Kyoto Sept 2019 : Sannen Ninen Zaka

On the first day I had to myself, I decided to go visit Koyomizu on my own. My husband was not interested to visit this place as it involves a lot of walking and also climbing up stairs and hill. But I was super psych to go here for a few reason: one was to visit the only Starbuck in the world in a matchaya traditional tea house with tatami seat, and two to visit the UNESCO site, one of the most beautiful and famous temples in Kyoto. So I decided to set off really early one morning to walk there. The plan was to have a nice breakfast at the Starbuck when it first open, and quickly go to the temple before the rest of the tourist reach there. At that point, I wasn't sure if I wanted to visit the temple, I was more interested in just visiting the old streets and shops around it. 

It's a 30 - 40 mins walk from where we stayed, and yes, I walked all the way there, in the early morning! It was a morning walk, and since the weather was quite cool, it was a lovely walk. I finally walked pass the Kamo River and above was the view on my way to the temple. It was kinda cloudy, but still beautiful in my view.

I got a bit lost on the way there after exiting the main road and headed towards the mountains as the roads become smaller and less organised. I mean, there were alley ways here and there and I wasn't sure if I was headed in the right directions.

But I guess I was nearby cause from time to time I spotted pagodas along the way, or old stones and monument. The experience of walking through the old streets was also an experience by itself. I guess it wasn't something most tourist get to experience as this was kinda the opposite direction to the temple. At the sign of the Kiyomisu road junction, the correct path was to turn right and head straight to the temple. But I headed left towards the residential area as it was a shorter way to reach Starbucks.

Finally I saw some sign that seems to say I was now in the old area of Sannen and Ninen Zaka. And slowly old traditional shops become visible. 

The walkways and alley were cobble-like and look so beautiful, especially since it was still early morning and there wasn't many people around. Actually there were a few what looked like Taiwanese or Chinese wedding photography going around taking in the scenes for their wedding album. I kinda spoil their beautiful view of the empty streets I guess, haha. 

Most of the shops were not opened yet, so I can really take a slow walk around. 

Here's one selling ceramic, and look at all the cute ceramic their just put all over the floor outside! I couldn't help taking a snap of this. Most of the shops have a no photography sign on it. But not this one! haha. I love ceramics. I love pretty potteries.

The whole area was like a maze. And there were also steps going up or down cutting through the neighbourhood, or act as a shortcut. Along the way, you could see signs like the above, that gives you a glimpse of all the hidden cafe and accommodation available all around. 

The above is the old shop streets headed to the main temple entrance. As you can see, it was already kinda crowded when I finally reached there. This was after I connected back into the main path and the shops started to open. It was a narrow street, and I didn't mind the crowd as I could browse the things being offered for sale at a slower pace. Mainly I try to find a school excision group and walk along with them at the back. They helped clear the way for me, and the shop owner assume I was part of the group as their teacher or something.  But all that is in another post. First I have to achieve my first objective of being here, Tatami Starbucks!

Actually I got kinda lost and confused looking for it. First, I walked up and down the same road like three times! I was following my GPS, and it kept telling me the shop was on the same road, but I have walked pass it. It didn't matter whether I walk up or down, I kept missing it. Perhaps in my mind I was expecting to see a Starbuck sign to show where the shop was. But this was a traditional heritage road, so in a way, they have certain guidelines here I guess. So Starbuck was actually along this road. And if you take a look of the photos here and above, it's kinda hard to spot it, right? Hahaha. I will show you where Starbuck is in the next post.

But first, here's a selfie of me along the beautiful traditional streets with nobody behind me. I look so cute with my lost hat too! Yes. I lost my hat. Not in Japan, but in Bangkok after this trip. And up to this day, I am sad about it. Hahaha. But never mind, that is another story. First, let's go to Tatami Starbuck in the next post!

Kyoto Sept 2019 : Yakitori Restaurant 大西

The last post on the interesting places around our inn is about this Yakitori place we went to on our way back one night. I don't have many photos of this place as it was late and we were all tired. We were previously refused in two other yakitori restaurant before we were finally admitted into this one.   We were allocated a private area at the back of the restaurant when they realise we were non-Japanese, lol. 

The lady that was assigned to serve us was a student from China, so it was easier for us to order. And she was really cute and bubbly. We ordered a round of beers and started on the food order. I was really looking forward to having yakitori again in Japan after having wonderful memories of it in Sapporo. But sadly, this shop did not live up to that expectation.

We ordered a variety of dishes. But as we each have different price range, it was on a personal order basis and there wasn't much sharing of food. Luckily I have my husband to share with, so we can ordered more things from the menu. 

It was a hit and miss, and nothing really fantastic about it. But it was a fun experience having a beer with so many people all at once in a izakaya in Japan! Even though none of us was Japanese. 

So here's a cheers from us to you! Photo below is me and my husband, and 3 of his class mates, all Singaporeans except me. 

Kyoto Sept 2019 : Retro Cafe Breakfast

There was one morning which my husband didn't have to rush to class, so he decided to treat me to breakfast at a retro coffee shop which he discovered the day before. Apparently his classmates had recommended it for their coffee. But interestingly they don't do take-away coffee. You have to enjoy it at the shop itself. Above is the retro coffee shop found at the Kyoto area near where we stayed. It was just a short walk away from our inn.

The shop is at the corner, and it look so cute and chic. The old bicycle parked in front of the shop really adds to the feel of the place. And I guess I like this place cause it also have an old-Japan feel to it, which I am totally in love with. And did you notice the soft serve ice cream on the left, and the school children crossing sign board on the right? The whole picture is so picturous. 

