Setsubun Foodie Customs: Kyoto Hisagozushi ‘Onimaki’ Ehomaki

Meet the ‘Demon Roll’ sushi for the day before spring — Kyoto-style. This makizushi is a very original, fascinating and extremely beautiful variation of the eho-maki (lucky direction roll) makizushi that is eaten by custom in Japan on Setsubun, February 3rd, the day before spring begins. Setsubun has some wonderful customs and they all seem to be food related. Two…
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Tokyo-style Nigiri Sushi Breakfast at Sushi Dai in Tsukiji Market

The Kyoto Wholesale Food Market is great, not to mention still humane and friendly, but Tsukiji Market in Tokyo has no peer for variety, sheer scale and of course terseness. If you are hungry and into sushi, what sets these two apart is that Tsukiji has a some of the best sushi restaurants in the world, and they close around…
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Depachika: Sanma-zushi

Aozakana season is upon us here in Japan. Aozakana literally means ‘blue fish’. Aozakana isn’t a species but a category. Aozakana are varieties like mackerel (saba), saury (sanma), sardine (iwashi) and so on. The backs of these fish are blue in color and in the autumn and winter they are particularly fatty and oily. Japanese say, abura ga notteiru (脂がのっている).…
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Epic Sushi! Kyoto-style Sushi Lesson at Kichisen

Helena Chlepnac from Sushi Fusion from Switzerland was in town studying-up on Kyoto’s incredible culinary culture. We had a chance to spend a few days together which culminated in the most luxurious sushi meal, actually, three sushi meals, that I have ever had or even imagined! This was epic sushi! And all thanks to Chef Tanigawa at Kichisen, who gave…
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Izuju: The Best Kyoto Style Sushi in Kyoto

This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series Do Not Miss
Sushi in Kyoto has a long history but it is quite unlike the nigiri sushi that we are used to abroad. Unlike Tokyo, Kyoto was landlocked and that required somehow keeping fish edible after the journey here. Kyoto sushi required some smarts and ingenuity, it also had…
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