I spotted this hard candy flavored with soy sauce. I have seen this kind of candy before but I don’t recall ever eating it so I picked up a bag.

The sauce that is poured over mitarashi dango grilled mochi dumplings is sweet and shoyu based. I don’t much like it but it is very popular with Japanese and this confection was invented in Kyoto centuries ago.

Award Winning Soy Sauce: Marusawa Brand Shoyu

Award Winning Soy Sauce: Marusawa Brand Shoyu

How did soy sauce candy taste?
It hardly tasted of soy sauce. It tasted like hard candy with this, hmm, what is that taste in there? If I hadn’t known that it included shoyu, I doubt that I would have caught it, it was that subtle. Actually, I think that the taste was a bit too understated. Obviously, a little shoyu goes a long way — with anything, especially candy! However, my tongue wants to know what it is that I am eating. It is not enough for my eyes to just read the label and know.

There is a concept in Japanese cuisine called kakushi-aji, literally ‘hidden taste’. A hidden taste is what it sounds like. It is there, you pick it up but it is not quite pronounced enough for most people to be able to isolate it and identify it. For example, in Kyoto-style sushi, quite a bit of dashi broth is used to make the sushi rice. If you just taste the sushi rice, you can’t miss it. By the time it becomes sushi, it isn’t a prominent taste but it does add depth and complexity to the overall flavor.

I see the shoyu in this candy as fulfilling the function of a kakushi-aji but it is billed as the main event on the package. I doubt that was the makers intent, but that is how it comes off for me. Whatever the case, it is a contradiction. I think that if they doubled the amount of soy sauce they put in, it would be just right. But, I could easily be wrong! I think this is a tough combination to get just right. But this is Kyoto, it has to be just right!

There is a shinise that makes salt flavored hard candy that I sometimes but, it isn’t from Kyoto. It is out of this world, and I don’t even like salt! That candy is subtle and delicate yet you know you are eating salt flavored candy. So, I think my ideal is possible.

Nevertheless, I like this shoyu ame candy quite a lot and it would make a novel and tasty omiyage souvenir to bring back home.

Shuyu Ame Package

This is a very lame package design with lots of plastic waste. It needs some serious kaizen. Too bad.

Marusawa Shoyu Honten Machiya Facade

Marusawa Shoyu Honten Sign

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Map to Sawai Shoyu Honten

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Now, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that I went with a slight bit of trepidation because I have heard from two different sets of foreign tourists that tempura dinner at Yoshikawa was not good. More about that below. We had a very good kaiseki dinner but I just want to show you two dishes; pickled mackerel sushi served on a completely psychedelic colored persimmon leaf and tempura kakiage on rice with tea poured over the top.

Sabazushi Served on Autumn Psychedelically Colored Persimmon Leaf

Kakiage Tempura at Yoshikawa
Kakiage is sliced vegetables and sometime seafood that is mixed together with tempura batter and deep fried. ‘Kaki’ means to mix or stir and ‘age’ means to fry in oil. With tempura, usually the items are battered and deep fried individually. Kakiage can be more oily than regular tempura because it has a lot more surface area and batter.

Yoshikawa’s kakiage tempura was so light and unoily that it was almost not tempura to me. I had a hard time making out what exactly was inside it because everything was sliced so finely inside. It was so light and delicate that it seemed more like quiche or dashi tamagoyaki than tempura to me. At Yoshikawa the kakiage is the last course of the kaiseki meal and it is offered three ways; there is donburi style on rice, something that I cannot recall at the moment and chazuke style on rice with hot tea poured on. Chazuke is a very prosaic home cooking type dish. At a restaurant and inn of such distinction I thought that it must be quite interesting so I order chazuke and was very impressed.

Kakiage tempura was introduced on KyotoFoodie way back when we started in this article about Tenshu in Gion and recently briefly mentioned on OpenKyoto in this article about 500 yen dinner at Marugame in Kyoto.

How to Eat O-chazuke
Here are some photos that show the process of eating chazuke, or more politely o-chazuke. Chazuke works like this; you start with rice and some flavoring on top, pour on hot tea, stir it up a bit and using your chopsticks to eat and/or slurp it.

