Kyoto Food Coma

Upon arriving in Kyoto, it was time to get down to business and photograph! First, we went out of the city center to Koetsuji temple. It's located in the northern part of Kyoto and is a Buddhist temple in the Takagamine district. The whole area of Takagime was given by the shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa to the artist Honami Koetsu, who founded an artist colony here. Koetsu was a master of many art forms including calligraphy, ceramics, lacquer, and Japanese tea ceremony. Koetsu's interests in tea ceremony is reflected in this temple's layout because rather than having a religious hall, this temple has seven tea houses set in a strolling tea garden. 

Entering into Koetsuji

Since this is not a main tourist site, it was not crowded at all. In fact, we were able to take our time wandering around the small grounds, taking wide angle shots with no people in it, macro photographs of the beautiful changing leaves, and even some telephoto shots of the surrounding mountains below.

Macro shot of the leaves at Koetsuji.

Macro shot of the leaves at Koetsuji. These ones were just starting to change.

Lying down on the ground looking up towards the towering trees.

Mom and I enjoying the scenery.

Next, our guide Eri recommended a small shrine called Imamiya. It is a historic Shinto shrine that is said to date from 994. Imamiya enshrines various kami including deities of long life, good health, and match-making. The buildings are constructed in the Edo Period style, but were reconstructed in the 1920's.

Entrance gate to Imamiya.

At the suggestion of our wonderful guide, I even made an offering to the deity for a good, rich husband.

The grounds at Imamiya.

After our short afternoon excursion, we went back to the hotel to prepare for dinner. In the several times we've been to Kyoto, we've enjoyed the best tempura dinners we've ever had at Mizuki. The head chef uses the finest seasonal ingredients and cooks everything to order right at the counter. We aren't the only ones who think this restaurant is to die for... It actually has one Michelin star (though my mom and I both think it deserves more!). Our meal started off with peanut tofu, uni (sea urchin), and some mixed vegetables and scallop. 

Appetizer of tofu, sea urchin, scallop and mixed vegetables.

As you eat the appetizer, the chef prepares your tempura menu. The chef assembles all the ingredients, and presents it to you! On the tempura menu was:

• Prawn head
• Prawn
• Ginkgo nut
• White fish
• Shiitake mushroom
• Sea urchin wrapped in seaweed
• Beef wrapped in shiso leaf 
• Scallop
• Eel
• Lotus root
• Shrimp in shiso leaf
• Baby yam
• Sweet potato

Tempura selection

The tempura bar features four different kinds of salt (from right to left)... Patagonia Argentine sea salt, seaweed salt, Japanese pepper salt, and green tea salt. With each piece, the tempura chef gives you his recommendation of which salt to use.

Prawn heads.

Prawn.

Ginkgo nut.

During our meal, we also got a radish salad.

Radish salad with mushrooms.

Uni (sea urchin).

Baby yam.

Beef in shiso leaf.

Shrimp in shiso leaf.

To finish off the meal, you also get ochazuke, a simple Japanese dish made by pouring green tea over rice, topped with tempura (in this case, scallop, baby shrimp and vegetables mixed together and then fried). This part of the meal is also served with an assortment of Japanese pickles. After that, all that's left is dessert (thank goodness, because by now we were already so full!). For dessert, we were served fresh figs and roasted figs with raspberries, mascarpone, and raspberry sauce.

Dessert with an assortment of figs.

After one last cup of green tea, we were off to prepare for the day ahead! The following morning, we woke up early to the sun rising over the mountains. I quickly made a cup of coffee, enjoying the view from our room.

Early morning coffee... much needed!

Once again, it was time to eat. This hotel has the best Japanese breakfast we've ever had anywhere in Japan so even though we had such a large meal last night, we were super excited to eat Japanese breakfast. First, they serve an assortment of vegetables with sesame dressing.

Only in Japan would I eat salad for breakfast...

Then, they start bringing the food... tofu with vegetables, fish of the day, Japanese omelette, an assortment of pickles, yogurt, miso soup, rice, and more. 

