Dinner at Yoshikawa Ryokan: Tempura Kakiage O-chazuke

The other day I was fortunate enough to be invited for a wonderful tempura kaiseki dinner by some new friends from San Francisco at one of Kyoto’s most famous ryokan inns: Yoshikawa Ryokan. While Yoshikawa Ryokan is a fine place to stay, it is perhaps more famous for its tempura cuisine. Many Kyotoites go there just for tempura dinner. Now,…
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Train Food and Seasonal Everything in Japan: Sakura Onigiri, Nanohana Tempura Onigiri

Train Food and Seasonal Everything in Japan: Sakura Onigiri, Nanohana Tempura Onigiri (さくらおにぎり・菜の花天婦羅おにぎり) Train Food and Seasonal Everything in Japan: Sakura Onigiri, Nanohana Tempura Onigiri Just before catching a bullet back to Kyoto, I ducked into the omiyage/gourmet food court at Shinagawa Shinkansen Station (in Tokyo) to get some omiyage for Paku and some ‘bento’ for my two and a half hour train ride back to ‘old’ Japan.…
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Owariya — 540 Year Old Soba Restaurant

Owariya — 540 Year Old Soba Restaurant 本家尾張屋 Owariya — 540 Year Old Soba Restaurant 本家尾張屋 Owariya, a purveyor to the Imperial Household, has a history that goes back over five hundred and forty years. It is the oldest noodle shop in Kyoto. Over the centuries, Owariya has served emperors and shoguns as well as the monks of many of the temples of Kyoto. Owariya is very popular…
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Tenshu — tempura donburi in Gion

Tenshu — tempura donburi in Gion Tenshu Gion -- teaser Tenshu, located in Kyoto’s Gion district serves a famous tempura dinner course and an equally famous donburi at lunch. Tenshu is a very famous restaurant, countless celebrities and national politicians dine at Tenshu. On a weekend you can expect to wait 30 to 60 minutes to be seated for lunch!…
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