Kyoto

Hotel M’s Est Shijo Karasuma is a modern hotel near Shijo and Karasuma stations in Kyoto, and it is also now officially the smallest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in, even small than the room I had in Amsterdam last year!

BEER PUB Takumiya is a place you MUST go to. It was my final night in Kyoto and I was looking for a good feed and better beer. Luckily I’d found mention of a great little gastropub about 10 minutes walk away.

I’d spent the morning doing a bit of sightseeing. First heading out to Fushimi Inari Taisha where I trudged up the mountain (I didn’t make it to the top) along with hoards of other people. DSC04364 (October 8, 2018) I then headed back to Kyoto station heading up Kyoto Tower for a bit of gander at … Continue reading Hub British Pub, Kyoto, Japan

After the excellent beers at Beer Komachi I decided I wanted yakitori for dinner so I headed over to the Pontocho area. My target was Kushiyaki Manten.

This was my third visit to Beer Komachi and it never disappoints. My last visit was just over a year ago.

I headed a little bit out of Kyoto to Nagahama on a half day trip via the shinkansen to Maibara and then the local train to Nagahama.

To finish off my Saturday evening I knew of another craft beer bar that was close to my hotel, just on top of Shijo station.

After some very good beers at BeerBar MIYAMA162 I got the mobile out again to look for some dinner. About a block away was a a beef restaurant called Gottie’s Beef. It had OK reviews, I was hungry and I wanted beef, so in I went.

Early Saturday afternoon I’d jumped on the Shinkansen at Toyama Station for the short hop to Kanazawa where I got on the slower Thunderbird for the two and a quarter hour trip to Kyoto. Usual Japanese efficiency had me arriving in Kyoto right on time and I then headed for the subway for the short … Continue reading BeerBar MIYAMA162, Kyoto, Japan

It was my last evening in Kyoto and I wanted to finish off 4 great days with a good meal. As I had had curry for lunch I decided to try to find a Yakatori restaurant that wasn’t too far from my hotel. The usual review sites were consulted and it turned out there was … Continue reading Yakitori Daikichi, Kyoto, Japan

Arashiyama is about 15 minutes by train west of Kyoto. The area is designated as a Historic Site as well as a Place of Scenic Beauty. You’ve probably seen photos from Arashiyama before showing the world famous Sagano Bamboo Forest. DSC03776 (August 11, 2017)

I visited Beer Komachi on my first visit to Kyoto a couple of years ago. I checked the reviews to see if 1) it was still in business, and 2) if the craft beer bar still had good reviews, which it did, so decided to make a second visit.

I’d been waiting for my first yakitori, aka barbecue meat on a stick, meal since I’d landed in Japan. A quick perusal of the usual review websites lead me back towards the area I’d eaten a couple of nights before.

After a morning exploring the temple area to the east of Kyoto, I started walking through the Gion area looking for lunch. Using Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google I noticed a quite well reviewed ramen restaurant not too far from where I was so decided to give it a try.

In the morning I’d jumped on a Shinkansen and then a local train to get to Hikone to explore the castle and surrounding area. It was a hard slog given the temperature and number of steps it took to get upto the castle, but it was worth it. DSC03726 (August 9, 2017) As I wandered … Continue reading Spicy Masala, Kyoto, Japan

It was the end of my first full day in Japan and after the Shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, and having checked into my hotel, I was looking for my first real Japanese meal. I jumped on the subway and headed one station east to Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station near the Kamo River.

The Shinkansen from Shinagawa Station (Tokyo) arrived at Kyoto Station right on time and I headed out to the hotel shuttle bus stop. And luckily the bus was waiting and I was able to jump on and not wait in the 35 degree heat for 20 minutes. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Kyoto … Continue reading ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan

After a short stay in Tokyo I took the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto to have a look around the former capital. I decided to stay at the ANA Crowne Plaza in Kyoto which is about 15 minutes north of Kyoto station by the hotel mini-bus. The hotel is just across the road from Nijo … Continue reading ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan