Kyoto Foodie: Where and what to eat in Kyoto

Wagashi: Chadango and Minazuki (茶だんご みなづき)

Minazuki is an early summer wagashi that from centuries ago commoners ate on the day that royals ate — ice.

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Kyoto Sake: Learning to Make Hannari Brand Umeshu in Fushimi - part 2 (北川本家はんなり梅酒)

Hannari Brand Umeshu: The tastes of Kyoto are subtle and refined, this umeshu was designed to be hannari, or delicate. In addition to classic umeshu, there are four imaginatively ‘Kyoto’ flavored versions; cinnamon, yuzu, green tea and shiso.

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Kyoto Sake: Learning to Make Umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur) in Fushimi - part 1

Umeshu: Japanese plums, called ume (梅) are mainly used to flavor alcohol and vinegar and to make the incredible umeboshi, pickled plum. In early summer, it is popular to make ume flavored alcohol, called umeshu (梅酒) at home, but we were fortunate [...]

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Tsunoki: Premium Sake Dealer in Nishiki Market Kyoto (津之喜酒舗)

Tsunoki is more than 200 years old and is the place in Kyoto to purchase fine sake, shochu and Japanese whiskey. The friendly 8th generation owner of Tsunoki, Teruo Fujii, speaks some English and is always happy to make recommendations to visitors.

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Taue (Rice Planting): Planting Yamada Nishiki in Rural Kyoto Prefecture for Next Year’s Sake

Taue (田植) means rice planting, or properly, rice transplanting as seedlings are first grown in a protected area such as a greenhouse and then transplanted to the rice paddy. Kitagawa Honke Sake Brewery (Learning to Make Sake series) contracts with rice farmers [...]

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Demise: Narazuke Moriguchizuke Tsukemono

The food courts of department stores in Japan are a near other-worldly experience. The offerings are exquisite in taste and beauty and nearly boundless in regional and seasonal variation. In addition to the regular stores, there are ‘demise‘, small stands that sell a product from a different region or local, small shop [...]

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Wagashi: Suetomi Kodomo-no-hi (Children’s Day) Mochi

May 5th is Children’s Day in Japan. Two important icons for this day are the Koi-no-bori (flying carp banner) and the kabuto, or armored battle helmet worn by samurai. At Suetomi, we found some delightful and unique koi-no-bori and kabuto themed wagashi, traditional Japanese confections.

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Learning to Make Soba Dashi at Honke Owariya

We were privileged to visit one of our favorite Kyoto restaurants, Honke Owariya that is among the oldest restaurants in the world, and learn how to make their incredibly delicious ‘dashi‘ broth for soba noodles. Having about 540 years of experience to draw upon is a fantastically delicious [...]

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Wagashi Series: Ryuen Rakuseki and Maccha Rakuseki (柳苑: 楽石・抹茶楽石)

Ryuen specializes in a simple and elegant wagashi that combines a center of candied kuri (chestnut) embedded in koshian (sweet azuki bean paste) with a coating of sugar and kuzu (arrow root starch), some with the addition of sugary green tea powder (maccha).
Ryuen’s wagashi is decidedly [...]

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Wagashi Series: Sentaro Rice Flour Kasutera, Soba and Wheat Manju (仙太郎)

Sentaro’s kasutera (Castella sponge cake) is a real treat! It’s sophisticated in flavor, caramelly and very mochi-mochi (soft and chewy). Sentaro’s manju, both soba (buckwheat) and wheat are excellent and unique.

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