To the right of the rice bowl is wasabi paste and there is a plate of tsukemono pickles and chirimen jako. The wasabi can be added to the chazuke if you like wasabi but the tsukemono is a side dish and doesn’t go on the top of the rice.

I have found that just o-chazuke for dinner is an excellent way to lose weight.

Tempura Kakiage Chazuke - Served

Tempura Kakiage Chazuke - Pouring on Tea

Tempura Kakiage Chazuke - Pouring on Tea

Dinner at Yoshikawa Ryokan: Tempura Kakiage O-chazuke 吉川旅館 天ぷらかき揚げ茶漬け

Tempura Kakiage Chazuke - Pouring on Tea

Tempura Kakiage Chazuke - Ready to Eat

Tempura Kakiage Chazuke - How to Eat

Tempura Kakiage Chazuke - How to Eat

Yoshikawa Ryokan Inn
Yoshikawa Ryokan Inn and Tempura Yoshikawa Restaurant are at the same location on Tominokijo Street just south of Oike Street. You can go to Yoshikawa for tempura dinner only, or you can stay too. If you go just for dinner, you might ask for a private room.

Historic Yoshikawa Ryokan Inn and Tempura Yoshikawa Restaurant

Misunderstanding, Exaggeration and Lies and the ‘Bucket of Oil for Dinner’ Myth Story
I am a bit embarrassed to tell you about this. The first time I heard about dinner at Yoshikawa from the foreign travelers I distinctly recall hearing that the tempura was served in a bowl of oil. I imagined French Onion Soup in which the bread was the tempura and the soup was the oil. Come on, is there any food, anything, anywhere on planet Earth served in a bowl of oil? No one would eats anything like that, least of all Japanese.

I cannot count the number of times that I have heard fascinating (incredulous) stories from foreigners about all sorts bizarre things in Japan. There are certain things that Japanese just don’t do. In fact there are a lot of things that Japanese just don’t do. Yet, you often meet these fresh off the boat Western foreigners going on and on about how this or that Japanese was doing this weird thing and you are thinking to yourself, Self, in more than 10 years here I have never seen a Japanese do anything like that!

Some of it is just misunderstanding, usually due to language. Still, not excusable. But, the majority is, alas, just lies and exaggeration. When traveling with or hanging out with Japanese abroad I can’t recall once ever experiencing or hearing anything like that. Strange.

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Map to Yoshikawa Ryokan

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Scoop soft tofu from boiling water, strain tea, roast sesame seeds, grill vegetables and fish over an open flame — all with beautiful, handmade traditional Kyoto metal utensils.

Tsujiwa Kana-ami is a shinise and workshop just south of the Imperial Palace (Kyoto Gosho) that offers metal implements. As the store and workshop are one, customers can see both the store shelves and the products being made by the third generation owner.

In Japanese kana means metal and ami means to weave, mesh or net. Kana-ami utensils are used for a variety of cooking techniques as well as some serving and presentation.

Tsujiwa Kana-ami is a popular store for Kyoto residents and restaurant and ryokan owners and in recent years has become a popular destination for Japanese tourists that want to pick up some kana-ami that have the quality and tradition of the old capital. Of course anywhere in Japan mass produced, machine-made kana-ami are available but increasingly people really desire authenticity, tradition and handcrafted ‘shokunin’ products.

For the English speaking foodie visiting Kyoto there are a lot of foodie related items that you will probably want to pickup, Tsujiwa Kana-ami is one shop that you will probably not want to miss. Tsujiwa Kana-ami also has products that make nice omiyage, or souvenirs.

Prices are reasonable; there are a lot of products in the 10-$20 price range and about the most expensive item in the store is around $100.

Tsujiwa Kana-ami Store and Workshop

Tsujiwa Kana-ami Store and Workshop

Strainer Related Products

Yaki-ami

These are great for roasting nuts as the ami closes.

Yaki-ami

Japanese often cook dried fish over an open flame on a stove top using this kind of ami.

Fruit Bowls and Baskets

These incorporate bamboo and woven vines as handles.

Yudofu Shakushi (ゆどうふ杓子)

The ‘shakushi’ is a combination of a ladle and strainer. It is used to lift boiled tofu (yudofu) out of hot water. Japanese prefer tofu to be very soft.

