Chinese Restaurant in Kyoto: Sichifukuya!

June 17, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly
Equipment & facilities: Clean overall. Basic Japanese style washroom
Prices: Reasonable to slightly expansive
Strong points: Shanghai Family style cuisine. Chinese old spirits

There are many Chinese restaurants in Kyoto but few are authentic.
You do have to look deep into the back streets to find them!

Shichifukuya (the h\House of the Seven Lucks) is one of them, and although it was our second visit we did have some trouble finding it in the dark of the night!

It was apparently a Japanese restaurant years before the present owners moved in 8 years ago, and they did change little of it. It is old but clean. But after all the food is the most important!

Apparently they have a lot of regulars with their own bottles!

Apart of a good list of old Chinese spirits they provide all kinds of drinks, including Japanese sake!

Home-made Chinese pickles!

Xiaolongbao!

Pitan eggs/Century egg and vegetable salad!

For a better view of the Century eggs!

Fried gyoza!

Spicy shrimp omelet!

For a better view!

Stir-fried vegetables!

Very original egg fried rice with beaten egg whites!

No need for dessert!

SHICHIFUKUYA/七福家

Kyoto City, Sagyo Ku, Seigoin Sannou Cho, 25-11
京都市左京区聖護院山王町２５－１１
Tel.: 075-771-3833
Opening hours: 11:30~14:30, 17:30~22:00
Parties until 36 welcome
Closed on Wednesdays

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rre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

Fish, Fish Markets, Shizuoka City

Local Shizuoka Fish at Parche Fish Market in Shizuoka City! Bigfin Reef Squid & Mullet

June 17, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Due to work and trips away I hadn’t ad much time to check what local fish and seafood was available at the Parche market inside Shizuoka JR Station! A couple of weeks and a changing weather can make quite a difference!

Aoriika/あおりいか/Bigfin Reef squid at 238 ywn per 100g. Squid is never cheap, but this is expensive, even in Shizuoka!
Bora/ぼら/Mullet at 58 yen per 100g. Quite fish although their roe can easily fetch 20~30 times that price!
Mame aji/豆アジ/very young horse mackerel at 173 yen per 100 g. Not cheap either, but this is a seasonal delicacy!
All from the Suruga Bay!

Bora/ぼら/Mullet!

Mame aji/豆アジ/very young horse mackerel!

Aoriika/あおりいか/Bigfin Reef!

That was for the super fresh fish and seafood!
Let’s look at the other offerings!

Kuromutsu/黒むつ/Black gnomefish!

Kamasu/かます/Barracuda! Sorry for the fuzzy picture, I was banged into by another customer!

Urumeiwashi/うるめいわし/Round Herring!

Shindouika/シンドウイカ/Loliolus (Nipponololig) japonica Hoyle,1885! A Japanese squid variety!

Ebodai/えぼ鯛/Wart perch!

Shiromebaru/白メバル/White Japanese sea perch!

Tobiuo/とびうお/Flying fish!

Higetara/ひげたら/Snubnose brotula. A rare and succulent fish in japan! Still cheap in Shizuoka!

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Kura, Kyoto

Kuras. Japanese Warehouses in Kyoto!

June 16, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

If you are looking for kuras/Japanese warehouses, Kyoto City is the place to visit!
Kuras come under all kinds of forms, styles and age!
This is only a small example of a search you easily turn into a full book!

I found this one near the entrance of the above Shinto shrine!

A real house in perfect state!

Splendid window and blinds!

Walls repainted anew!

Roofing in perfect repair!

It was actually part of a three-building complex!

The second kura!

A view from a different angle!

The family owning such an abode must be more than affluent!

Another kura quite nearby!

In need of repairs, though!

A few things missing indeed!

I found this one inside the precincts of a Buddhist Temple!

Rich Buddhist temples have a lot to protect in Kyoto!

Beautiful window and blinds in perfect repair!

Tightly closed doors!

Kizakura Sake brewery Kura that I have already introduced!

A kura transformed into a garage, or the other way round?