Japanese breakfast... And we ate it ALL!

After our breakfast, we headed out for our full day of touring. Due to the autumn colors, many sites in Japan are extremely crowded. While we've been to Japan numerous times, I had never been to Nanzenji temple (a popular site with tourists) so we headed out early. 

Driving to Nanzenji temple.

Nanzenji temple is located at the base of the Higashiyama mountains and is considered to be one of the most important zen temples in all of Japan. It is the head temple of one of the schools within the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism and the grounds include many sub-temples. Emperor Kameyama built his retirement villa at the temple's present location and later converted it into a temple. However, the buildings were all destroyed during the civil wars of the Muromachi Period and was rebuilt. Upon entering the grounds, you come across the Sanmon entrance gate which was constructed in 1628.

Sanmon entrance gate.

Strolling around the grounds in the early morning.

Looking through the Sanmon entrance gate.

After walking through the Sanmon entrance gate, looking back down the pathway.

After going through the Sanmon entrance gate, you come across the Hatto, a large lecture hall. 

The Hatto cannot be entered by the public.

On the property, there is also a large, brick aqueduct that was built during the Meiji Period. The aqueduct was built to transport water between Kyoto and Lake Biwa. To this day, the aqueduct supplies roughly 97% of the city's water supply.

Looking through the arches of the aqueduct.

The large, brick aqueduct. 

We then headed to Tenjuan, a sub-temple of Nanzenji. While waiting for the gates to open, I took a few quick pictures of the Nanzenji temple grounds.

While waiting in line, I snapped this shot.

At exactly 9am, Tenjuan temple opened. Japanese are very precise with timing (something I wish happened more frequently at home). If they say something opens at 9am, it opens at 9am... not a minute before, and not a minute after. Tenjuan has a main hall, gate, and study which dates back to the 17th century. This temple is known for its two gardens, a rock garden and a pond garden.

Entering the rock garden area.

These flags are the colors of Buddhism.

The pond garden was my favorite area. The garden is styled in a late 14th century landscaping manner. There's an eastern and western pond, both with walkways over the water. One has rectangular wooden paths and one has traditional stepping stones.

One of the pathways over the pond.

Another pathway over the other pond.

Most people visit Nanzenji and don't see the sub-temples, but thanks to our guide, we were treated to this lovely area. Again, there were very few people and this has become one of my favorite hidden gems in Kyoto. Enjoy a few more pictures from the gardens below...

Walking around one of the ponds.

I loved the curves of this tree!

Beautiful fall colors in the morning light.

Mom and I in Tenjuan.

After visiting the pond garden, we headed back to the rock garden which is this garden o the Main Hall. A geometrically designed footpath embedded in sand and moss connects the Main Hall with the Main Gate. We sat on the steps of the Main Hall, watching as the sun began to illuminate the fall foliage of the rock garden.

Panorama from the steps of the Main Hall.

Pathway to the Main Hall.

After our visit to Tenjuan, we had some time before our lunch reservation so we headed to nearby Heian Shrine. Outside, I came across these paper umbrellas along the street. 

Paper umbrellas.

Heian shrine dates back just over 100 years ago to 1895. The shrine was built on the 1100th anniversary of the capital's foundation in Kyoto and is dedicated to the spirits of the first and last emperors who reigned from the city (Emperor Kammu and Emperor Komei). The shrine gets its name from the former name of Kyoto, Heian.

Entering the property. 

Sake bottles. 

Walking around the shrine grounds. 

After a brief visit, we headed back to the Nanzenji temple grounds for lunch at Nanzenji Junsei (one of the two tofu restaurants there). Here, we had yudofu which is simmered tofu. Along with the yudofu, we also had tempura, sashimi, Japanese pickles, sesame tofu, assorted small dishes (walnuts, octopus, chestnuts, assorted vegetables, and more). We also had Dengaku (grilled soy bean paste on tofu skewer). 