The Tools of the Trade: Decidedly Lowtech

Simple wooden forms are used to make many of the ‘ami’ products. These well-worn tools at Tsujiwa Kana-ami have been in use for more than 80 years.

Wooden Forms

Wooden Form – detail

Wooden Forms and Finished Product

The Tools of the Trade: Weaving Metal

The Tools of the Trade

The Tools of the Trade

The Finished Product: Yaki-ami

These are great for grilling vegetables and fish.

Yaki-ami in Demonstration

We got a demonstration from Mrs Tsujiwa on how to use the yaki-ami on a conventional gas range top. She told us that this can also be done on an electric range.

The yaki-ami has a sheet of heavy mess under the ‘ami’ that diffuses and radiates the heat. More importantly after it turns red hot, it emits infrared radiation which cooks like charcoal.

Grilling Eggplant

Grilling Eggplant – almost done!

Add Peppers

Grilling Eggplant and Peppers – done

The red ones are Kyoto’s famous manganji togaraishi.

Yaki-ami Even Makes Toast

Tsujiwa Kana-ami Service and Location

Tsujiwa Kana-ami Storefront

English brochure: none
English website: none (Japanese language website)
Service/Staff: very friendly and helpful
Hours: 9am-6pm, closed Sundays and public holidays
Location and Access: Ten minutes on foot from Karasuma Oike Station (Subway Tozai and Karasuma lines), Marutamachi Station (Subway Karasuma line) and Kyoto Shiyakushomae Station (Subway Tozai line).
Address
: Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Sakaimachi-dori Ebisugawa-sagaru Kameya-cho 175 (京都市中京区堺町通夷川下ル亀屋町175)
Telephone: 075-231-7368

Map

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Matsutake is one of the most well loved — and expensive — foods in Japanese cuisine and it has been an autumn favorite in Kyoto throughout the centuries. Matsutake is in season now!

Masutake (松茸) in Japanese literally means ‘pine mushroom’. In Japan it grows under red pines.

Matsutake and Sudachi

Walking through the Teramachi Shopping Arcade yesterday, I noticed that Toriichi Shinise was fully stocked with matsutake, both domestic and imported. Autumn is indeed upon us!

The rich, smoky, earthy flavor, and especially the fragrance are much loved by Japanese. The signature fragrance of the matsutake is best extracted and enhanced by steaming or simmering, therefore it is most commonly seen in broths and cooked in rice. Sudachi, one of the three Japanese citrus fruits essential for cooking probably goes best with the unique flavors of matsutake.

Matsutake cannot be cultivated, so all are harvested in the wild. The people who gather matsutake must brave rugged terrain and steep mountain slopes as well as occasional encounters with bears and wild boars, even the odd rattlesnake.

The most favored matsutake in Japan, domestic matsutake fetch up to about $2,000 per kilogram. That is VERY expensive! Therefore, more economically priced imports from China, Korea and now North America and Europe account for the more than 90% of matsutake in Japan.

By law, imported matsutake must be washed and this dilutes and damages the flavor and fragrance. Imported mushrooms simply cannot be as fresh as domestic ones as well.

The best flavor and fragrance is contained in matsutake in which the cap of the mushroom is not fully developed. When I first came to Japan, it was explained to me that the best matsutake look more like a penis than an umbrella.

Cooking and Eating Matsutake
Matsutake gohan (matsutake rice), matsutake tempura and matsutake dobin mushi, or matsutake simmered in broth, are all wonderful autumn foods in Japan.

One of my all-time favorite Japanese dishes is matsutake dobin mushi, which is absolutely wonderful. Dobin is a ‘clay vessel’ and mushi means ‘steamed’. So, matsutake mushroom simmered and steeped inside a ceramic pot.

A small teapot-like vessel is filled with broth, a shrimp, a cube of chicken maybe a ginnan nut and a few pieces of precious matsutake. It is then simmered for some time and served bubbling hot. It is served with a slice of sudachi, which is squeezed into the broth. This is allowed to steep for several minutes at the table, then the broth is then poured into a tiny cup and is sipped, piping hot, just like tea. The fragrance of the matsutake infused into the broth is just exquisite!

After all the ambrosia-like broth in enjoyed, the pieces inside the pot are usually eaten, but their best flavors have been lost to the broth.