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Cats, Japan, Tourism

Cats Enticing You to Drinking, Eating and Shopping in Japan!

June 16, 2014 dragonlife 7 Comments

Cats cannot be trusted whatever part of the world you are living in!
They are too crafty and think only of themselves.
We humans are barely worth of note but as practical providers easy to fool!
And in Japan it is reaching a form of art!

C’mon, try my beer!

Vampire pussies inviting you to shochu in Fukuoka City!

Inviting you on payday in Kyoto City?

Inviting you inside a souvenir shop in Kyoto City!

Inviting you to a waterhole on the 2nd Floor in Kyoto City!

Sharing a bubble wine bath in Shizuoka City!

Elegant maybe, but all the same dangerously inviting you inside a bistro in Hamamatsu City!

Drink my sake in Fujieda City!

Inviting you inside an izakaya in Shzuoka City!

Bringing me luck inside a Shizuoka City Cafe?
Spare me!

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Japanese Gastronomy, Kyoto, Yakitori

Kyoto Yakitori Restaurant： Lunch at Torisei

June 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly
Equipment & Amenities: Very clean overall. Excellent washroom. Entirely non-soking for lunch!
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Bento and yakitori. Sake!

Many big sake breweries in Kyoto City, especially in the Fushimi area have been diversifying their business to add to traditional earnings with museums and gift shops and even restaurants such as Yamamoto Honkei Sake Brewery with heir restaurant called Torisei!

Not only can you read their menu outside (not so usual in Japan although it is spreading all over the country these days) but they also clearly point out the place is entirely non-smoking until 4:00 pm!

Past the entrance you will find a small souvenir shop!

You will also discover a tiny but remarkable museum!

Traditional Japanese atmosphere inside a big restaurant!

Plenty of historical artifacts for foreign customers to check!

We ordered the two different bento-style lunches!

I spotted this sake bottle whose contents were offered on the menu!

We ordered an extra dish of croquettes with our first drink!

But I couldn’t get my eyes off the limited “very dry” junmai!

Served in a traditional cup!

My bento!

Simple steamed rice with black sesame seeds and pickled vegetables!

Yakitori!

Dragon’s bento!

Steamed rice with stir-fried chicken and dry seaweed!

Deep-fried chicken!

TORISEI/鳥せい

Kyoto City, Fushimi Ku, Kamiyuukake cho, 186
京都し伏見区上油掛町１８６
Tel.: 075-622-5533
Opening hours: 11:30~23:00 (11:00~23:00 on week-ends), Parties until 22:00
Closed on Mondays
Parking: 30 cars
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE

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sake, Sake Brewery, Shimada City

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sanwa Brewery-Hagoromo no Mai Junmai Ginjyo

June 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Sanwa Brewery in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, has been producing this particular brand for quite a long time!

It commemorates an old legend in Shimizu Ku, Hagoromo or Hagoromo no Mai, The Dance of the Sky Spirit Veil!

Mentioning “Junmai Ginjyo” on a cap is a bit unusual in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Even for a 300 ml bottle a Junmai Ginjyo is not that cheap!

Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: + 5
Alcohol: 15.5 degrees
Bottled in March 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Assertive. Banana, pineapple, nuts
Body: Fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: Dry and fruity attack back up by puissant junmai petiillant.
Complex.Milk coffee, nuts, almonds, oranges with hints of dark chocolate
Disappears fairly quickly with strong hints of banana and nuts.
Very easy to drink in spite of its dryness.
Takes a lighter turn with food with stronger hints of milk coffee and later of bananas.
Even chilled shows many facets.

Overall: A very dry and fruity delicious sake one may enjoy chilled or at room temperature on its own or with food.
Very eclectic in the sense that you can choose the occasion to savor it!
Mind you, I would drink it on my own with some beautiful finger food!

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Kappa, Kizakura sake Brewery, Kyoto

Kizakura Sake Brewery Kappa (Water Goblins/河童）Museum in Kyoto!