Outside the shop they display their menu which we checked out before we went in, just to make sure it was affordable. Our accommodation doesn't come with breakfast, and to add breakfast, it was usually above 1000Yen. Here, the full breakfast set was around 800Yen, and you get to eat in such a cute cafe! So of course we went in! Incidentally, I'm blogging this on a Saturday morning after a cup of smooth Japanese drip coffee, and just by blogging this makes me crave for another cup instantly!

The cafe says they roast their beans on the shop itself, and when you enter the shop to the left, is where they display all the types of coffee they have for sale. You can buy them home to make your own coffee. I think it just add a beautiful ambiance to the whole cafe. There is a roaster there as well, so yeah, it seems Japanese are kinda big on roasting their beans freshly. Even the Japanese cafe in Singapore will proudly advertise if their beans are roasted on premise. 

The section would be the kitchen counter as show in the photo above. The dark wooden feel of the counter, plus all it's gadget and counter tops really adds to the ambiance of the whole place.

Here is the front view of the counter. You could also sit there and watch how the owner prepare your coffee for you. I really love all the beautiful cups being displayed at the shelves! And I was hoping they will serve my coffee in one of those! It would be almost like drinking coffee at my own home, haha! But it was breakfast time, and I didn't really feel like sitting at the counter. So we sat still in front of the counter, but at the normal seating area.

Here's me as prop while my husband took a photo of the seating area of the shop. By the way, for all the indoor shots you see in this blog, we usually ask the owner or the staff if it was okay for us to take picture before we do so. Usually the answer is yes, but it is always polite to ask first. But if it's a chain restaurant, we usually don't ask.

We ordered a standard set that came with a wester breakfast and a coffee. Above is our breakfast, toast, eggs, bacon and salad. My husband ordered a latte and I ordered one of their brand coffee serve black. And it did came with a beautiful tea set! How sweet! While we were having our breakfast, there was an old man that came in and sat a few seats away from us. He seems like a regular and talk to the owner. As we were foreigner, he was rather interested in us. I smiled at him, and even wave goodbye to him when we left. He had a handheld device that seems to be translator and seems to be listening to our conversation in English. Haha. My husband was in a hurry to attend his class, else I think it would have been fun to sit and chatted with him. Through out our breakfast, it was only the two of us at the cafe as they have just opened and it was I guess, too early. And now, if you would excuse me, I think I need to go drink another cup of coffee now to relive those beautiful memories. 

Kyoto Sept 2019 : Tsukemen Dinner

I'm writing this entry during the Circuit Break a.k.a. lockdown of Singapore's Covid-19 situation, so it's really hard on my stomach! No dining in are currently allowed in Singapore, and one of the food I am badly missing is Tsukemen from Menya Musashi. Apparently there was a famous Tsukemen restaurant nearby where we live, so one day, my husband's classmates recommended we all go there for dinner. Since it was nearby, and it was those traditional ramen store, we had to queue to go in as it wasn't open yet. Tsukemen is like ramen, but the noodles are served dry, with a side of soup/dipping sauce. How you eat it is take the noodles and dip it into the soup and eat from there. 

Above is what I ordered. I think I ordered wrongly and it came me extra noodles. But the noodles smell so fresh and taste so chewing that I ate everything any more. There was only one guy in the shop, and he will take your order, cook your tsukemen and serve it to you, all while listening to One Ok Rock's latest album "Ambition" which he played in his shop. It was kinda fun dining here. 

And the soup they serve is so different from the ones you get back home in Singapore. The soup there was so thick and savoury that you only need a bit to slurp down the noodles with. In conclusion, I really miss this place. And I'm eagerly waiting for lockdown to be over so that I can go enjoy a bowl of tsukemen with extra noodles to relive these wonderful memories!

Ref:

Menya Musashi

Kyoto Sept 2019 : Kyoto Beer Lab

On our first night there, we were already visiting local drinking place. The first one we went was Kyoto Beer Lab, which was recommended by my husband's friend. We made our way there to meet her, and found the Lab in one of the small alley ways right in front of a small stream. It looked so private and cosy, just like all bars in Kyoto I guess. But it was my first time going drinking here, so I was fascinated. 

The inside was just as cosy and tastefully decorated. We too the seat at the bar so that we can watch more action behind the bar, and interact with the people more. Above the guy in green was one of them we spoke to, and he told us he plays in a punk-rock-grudge band. He even gave us the link to his band, which was rather interesting. He spoke some Malay when he ask where I was from, and took a photo of us for their Facebook page. Yay, that was a first for me!

This drinking place was called a lab because they experiment with their beer here. And one of the reason I really wanted to come here was because they have Houjicha Beer here! It was my first time seeing that, so I wanted very much to try it since I love Houjicha so much. So how you order is, you can order the standard drink by pint, or you can try their tasting set that comes with 3 smaller glasses and you can pick three types of beer from their tasting menu. Of course we went with that since we wanted to try all the interesting beer they have. 

Here is how they serve the beer to you, and they will indicate which beer it is. They will also recommend that you drink it in certain order so that you can enjoy the taste better from lighter taste, to stronger taste. 

After having beer, we got a bit hungry so we also ordered some snacks to share. Above is the bacon bits from apparently some famous butcher in Kyoto. Look at the fats on that bacon!

After the cut it up in cubes, they fry it and serve it to you with just pepper and I guess, some salt? This was super delicious!

There are other types of drink you can also order if you don't like beer. Above is Shiso fermented drink serve with soda. It looks kinda cool, but taste really herbish. I'm not a big fan of Shiso except it is made into a clear soup. 

Lastly, here is a group photo of us at the bar. Cheers! Awesome first night in Kyoto!