Travel
Kyoto’s 5 Best-Known Cherry Blossom Spots by Locals (Hanami)
In Spring (March and April), it’s a tradition for Japanese people to go see cherry blossoms (sakura / […]
Nakagyo Ward
Travel
Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods and 7 temples enshrining them in Kyoto
Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods, also known as “Shichifukujin (七福神)”, consist of Ebisu (えびす),Daikokuten (大黒天), Bishamonten (毘沙門天), Benzaiten (弁才天), […]
Restaurant Review
Kyoto’s 3 best izakayas of all time
As a local/native in Kyoto, I’ve been in search of the best izakaya (居酒屋: Japanese tavern) for as […]
Restaurant Review
Ura Stand, Kyoto: Chicken sashimi and kushiage at hip retro izakaya
Chicken sashimi (raw chicken) sounds impossible to eat. So does it in Japan in general. But some know […]
Restaurant Review
Musashi Sushi Honten: Kyoto’s best revolving sushi chain downtown
Founded in 1977 in Kyoto, Musashi Sushi Honten (寿しのむさし 三条本店) is probably the most famous sushi chain in […]
Restaurant Review
Kyoto’s 6 best izakaya houses (kaikans)
Izakaya house (kaikan / 会館) is a machiya townhouse (machiya / 町屋) or a retro building that is […]
Restaurant Review
Caramel Mama, Kyoto: Japanese diva Yumi Matsutoya fandom bar
Yumi Matsutoya (松任谷由実) a.k.a. Yuming (ユーミン) is one of the most successful female singer-songwriters in Japan. She is […]
Restaurant Review
TEL AVIV: Kyoto’s Israeli izakaya restaurant downtown
TEL AVIV (テルアビブ / TEL AVIV ISRAELI STREET FOOD BAR) opened on December 1st, 2023 in Downtown Kyoto […]
Restaurant Review
Hachimonjiya, Kyoto: Legendary dive bar downtown
Hachimonjiya (八文字屋) looks like an old atelier operated by Kyoto-born award-winning photographer Fusayoshi Kai / the bar’s owner. […]
Restaurant Review
Bar Kisaragi, Kyoto: Pop diva Miyuki Nakajima fan hangout
Miyuki Nakajima (中島みゆき) is one of the most sold Japanese singer-songwriters of all time. Her energy is more […]
Restaurant Review
Gnome, Kyoto: Cozy left-wing Irish pub
Going to an Irish (or British) pub is sort of like a cool foreign thing to do in […]
Restaurant Review
Ishimaru Shoten, Kyoto: Tiki bar in the alley in Pontocho
Pontocho (先斗町) is one of the five most popular neighborhoods in Downtown Kyoto. Bars and restaurants are crammed […]
Restaurant Review
Kafu, Kyoto: Retro hip Okinawan tavern
On a historical street market/commercial district ‘Sanjo-kai Shotengai (三条会商店街)’ is a retro hip Okinawan tavern ‘Kafu (かふー)’. It’s […]
Restaurant Review
Dublin, Kyoto: Clearly an Irish pub
Interestingly, in Japan, the word “pub (パブ)” indicates Philippine thanks to “Philippine pubs (フィリピンパブ)” where Japanese male sleazeballs […]
Restaurant Review
DE FRITES STAAN, Kyoto: Dutch french fries specialty bistro
It looked like a handsome Japanese bakery or a bistro to my Japanese eyes when I first saw […]
Restaurant Review
Matsukawa Liquor Store: Kyoto’s most famous kaku-uchi izakaya
Izakaya is a Japanese tavern. Among the three kinds of izakaya, kaku-uchi (角打ち) izakaya is considered the dopest. […]
Restaurant Review
Rub A Dub: Kyoto’s oldest Jamaican reggae bar
In Downtown Kyoto is Kyoto’s oldest/first reggae bar ‘Rub A Dub(ラバダブ)’ which opened in 1986. Or it’s Jamaica’s […]
Restaurant Review
1G, Kyoto: Ruin bar in abandoned kamaboko factory
One might have heard of Naruto. It’s a Japanese manga series about ninja students / its protagonist’s name. […]
Restaurant Review
DIG THE LINE, Kyoto: European beer bar at ShinPuhKan