Toriichi Shinise
Toriichi Shinise sells the finest seasonal vegetables. It is a specialty shop and it basically sells only one item per season.

Spring: Bamboo Shoots (mainly from Kyoto)
Summer: Kamonasu Eggplant (from Kyoto)
Autumn: Matsutake
Winter: Senmaizuke, thin sliced pickles made from very large turnips. (from Kyoto)

Toriichi Shinise – Storefront and Seasonal Offerings

Matsutake

The woven bamboo basket on the lower left is worn like a backpack by those gathering matsutake.

Matsutake Offerings

Prices are about $120 to $150 per basket! These are domestic matsutake.

Matsutake Split in Half

Matsutake and Sudachi

Matsutake and Sudachi – detail

The one at the bottom center is of optimal shape for matsutake, the cap is still not spread out.

Nicely Packaged Imported Matsutake

These are imported from Korea.

Chestnuts

Chestnuts are also pricey at Toriichi, these baskets are about $30 to $50 each. These are big, fat chestnuts.

Toriichi Shinise Staff Packaging Matsutake Gift Packages

Toriichi Shinise, while just a small shop in Kyoto is a name known to many throughout Japan and when people want to sent the best seasonal gift possible, seasonal vegetables from one of Kyoto’s finest specialty shops cannot be topped.

English Service

English brochure: none
English website: none (Japanese language website)

Service/Staff: not friendly, several of the staff can be quite rude
Hours: 9am-9pm, open everyday
Location and Access: Toriichi Shinise is located in the Teramachi Shopping Arcade, just north or Sanjo Street. Ten minutes on foot from Kawaramachi Station (Hankyu Line), 5 minutes on foot from Sanjo Station (Keihan line), 3 minutes on foot from Shiyakushomae Station (Subway Tozai line).

Address
Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Teramachi-dori Sanjo-agaru Tenshojimae-cho 523 (京都市中京区寺町通三条上ル天性寺前町523)
Telephone: 075-231-1508

Map

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Gion Chigo Mochi covered in sparkly ice-like flakes, filled with sweet and salty miso has been a Kyoto favorite for about 100 years!

This is a very popular and historic wagashi mochi treat in Kyoto. It is simple; gyuhi mochi dusted in sparkles on a stick filled with a sweet and salty white miso.

Gion Chigo Mochi with ‘Sparkles’

Gion Chigo Mochi is made not in Gion but at a quaint shop called Sanjo Wakasaya at the Sanjo-Horikawa Street intersection, in the entrance to one of Kyoto’s largest ‘shotengai’ shopping arcades. Gion Chigo Mochi is the Sanjo Wakasaya’s famous product.

Actually, this mochi is for the Gion Festival but it is available all year.

Icy Sparkles
The sparkles that cover this mochi are made from kori mochi (氷餅), literally ice, or frozen mochi. Kori mochi is from northern Japan. To make it, blocks of mochi are wrapped in paper and hung under the eaves of houses in the winter to freeze dry.

In times past people ate kori mochi but now it is more often used to decorate wagashi. Kori mochi when crushed into flakes looks similar to ice crystals or freshly fallen snow.

The Gion Festival is held at the height of the summer heat and Japanese love this kind of icy look to provide some psychic relief from summer.

Gion Chigo Mochi is only slightly sweet and contains salt, this is a taste that traditionally Japanese found appropriate to combat summer.

Gion Chigo Mochi Bag and Pamphlet

Gion Chigo Mochi ‘Chimaki’ Package

Gion Chigo Mochi Unwrapping ‘Chimaki’ Package

Gion Chigo Mochi – Served

Gion Chigo Mochi – Served

Gion Chigo Mochi – detail

Gion Chigo Mochi – Sweet and Salty Miso Filling

World War II Rationing and Wagashi
During World War II, in the interest of rationing, the government forbade the production of non-essential and luxury products and sweets were included in this prohabition. Gion Chigo Mochi was only one of 18 wagashi products in Kyoto that were permitted production during the war. Many traditional Kyoto shops did not survive the war, though Kyoto was never subject to airstrikes.

