JP2012 - Marugame Seimen

Marugame Seimen is an extremely cheap and popular noodle bar in Kyoto’s bustling Kawaramachi-Sanjo area.

 

 

For just 500 yen, one could get a bowl of steaming hot or freezing cold udon.

 

 

And the best part of it is that all udon are made fresh on site!!

 

 

After joining the queue, one would order the type of udon and the associated size.

 

 

Then, choose any additional topping or side dishes …

 

 

… before paying at the counter.

 

 

With such a system in place, you get to choose what you want and what you don’t want to eat. So, you can get a simple miso udon or try something fancy and go all out with the side dishes.

 

 

In just you wonder how popular they are, Marugame Seimen has over 600 stores across Japan!!

 

 

Marugame Seimen
54-1 Daikoku-cho, Kawaramachi-dori, Sanjo-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
+81 75 231 0700
http://www.toridoll.com/shop/marugame/

JP2012 - Musashi Sushi

Musashi Sushi offers a traditional Japanese kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi or sushi train) experience at a low fixed price.

 

 

Generally, everything is 137 Yen!!

 

 

While I have ordered the more common dishes, for those who are more adventurous, they can try bashashi, which means horse meat. And in case you are wondering which dish is that, bashashi is used as a topping for Musashi’s sakura sushi.

 

 

Musashi Sushi
440 Ebisucho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan.
+81 75 222 0634
http://www.sushinomusashi.com/

JP2012 - Gion

Right across the river from Pontocho, is another Geisha district, known as Gion.

 

 

Originally built to accommodate the needs of travellers and visitors to the Yasaka shrine, Gion had since evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in Japan.

 

 

Due to the decline in the number of geisha in Gion, the district is now famous for the preservation of traditional architecture and entertainment.

 

 

One of the major preserved street is the traditional Hanami Lane and its surroundings.

 

 

To improve the preservation of traditional architecture and the original beauty of Gion, projects are on-going to restore the streets by moving all overhead utilities underground.

 

 

Because of the misconception that geisha are prostitutes, Gion is popularly misunderstood as a red-light district. In actual fact, Gion is not, and never was one.

JP2012 - Kihachiro

Part of the fun of visiting Kiyomizudera is the approach to the temple along the steep and busy lanes of the atmospheric Higashiyama District.

 

 

The many shops and restaurants in the area have been catering to tourists and pilgrims for centuries, and products on sale range from local specialties to the standard set of souvenirs.

 

 

The one shop that caught my attention was Kihachiro, with its offering of steamed cherry blossom buns.

 

 

My very first time tasting sakura paste!! Unknowingly, Kihachiro is actually famous for its beef buns. Will definitely be back to try that next time!!

 

 

Kihachiro
208-2 Kiyomizu, 2 Chome, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
+81 75 551 7575
http://ameblo.jp/kyoto-kihachiro/