The beginning of our meal... So much food! 

Yudofu simmering at the table.

Dengaku (grilled soybean paste on tofu skewer).

Inside the restaurant. 

After a great tofu lunch, we headed to a temple my mom had found in her research... Eikando Zenrinji. A court noble o the Heian Period donated his villa to a priest, who converted it into a temple under the name Zenrinji (meaning "temple in a calm grove"). At its founding, the temple was part of the Shingon sect but in the 13th century, a later head priest converted the temple to the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism. See below for some pictures of this gorgeous temple and its fall colors...

Walking around the temple's grounds.

Overlooking a small pond.

I also decided to climb the Taho-to, a two-story pagoda. There, I was able to see great panoramic views of Kyoto along with the main temple building.

View from halfway up the pagoda.

Panoramic views from the top of the pagoda.

Once going back down the pagoda, we continued around the temple grounds.

Trees line the pathways.

Looking up towards the sky with the sun illuminating the leaves.

Beautiful pond area with reflections.

Looking at the pagoda from the pond area.

After our visit to Eikando Zenrinji, we decided to head to another matcha ice cream shop called Nanaya. Back in Tokyo, we went to Suzukien Asakusa. Suzukien is the name of the tea shop, but the tea shop partners with Nanaya gelato company. So, this Nanaya shop in Kyoto is the same 7 level matcha we experienced in Tokyo! 

Outside of Nanaya.

Nanaya ice cream.

Black sesame with number 7 gelato.

Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel.

Around the hotel property.

The following morning, we woke up to heavy downpour. Before we left, we had scheduled a visit to Miho Museum not knowing that it would be raining! As it turned out, the rainy day was the perfect day to visit the museum. The Miho Museum is located about an hour away from Kyoto and was designed by I.M. Pei who also designed the glass pyramid of the Louvre and the East Wing of the National Gallery in Washington DC. A mountain literally had to be moved and put back to allow the completion of this architectural masterpiece.

View of the surrounding mountains from inside the museum.

The Miho opened in November 1997 and revolves around the theme of nature. In fact, 80% of the museum is built below ground. The two wings of the museum sit harmoniously in a natural setting, connected to the main entrance by a tunnel and suspension bridge. Among the Miho's collection are works of classical Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, and Japanese artifacts. Currently, the museum's special collection features 100 modern tea scoops. Enjoy some photos from the museum and museum grounds below.

Inside the museum.

Looking out through the sliding doors towards the suspension bridge.

Beautifully designed windows allow for maximum light to come through.

Fall colors by the parking lot.

After the one hour drive through the forest and back to the city, we went to lunch at our favorite udon shop called Omen Kodaiji. They make their own udon noodles from scratch, and you can actually watch the chefs rolling out the noodles through a glass window in the shop!

Tempura udon.

The rest of the late afternoon was spent relaxing, as we had a very early day ahead... The following morning we woke up at 4:30am to leave the hotel by 5:30am. Two years ago, I had visited the famous Fushimi Inari shrine. However, as it is a very popular tourist site, I was shoulder to shoulder with people and wasn't able to get the photos I wanted. So, of course I had to go back! By 5:30am, we were in the car, in the pitch black, headed to Fushimi Inari. 

Entering Fushimi Inari. This was a long exposure shot, which is why it doesn't look so dark!!

As we began the hike into the forest, we only came across a handful of people. Fushimi Inari features 10,000 wooden torii gates which have been donated by Japanese businesses. Their names appear in black lettering along the side to ask Inari, the god of rice, sake and prosperity, for a blessing. Fushimi Inari is the largest and most famous shrine dedicated to Inari.

The beginning of all the torii gates.

I finally got my picture with no people!!

It's about a 2.5 mile tunnel up the mountainside, walking through these gorgeous orange torii gates. Because there were no people, it was a pretty fast walk and I was able to see great views of the city below. By 6:30am, I had already gone up 28 flights of stairs!! 

More torii gates up the mountain.