Sanjokai Shotengai
If you want to see an old shotengai (shopping arcade) the one here, Sanjokai is a good one, though not as remarkable to a foodie as Nishiki Market Street. Shotengai were the shopping centers of Japan before big-box shopping centers began to sprout up. There are a few other interesting shops in Sanjokai but mostly it offers a look into the prosaic lives of regular folks’ shopping habits. Sanjokai is quite long, running the distance between Horikawa and Senbon Streets on Sanjo Street.

The furoshiki wrapping cloth is both utilitarian and beautiful. In daily life it is used to wrap and carry lunch boxes to work or picnics and on special occasions for wrapping gifts of food and drink.

We want to do some articles that examine the other, non-edible things that are a distinct part of Japanese culinary culture. Meet the furoshiki ‘wrapping cloth’, it is convenient, versatile, reusable, very eco-friendly and of course uniquely beautiful.

History and Development of the Furoshiki
From ancient times, Japanese used a square cloth, called hirazutsumi for wrapping and carrying goods. The oldest example in existence is from Nara period (710-794) and is in the treasure house of the Shosoin Imperial Repository located in Nara city. Nara was the capital of Japan before Kyoto.

The modern word, furoshiki means ‘bath cloth’ and is from the Edo period (1603-1868) because people used a furoshiki to carry their personal affects to and from the public bath. Throughout history the furoshiki was probably most often used by merchants to carry goods and wares to market. The modern furoshiki, while still an utilitarian object is also a thing of beauty and is often used as a wrapping for gifts. Smaller furoshiki are often used by people to carry their bento lunchbox to work. The furoshiki is now a popular alternative to throwaway shopping bags. Cotton and silk furoshiki are still most common, but now synthetic fabrics are also popular for their durability and ease to clean. The Japanese government has even initiated this project to promote the furoshiki to the wider world as a way to reduce waste.

Karakusaya Furoshiki Store
We were given some demonstrations at Karakusaya, a furoshiki store owned by one of Kyoto’s oldest and largest furoshiki producers.

Karakusaya is located in central Kyoto within walking distance of many of Kyoto’s famous ryokan such as Sumiya Ryokan, Hiiragiya Ryokan, and Tawaraya Ryokan. Okura Hotel is also nearby.

As furoshiki are moderately priced, light-weight and unbreakable, they also make excellent gifts to take back home. If you don’t think that you can master the knots, you can still use them as a table cloth. If you would like to learn the wrapping and knotting techniques, you can stop in at Karakusaya for a free of charge lesson!

Beautifully Wrapped Sake Bottle

Furoshiki Wrapping Gourd-shaped Sake Bottle

The furoshiki enables you to wrap things of nearly any shape.

Wrapping Picnic Lunch

The furoshiki can wrap multiple, oddly shaped things into a single secure and easy to carry package.

Beautifully Wrapped Picnic Lunch

The utilitarian furoshiki is becomes a beautiful creation when tied.

How for Fold and Tie Instruction Manual

Karakusaya offers some English language guidance on the techniques needed to be a furoshiki master.

The Store

Karakusaya Manager

Notice the contemporary colored furoshiki in the background.

Products on Store Shelves

Contemporary colors

Products on Store Shelves

This is the karakusa, or ivy motif, very important in Japanese culture.

Products on Store Shelves

Wrapped wine bottle

Products on Store Shelves

This series is Peko’s favorite.

Products on Store Shelves

More traditional patterns and motifs.

Products on Store Shelves

Products on Store Shelves

Contemporary colors and mofits

Furoshiki Wrapping and Tying Video Demonstrations

Furoshiki Wrapping Two Sake Bottles

Furoshiki Wrapping Isshobin Sake Bottle

Furoshiki Wrapping Shoulder Bag

Furoshiki Wrapping Handbag

Karakusaya Storefront

English:
English brochure: yes
English website: none
Japanese language site: Miyai Corporate Site | How to Tie (excellent images)
Service/Staff: friendly with free furoshiki wrapping lessons
Hours: 10am-6pm, closed Monday and Tuesday
Location and Access: —
Address: Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku, Muromachi Rokkaku-sagaru Funayama-cho 510
(京都市中京区室町六角下ル鯉山町５１０番地)
Telephone: 075-221-0390

Map:

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Picnic with Furoshiki

Paku, a true furoshiki lover took us for a picnic at the Kyoto Gosho Imperial Palace grounds to demonstrate the multiple uses that the furoshiki can be put to. She wrapped our picnic lunch, transported it and then we used the same furoshiki to sit on while we had our lunch. We of course took our shoes off.