June 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kizakura/黄桜 sake Brewery in Fushimi, Kyoto City is not only famous for its sake and sake Museum bu also for a collection of Kappa/河童 or water C\Goblins of the Japanese legend which made the Kizakura sake Brewery TV d\ads so famous all over the country

The “Kizakura Kappa Country” Museum was opened inside the precincts in 1995!

The entrance!

Beautiful swimming golden kappa!

The sake breweries in Fushimi, Kyoto are renown for the underground water they use!
Actually anyone is free to collect such water inside the brewery during business hours!

Kizakura Brewery sake barrels!

Antique sake brewery tool collection!

A double collector’s item:
A Kizakura Brewery antique metallic billboard and a traditional “fune/sake press”!

A very sexy well-endowed female kappa!

Kappa tableware!

Antique Kappa Mask!

Dressed to kill?

Kappa figurines!

African expat kappa?

Kappa’s morphology!

Drawings collection 1!

Drawings collection 2!

Drawings collection 3!

The author who created such lovely female kappa for the TV ads!

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Festivals, Fuji City, Uncategorized, Yoshiwara Gion

Yoshiwara Gion Matsuri – Fuji City

June 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

A must-see by Tokyobling’s Blog!

Tokyobling's Blog

A couple of weekends ago I visited the massively fun Yoshiwara Gion Matsuri, in Shizuoka prefecture’s Fuji City. Like last year’s festival it was huge fun, from morning to midnight and I enjoyed ever second of it. I took these photos near the end of it, following the wonderfully decorated dashi, each crewed and representing a specific neighborhood in the city. Here’s the dashi of Sumiyoshicho and some of it’s very cool looking crew. These dashi are the pride of their neighborhoods and the people take great care of them, making sure they are in top notch condition for the annual festival. I heard somewhere that a typical prize for one of these is about 300 000 USD! Later on, walking down the street I came upon a dashi-seriai (山車競り合い), which roughly translates as “dashi showdown”! I think there were 5 or 6 of them, all drawn up in a…

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Festivals, Fuji City, Yoshiwara Gion

Yoshiwara Gion Festival Beauties

June 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Fantastic Pictures by Tokyobling’s Blog

Tokyobling's Blog

You might remember my post on the Three Bauties of Yoshiwara from last year: some exceptionally photogenic and devoted festival participants from the Yoshiwara Gion festival in Shizuoka prefecture’s Fuji City. Well, this year’s festival there were even more of them, and as energetic as ever! All of the dashi (mobile festival wagons or platforms) are wonderfully decked out and crewed by the most energetic members of their respective neighborhoods, but the dashi of the Rokkenchou (六軒町) neighborhood is just outstanding! It’s not all thanks to the beauties though, behind and below them there is a whole battery of drummers and flutists, not to mention the guy on the roof helping to navigate the wagon, or the men, women and kids in front that pulls it and help making sure that no stray tourists (or photographers) fall under the heavy wheels of the wagon! With young people like this, the…

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Festivals, Fuji City, Yoshiwara Gion

Yoshiwara Gion – Shizuoka Prefecture

June 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Superb Report by Tokyobling’s Blog!

Tokyobling's Blog

Today is the grande finale of the lovely Yoshiwara Gion Matsuri in Shizuoka Prefecture’s Fuji City. On the final day the main omikoshi of the local shrine will be handed over from neighborhood to neighborhood and afterwards the dashi parade starts up on the Yoshiwara main street as the different neighborhoods does their best to outperform the other’s in a friendly battle!

If you are in Shizuoka Prefecture today there really is no excuse to miss this once in a year event!

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Kura, Kyoto

Kura/Japanese Warehouse: Kizakura Sake Brewery!

June 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kizakura/黄桜 Sake Brewery is a major establishment in Fushimi, Kyoto City and is remakable (like many others) for its true kura concept!

No wonder that sake brewers are also called kurabito/kura people!

As the inside of a sake brewery was all wood, the latter is apparent everywhere!

Windows come into distinct style according to their emplacement!

Even the back and sides of the kura are noteworthy!

Classic!

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Kyoto, Swallows, Tourism

Eaves Swallows in Kyoto!

June 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

The summer has really started in Kyoto and there are true signs of it around!