Panoramic Kyoto from one of the viewing spots.

Morning light begins to shine through the torii gates.

After descending back down the mountain around 7am, many tourists were starting to arrive!

Main entrance to Fushimi Inari. 

Fushimi Inari entrance as photographed from the street.

We came back to the hotel, relaxed, had some breakfast, and headed out for some souvenir shopping. I also happened to find melon cream soda in one of the many street vending machines. In 2003, I had this very same drink at one of the two Hello Kitty lands!!

The BEST melon cream soda.

The following morning was our last morning in Kyoto. My mom had found a Shibori scarf making class at a local museum here, and we spent our morning making custom scarves. Shibori is a dyeing method that has been practiced in Japan for more than 1,300 years. There are many different types of Shibori, and we took the Itajime Shibori silk scarf class at the Kyoto Shibori Museum. This type of Shibori is created by pleating, folding, clamping and dyeing fabric. First, we chose which pattern and colors we wanted from a wall of sample scarves. My mom's design used a square folding technique and mine used a triangular folding technique. Once the fabric is folded into stacks (alternating folding over and under), we positioned wood block shapes onto our folded fabric and clamped them tightly together. For my mom's design, she used heart-shaped wood blocks that are sandwiched together at both corners of her folded fabric. Mine used a thin, rectangle sandwiched together in the middle of my folded fabric.

Mom clamping her first set of wood blocks.

While we were folding and clamping, the colored dye was heating up. We then headed into the dyeing room, where we soaked our scarves in cold water.

Dyeing station.

Using tongs, we dunked our fabric into our first chosen color. I dunked in yellow, and mom dunked in red first. 

Dunking the fabric into the yellow dye.

After dipping the hot fabric back into cool water, it was time to go back to the craft room to re-adjust our wooden blocks. I positioned mine on a diagonal and re-clamped and my mom reversed her heart blocks so the big heart was over where the small heart had just been and vice versa. We then re-clamped our wood blocks very tightly so that the dye doesn't bleed through. Wherever the wood is will be white!

Re-adjusting the clamps.

I then dunked my design into red, and my mom dunked her design into blue. After dipping the scarves back into cold water, we headed back to the craft room where we wrapped the scarves in a towel and squeezed to get the water out. We then unclamped the wood blocks, and unfolded our very own Shibori scarves!

Mom and I with our Shibori scarves.

After our class, we headed to Takashimaya (a chain department store). I had read that there was a Din Tai Fung here in Kyoto, so of course I had to try it! The menu was quite different than at home, but the dumplings were just as good.

Eating at Din Tai Fung in Kyoto!!!

In Japan, it is very common for restaurants to display plastic food to show people what kind of food they serve. Of course, I got a kick out of this!

Outside of Din Tai Fung in Takashimaya.

At home, we have only taro or red bean dessert dumplings. Here in Kyoto, they had an assortment of purple sweet potato, red bean, and mango with red bean. Our favorite was the mango with red bean! We decided to eat a very small lunch, because we went back to the tempura bar for dinner. It's THAT good! Tonight, the special tofu dish was pumpkin tofu with scallop and crab.

Pumpkin tofu... very unusual, but good.

My mom's menu course also had three types of sashimi, presented beautifully on an ice platter! 

Our chef then presented us with tonight's tempura selection...

• Scallop
• Carrot
• Shiitake mushroom
• Gingko nut
• Barracuda
• Beef in shiso leaf
• Prawn
• Prawn head
• Sea urchin wrapped in seaweed
• Turnip
• Shrimp in shiso leaf

Presentation of our tempura.

We've had an amazing time here in Japan. We've been to a lot of great museums, saw beautiful fall colors, and ate a ton of great food. Thanks for reading about our adventures in here and stay tuned for what's to come! Our next adventure will take us around the world from Easter Island to Samoa to Jordan where we will finally see Petra in person and so much more! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to be notified of new posts and as always, follow my instagram @elissatitle for more pics. Catch you on the next great adventure!!