Picnic with Furoshiki

Picnic with Furoshiki

Picnic with Furoshiki

Kaneyo is a long-loved Kyoto eel joint thoroughly from another time and the grilled eel dishes are excellent.

Eating Out on Eel Day
On Eel Day we visited Kaneyo, one of the most famous unagi restaurants in all of Kyoto. Kaneyo is centrally located near Sanjo-Kawaramachi (intersection/neighborhood) and the Shinkyogoku Shopping Arcade.

To learn more about the history and development of ‘Eel Day’, please see this article.

Kaneyo Storefront and Takeout Eel Day Bento For Sale

The dude on the right is selling unaju (unagi bento) on Eel Day. On the left, in the window is where the unagi are grilled.
About Kaneyo
Kaneyo opened in the Taisho period and has been in business for more than 100 years now. The Taisho period was a very interesting time for Japan because the country had technologically modernized however, culturally it was still purely Japanese (now it is not).

Walking into Kaneyo is to step back in time. The atmosphere, the staff, the service, the building, everything is from a different time. Kaneyo’s traditional sense is not at all sophisticated.

Everything is out of kilter about the place. Walking up the steps to the second floor is an unnerving experience. The second floor space itself is seriously warped with age. If you were to set a ball on the floor, it would roll away, and in which direction it may be difficult to foresee. The first floor has a terrazzo floor and columns that do not look just handmade, but hand-hewn! There is one large wooden round table on the first floor that is warped and worn and polished with what I imagined to be decades of elbows and eel grease. Bottled beer is kept in a tub of ice water rather than a refrigerator.

I had heard about Kaneyo for years, walked and biked past it many times, but I had never been inside. When Paku lead me in the only think that I could think was, ‘eel joint’ (as opposed to eel restaurant).

As unagi cannot yet be completely farm raised, unagi is not cheap. We paid 1,600 yen each for our eel bowls. The servings are not especially large, either. They do offer a lunch time meal for 950 yen. This price range is on par with other unagi restaurants though.

I had unagidon (unagi donburi) and Paku had unagi kinshi which unagidon with a big square omelet on top. The presentation is dramatic and while the unagi is excellent, we thought that the egg was rather tasteless. In Kyoto, egg cooked in this way should have lots of dashi in it for flavor.

Kaneyo cooks its eel over charcoal, which can be seen in the front window.

While this joint is a bit run down, the service gruff (but fairly friendly), there are more elegant places for unagi in Kyoto but there is a definite charm about Kaneyo. That blue-collar Taisho Japan is something that is surely not long for the world. If you are in Kyoto and up for unagi you probably want to put Kaneyo on your itinerary.

Unagi Donburi

A lacquered bowl filled with a modest portion of rice is topped with grilled unagi. This goes extremely well with beer. The little bamboo vessel on the rice holds sansho which is sprinkled on the donburi. By the way, the tsukemono (on the right) is terrible.

Unagi Donburi – detail

Notice the sansho sprinkled on the unagi.

Unagi Kinshi Don

This is a great dish, it arrives at your table just like this.

Unagi Kinshi Don – detail

Again, while very beautiful, the egg was less than delicious.

Unagi Kinshi Don – detail

The rice and unagi sort of steams under the hot, wet egg covering.

Kaneyo Interior

There is a waterfall outside in the little garden too.

Kaneyo Interior

The weirdly warped table and over-abundant staff.

Kaneyo Storefront

Kaneyo Storefront

Kaneyo Storefront – detail

We didn’t snap any piks of the second floor dining space, but if you look closely you can see how the columns and beams are not quite square with the world.

English:
English website: no
English menu: no
Location and Access: Approximately 10 minutes walk from Kawaramachi Station (Hankyu Railway), Sanjo Station (both Keian Railway and Subway Tozai Line)
Address: Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Shinkyogoku Rokkaku (京都市中京区新京極六角)
Telephone: 075-221-0669
www.jin.ne.jp/kaneyo (Japanese language only)
Map
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The company that owns Rokudenya, Kiwa Group still has some excellent restaurants in Kyoto but Rokudenya is history.The manager of Rokudenya seems to take a perverse delight in being unbelievably rude to customers. I have seen him so rude on occasion that by Japanese standards one would have to conclude that he is abnormal.