Can you guess?

Any house in Kyoto considers itself lucky to have them under the eaves of their entrance!

Eaves swallows, a sign of good luck and prosperity!

Food is abundant enough but it is hard work to feed all those chicks!

Bye bye little ones and keep this house lucky!

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Izakaya, Kyoto, Yakitori

Kyoto Yakitori Izakaya: Tsuki Tokage Honten!

June 14, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly and informative
Facilities and equipment: Beautifully traditional. Very clean overall. beautiful washroom
Prices: reasonable considering the quality
Strong points: Yakitori and charcoal grilled food. Excellent selection of sake!

“Tokage” does mean “lizard” in Japanese but they are not serving it there, although it makes for such an interesting name!

Although they have moved address since, it was our second visit and we found it by accident due to the reason explained! Very beautiful but unpretentious decor. Very warm and comfortable!

They even have a view on a small garden you have to cross (that is for gentlemen as the washrooms are separated) when needs are pressing!

Young, friendly but professional staff who are happy to answer your questions.
They even introduced me to an izakaya in Susono City, Eastern Shizuoka!

They do have some superb sake from Kyoto, a fact which is not evident in spite of the great number of breweries!

Served the traditional way!

Yuba and octopus as cute snacks!

Our vegetable order being grilled over charcoal!

Simple and yummy!

Seared chicken sasami! Only very fresh local chicken there!

One more sake of course!

Chicken with skin!

Negima!

Beautiful tsukune!

Zaru dofu made by a famous Kyoto shop!

Nankotsu! Only in japan!

Broiled onigiri rice balls for dessert!

A must fro our next visit!

TSUKITOKAGE HONTEN/ツキトカゲ本店

Kyoto city, Nakakyou Ku,Nijyo, Tsuutomikoji, Higashi Iri, Seimei Cho, 672-2
京都市中京区通富小路晴明町６７２－２
Tel.: 075-212-3550
Opening hours: 11:30~15:00, 17:00~23:00
Closed on Mondays
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Kyoto, sake, Sake Brewery

Sake Brewing Museum at Kizakura Brewery in Kyoto!

June 13, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Fushimi/伏見 District in the southern mountains of Kyoto City accounts for no less than 26 sake breweries in all Kyoto Fu/Kyoto Prefecture. Among them Kizakukura Brewery is especially attractive with their free entrance museums.
You ought to visit the sake brewing museum in particular.
It shows only the main process and in Japanese, but the models accompanying the explanations are a sight!

Rice milling/精米歩合

Washing/洗米

Steaming/蒸米

Cooling/放冷

Kouji making/麹作り

Fermenting Starter making/もとつくり

Fermenting starter making/もとつくり

The Mash/醪ずくり

Pressing/しぼり

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Japanese Gastronomy, Kyoto, Tempura

Tempura Restaurant: Lunch at Tenshuu (天周) in Kyoto!

June 12, 2014 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Attentive and smiling
Facilities and Equipment: Old fashioned but overall very clean. Excellent washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Tempura!

Kyoto has a lot to offer to rich tourists and affluent people but it also caters for all budgets.

We found that Tenshuu seems to be very popular especially at lunch with customers of all ages, Japanese or expats!

Quite a few famous people have left their signatures!

Only two chefs in the kitchen but they work non-stop!

Very popular with young ladies!

Actors from nearby Kabuki Theater count among their customers!

At lunch the restaurant serves serves a unique menu of four differentdonburi/bowls filled wih rice and topped with tempura!

Each customer is served his/her personal tray!

You can add your own seasoning with matcha powder, Japanese pepper of shichimi/seasoning mix!

My order: mixed tempura with conger eel and large prawn!

Served with miso soup and uji tea, plenty of volume!

Dragon’s order!

All conger eel!

TENSHUU/天周

Kyoto City, Higashiyama Ku, Shijyo, Nawate, Higashi iri, Kitagawa
Tel.: 075-541-5277
Opening hours: 11:00~4:00 (Donburi/bowl menu only), 17:30~21:00 (courses only)
Closed on Wednesdays

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