Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Winter 2021
I got into a taxi after arriving in Kyoto. I had originally been thinking of going to Kiyomizu-dera, but the driver recommended Kinkaku-ji. He said they had recently re-applied the gold leaf. So I changed my d…
I got into a taxi after arriving in Kyoto. I had originally been thinking of going to Kiyomizu-dera, but the driver recommended Kinkaku-ji. He said they had recently re-applied the gold leaf. So I changed my d…
In Kyoto I picked a place to stay near the station. That has its upsides and its downsides. Shijo or Karasuma, where most of the sights are clustered, is the better base if you’re going to do serious sig…
There is a famous, pricey Japanese restaurant in Kyoto called Wakuden, and Hashitate is its casual version. Budget about 3,000 yen per person. The nice thing is that you can drop in the moment you arrive at Ky…
Nothing special, just some scenery I passed by, snapped and am putting up here. Scenery Scenery Scenery Scenery Scenery Scenery Scenery in central Hamamatsu The classic look of a small provincial city, …
Uoara is a place famous for its tendon. The place Bentenjima is a tourist spot, so I guess you could call this tourist-spot food.. The menu Tendon and the like. Tendon topped with prawns Well.. the portion …
Tokyo Tower at night Tokyo Tower in the daytime Sunset over Shibaura Shibaura at night The iPhone’s camera is so good that even a careless snap comes out nicely.. A scene from Isetan No matter how b…
LESS is a dessert shop in Ebisu that I have been to before. This time I picked up a few things to give as gifts. Granola This is the funny thing: there is no shortage of granola in this world, yet the granola…
I was cycling along through Azabu when I came across a handsome shop I’d never seen before, so I went in. The vibe Cakes Bread Inside The baking area is nice and spacious. Inside They have nougat to…
Since I had come all the way out to Jiyugaoka.. I stopped in at one more bakery. On the way On the way There is an ice cream shop too.. And a local ramen vending machine too.. GoRIo, a banana juice special…
Right in front of Comme’N there is a temple, and the autumn leaves were at their peak. This was December, but Japan is warm enough that you can still catch the leaves. Life is busy, so it is on a chance …
Right next to Jiyugaoka there’s a place called Kuhonbutsu, and surprisingly it’s absolutely packed with bakeries and dessert shops. I’d guess it might be the neighborhood with the highest den…
In case you are wondering what senbero is, it comes from sen-en = a thousand yen and bero = bero-bero, blind drunk: a shop where a thousand yen is enough to get you there. It means a cluster of down-to-earth i…