At Rokudenya I once found a shard of broken ramen bowl so large in my soup that it couldn’t have even fit in my mouth! The degree of sloppiness required to serve a customer’s dinner with about 1/5 of an entire ceramic bowl inside is more than can easily be imagined. In Japan it is simply unheard of. When I tried to call the manager over to show him the shard he tried to ignore me and tried to send over a young staff member. I persisted and asked him to come around the counter so I could show him the shard without alarming the other customers and spoiling their dinner. Now I know that I should have made a fuss. Finally he sighed and came over to see what was up. He offered a feeble apology as he already started to walk away and said to hold on while they made me another.

The staff has followed the manager’s lead. The last time I was there I noticed some of the staff sneaking cigarettes in the kitchen, one young guy was even stood on top of a counter where food is prepared to grab something off a shelf!

The food is not what it once was either, it seems that they are cutting corners on ingredients.

I have no idea what happened to this restaurant, but we have visited Rokudenya several times and the experience was equally appalling on each occasion.

Therefore, we recommend that you avoid Rokudenya.

Rokudenya – Tantanmen in Ponto-cho

Rokudenya features many Chinese style noodle dishes, called tantanmen. Tantanmen (担々麺、担担麺) which hails from Sichuan Province in China, it is heavily spiced with Sichuan pepper (the same plant the Japanese sansho comes from), sesame, chili and chili oil. Rokudenya has a number of tantanmen inspired ramen and other dishes. These dishes are often nouveau, Sichuan style spicy and very, very delicious.

A remarkable dish is the Red Tantanmen (赤担々麺). This is a spicy, tomato based soup (unheard of for ramen) garnished with whole, fresh tomato and parmesan cheese! It is a novel composition yet it seems like a classic.

The menu features many other dishes, lots of nabe dishes. The most famous is the soft-shell turtle nabe (Chinese style hot pot, rather than the Japanese nabe.) Turtle is said to be good for your skin, and for the gents, to give you plenty of extra umph for the ‘night life’ as they put it in Japan.

(We have not tried Rokudenya’s nabe dishes as we sampled the more ‘summery’ offerings. We are looking forward to Rokudenya’s nabe dishes as the weather cools off and we move into autumn and winter.)

There are many other ippin ryori dishes on the menu. They are often Sichuan-spicy and novel in composition.

Homemade chili oil is available on a covered ceramic pot at each table, this is spooned on to the tantanmen to give it some extra punch. Rokudenya’s chili oil is also available to purchase/take away. Despite the amount if chili in it, it isn’t that hot, it is pungent and even a bit sweet.

The dining experience is casual. Rokudenya is located in the heart of Ponto-cho (hanamachi), Rokudenya a fairly new restaurant, but in an old and well kept Kyoto-style townhouse (町家, machiya).

Kurogoma Tantanmen (black sesame tantanmen)
This is a house signature dish, very spicy and rich in chili, Sichuan pepper and sesame flavors, Rokudenya offers both the standard hot and a summer cold version (reimen, literally, cold noodles).

Natsuyasai Reimen (summer vegetables and cold noodles)
This dish features cold noodles (reimen) and a selection of fresh Kyoto summer vegetables. There is no shoyu based tare but a mixture of whipped raw egg and grated nagaimo (mountain yam).

Red Tantanmen (tomato tantanmen)

Tebaage (deep-fried chicken wings)

Spiced with five-spice and deep-fried — excellent!

K. F. PekoPeko:
I thought that the Natsuyasai Reimen (Summer vegetables and cold noodles) was excellent. A very ‘Kyoto’ style dish. Simple, light and understated. While it’s not a dish that I would order often, with a splash of vinegar, this is an excellent midsummer meal when one’s appetite wanes from the sultry Kyoto summer.

Red Tantanmen is not quite as spicy as the tantanmen dishes and is wonderful. Despite it’s novelty, it seems like it must have been on the menu for centuries. Another must try!

There is a monthly and seasonal menu with many ippin and noodle dishes. These are all worth a try.