DIG THE LINE (or DIG THE LINE BOTTLE & BAR) is a stylish European beer bar at Kyoto’s […]
Restaurant Review
Daidokoro Tenya, Kyoto, Japan: Downright cozy izakaya
A discreet alley behind Kyoto’s poshest shopping mall ‘BAL’ is where a cozy izakaya ‘Daidokoro Tenya (台所 てんや […]
Event
The Big 3 of Kyoto festivals
Here are highlights and basics of the Big 3 of Kyoto’s festivals: Gion Matsuri (祇園祭), Jidai Matsuri (時代祭), […]
Restaurant Review
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto: THAT teamLab ramen shop
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto is sort of understood as a teamLab ramen shop. teamLab is a Japanese company […]
Event
KYOTO RAINBOW PRIDE: Gayest day in Kyoto
Here’s what Kyoto Rainbow Pride (京都レインボープライド・パレードフェス) and Pride Month (プライド月間) in Kyoto City look like. A map of […]
Restaurant Review
Best restaurants at Ace Hotel Kyoto
Ace Hotel Kyoto is the first Asian location of an American hotel chain “Ace Hotel.” Here’s a list […]
Travel
Downtown Kyoto: 5 areas you must know
Here’s the list of the five most famous areas in Kyoto’s downtown (Downtown Kyoto). I, as a Kyoto […]
Travel
All 11 wards of Kyoto City (explained in one word)
Kyoto City is the biggest city in Kyoto Prefecture. Here is the list of eleven wards of Kyoto […]
Travel
All 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto +highlights
Here is the list of all 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto. I, as a Kyoto native, […]
Travel
10 coolest shopping malls in Kyoto
Kyoto BAL (京都BAL), ShinPuhKan (新風館), MUJI Kyoto Yamashina (無印良品 京都山科), etc. For those who seek upscale products and store […]
Restaurant Review
4 coolest coffee chains in Kyoto
Kyoto City’s coffee consumption is the biggest in Japan (according to nikkei.com). It’s the war zone for coffee […]
Restaurant Review
Ohsho vs. Tenkaippin: 2 Kings of Chinese food chains in Japan
Ohsho (Gyoza no Ohsho / 餃子の王将) and Tenkaippin (天下一品) are the most famous Chinese food chains in Japan. […]
Restaurant Review
Umayarou, Kyoto, Japan: Horse meat izakaya
Horse bastard! That’s what Umayarou(馬野郎) means in Japanese. The name screams everything about what Umayarou has to neigh: […]
Restaurant Review
Koin Agaru, Kyoto, Japan: Exquisite pork butakushi in the ’80s dreamy vibe
Japanese pork skewer (butakushi) izakaya, Koin Agaru, offers bistro-esque Japanese contemporary dishes. It is to savor pork tongue […]
Restaurant Review
Cafe Bibliotic Hello!, Kyoto, Japan: The most famous “book cafe” in the city
Past a jungle is a forest of books with hearty meals. Kyoto City’s locally famous Cafe Bibliotic Hello! […]
Travel
20 best bookstores in Kyoto
Here are the top 10% – the most famous/popular/important – of all 295 bookstores (as of 2022) in […]
Restaurant Review
Lull Kyoto, Japan: The first CBD cafe in Kyoto City
Totally legal, Kyoto City’s first CBD cafe, Lull Kyoto, offers seriously good smoothies and CBD-infused, high-quality Japanese traditional […]
Restaurant Review
Brooklyn Night Bazaar, Kyoto, Japan: “Not in Kyoto anymore,” said my inner Dorothy
Unlike Japanese traditional “snack bars,” Brooklyn Night Bazaar is an obviously-nonconventional, sleek, and contemporary bar with a soul […]
Restaurant Review
Kura Sushi Plus, Kyoto, Japan: Uber-contemporary sushi chain in tourist mecca
One of Japan’s sushi chain kingpins, Kura Sushi (Kura Revolving Sushi Bar), opened its most updated restaurant in […]