I arrived in Kyoto in the evening, and since I was heading to Osaka the next day, I had just one night to enjoy the city. Well, better make the most of it with no regrets. That said, with this middle-aged guy’s feeble stamina I couldn’t wander around all that much anyway.

A shop in Karasuma

Around Karasuma, about one stop away from Gion, the heart of Kyoto’s nightlife, there was a cluster of lovely shops. There are so many places like the one in the photo that, in Korean terms, it felt like Yeonnam-dong or Haebangchon. Coming back after a long while, I found that these kinds of shops, which suit Kyoto so well, had multiplied. I wanted to spend about three days in Karasuma alone.

There is even a malt bar on the second floor..

I had booked my lodging in Karasuma, and it turned out to be a good choice.

This is what the streets of Kyoto feel like.

Good restaurants were tucked away in every little alley.

The menu of an izakaya I spotted while passing by

If you look closely you will see that the prices are very reasonable and the menu is varied. There were quite a few places whose signs alone made me want to walk in, but I did not get to photograph them. Go and see for yourself.

Kyoto’s main street

Step out of Karasuma and you are right at the end of Nishiki Market, and the main avenue between them runs all the way to Gion.

Past the Daimaru is where the real downtown begins

Not many people yet, but it filled up soon enough.

Cute items I found that day

My room is a mess and I have no one to give presents to, so I do not usually buy these, but I thought it would be nice to have one. Especially the beer-drinking panda..

Okonomiyaki

With countless great restaurants around, I was too hungry to hold out and had an okonomiyaki at a place called Mr. Young Men, and the portion was big for the price. The taste was not bad either.

Pontocho

A traditional street right in the middle of Gion. It is overflowing with foreign tourists, and the atmosphere here has become a lot more polished. This street was lively in the past too, but I do not think it was anything like this. You could say a generation has changed.

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