English menu (small red text is English)
well translated, understandable — thanks!

Rokudenya entrance and noren (shop curtain)

Rokudenya storefront menu

Unfortunately this excellent restaurant has suddenly closed as of November 2011.

Takaraya (宝屋) features several dishes that are very ‘Kyoto’ in style and taste. The cuisine of Kyoto features subtly complex and sophisticated flavors. To the sensibilities of the ancient capital, the more understated, the better. Typically, ramen is anything but subtle. This makes Takaraya quite a novelty and a must for any ramen connoisseur or visiting gourmet.

Sumashi Ramen (すましラーメン):
Takaraya’s sumashi ramen is a masterpiece, completely original, yet completely ‘ramen’. Completely ‘Kyoto’, Japanese ramen is typically overbearing; rich and heavy. The garnishes are unheard of. Deep-fried gobo (burdock root), mozzarella cheese! Unbelievable!

main ingredients: chicken soup base, slightly flat egg ramen noodles, chicken dango (meatballs) mozzarella cheese, aona (greens), cabbage garnished with thick sliced bacon and pepper sesame.

Takaraya’s sumashi ramen is a ‘10’.

Tamago kake gohan (出町の玉子かけご飯)
(Rice topped with raw egg)

Usually, rice with raw egg is served at breakfast, a simple dish with just a dash of shoyu (soy sauce). Takaraya’s tamago kake gohan is another masterpiece. Imaginatively garnished not with shoyu, but shio konbu (salted kelp, steeped in shoyu). First the egg is mixed into the rice, which is piping hot. The egg is not exactly cooked, but neither is it raw. Then sprinkle on the shio kombu and mix some more. Place a slice of cucumber atop the rice, blanket with a sheet of nori and scoop up a mouthful.

Takaraya’s tamago kake gohan is an ‘8.5’.

Toroniku chashumen (トロ肉チャーシューメン)
Shimofuri (sprinkled with frost) pork. Toro, is a reference to the most luxurious ‘fatty tuna’. Out of an entire hog, only 1 kilo of the Takaya’s toroniku chashu can be harvested. The thinly sliced chashu is soft, it nearly melts in your mouth. It is fatty, but not overwhelmingly rich.

Toruniku chashumen is offered with spicy miso, at no extra cost. (It isn’t really that spicy, don’t shy away from this unique garnish.)

Takaraya’s toruniku chashumen is a ‘7.

About Takaraya ramen noodles and eggs:
The wheat is grown and milled in Nagano Prefecture. The eggs used for the Takaraya ramen noodles and tamago kake gohan (rice with raw egg) contains no artificial or chemical additives. The chickens are fed a natural diet of rice bran, fish bones, corn and soybeans.Raw egg accompanies many dishes in Japan and is safe to eat (whether it agrees with you or not is another matter).

K.F. PakuPaku: I am always surprised to when I enter the shop as there are usually young couples and often foreign travelers. The typical ramen shops are patronized by salarymen grabbing quick and late dinner on the way home. Takaraya has a great, modern atmosphere. I always feel like I want to go back soon. Takaraya serves cold tea, rather than ice water. Thanks!

K.F. PekoPeko: Ramen is actually not a favorite dish of mine. I wouldn’t touch it for many years. If I am going to eat ramen, it had better be damn good. I have eaten at Takaraya about once a week for the last year and a half. I only order sumashi ramen, usually accompanied by tamago kake gohan. I love it!For a quick, reasonably priced, and pretty healthy dinner, Takaraya is a five star choice in my book.The service is excellent. The staff are friendly and well mannered. Overall the atmosphere and dining experience is excellent.

Criticism: gyoza (pot stickers) are run -of -the-mill. By no means bad, just not to the level of the other dishes.

About raw and undercooked eggs: In the years I have been in Japan, I suppose that I have eaten more than a thousand raw or undercooked eggs. I have gotten sick once and the culprit *might* have been raw egg. Some prudent folks avoid raw egg in the summer. You certainly wouldn’t want to ruin a trip to a far away land like Japan with a tummy ache, but neither would you want to miss out on some local delicacies enjoyed by the natives either. In the end, you’ll have to consider your own constitution and decide for yourself.

takaraya website (Japanese language only)

map:

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