{  Iyemon Salon — 伊右衛門サロン  }

Iyemon Salon
Iyemon Salon
Iyemon Salon

The below photos are taken from Iyemon salon’s website.

Iyemon Salon

You might have heard of Iyemon Tea which is a green tea brand that is sold all over Japan, anywhere from vending machines, supermarkets, convenience stores or even as the tea that is served on ANA airplanes :) Anyhow, it happens to be one of our go to green teas of choice so when we randomly passed by “Iyemon Salon” when we were visiting Kyoto, we couldn’t help but go in to see what it was. We immediately loved the ambiance as we walked in. The place is very chic, cool, and has a modern Japanese feel to it.

Anyhow, the food is delicious and they are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (8am~midnight) so you can go at anytime of the day :) Naturally, they have a great selection of teas to choose from and if you’re a beer drinker, you must try the matcha beer! It tastes like regular beer but has a hint of matcha flavor to it at the end. Definitely stop by if you’re in the area.

…………………………………………………
Related Posts on Kyoto:
1) Fall in Kyoto
2) Iyemon Salon
3) Shoraian 松籟庵
…………………………………………………

Address // 80, Mikura-cho, Nishiiru, Karasuma, Sanjo St., Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 075-222-1500
Website // http://iyemonsalon.jp/

Food:
Decor:
Service:
Cost:



{  Fall in Kyoto  }

Fall in Kyoto
Fall in Kyoto
Fall in Kyoto

Kyoto is one of my favorite cities in Japan and I love visiting during the Autumn time. Since the foliage season is right around the corner, I decided to put together some of my favorite spots to visit and places to eat on this 3-part special post. Hope it will make you want to visit Kyoto :)

As you might already know, Kyoto is a very popular place to visit amongst both locals and foreigners during the Cherry Blossom season in the Spring and the foliage season in the Fall. However, people here say it’s pure “LUCK” if you get to go during either of these two special times since the peak bloom for the cherry blossoms and the foliage pretty much change every year and only last for about 2~3 weeks each. (Also some places bloom slower/faster so it’s good to check out foliage reports before you go.)

The pictures above are from:
– Komyoji (光明寺) : Famous for their “Momiji-sando”, which is a walking path full of Momiji trees.
– Yoshiminedera (善峯寺) : Hard to get to (located all the way up in the mountains) but it’s one of my favorite spots!
– Kodaiji (高台寺) : Famous for their breathtaking night lit foliage.

Stay tuned for some of my favorite restaurants to dine at when I’m in Kyoto.

…………………………………………………
Related Posts on Kyoto:
1) Fall in Kyoto
2) Iyemon Salon
3) Shoraian 松籟庵
…………………………………………………




{  Hello from Nagano  }

Hello from Nagano
Hello from Nagano
Hello from Nagano
Hello from Nagano

Went to Nagano a few weeks ago and had a nice relaxing time there with wonderful farm-fresh food. Do you see how large that daikon is in the last photo? It’s so hard to find fully grown daikon with green leaves still left on it at local supermarkets here. I also got to try the kinoko soba (all sorts of wild mushrooms) that were hand-picked from the farm that morning and it was delicious. It’s nice to have an Inaka (countryside) to visit :)




{  Tomorakuno 63℃ – 東毛酪農63℃  }

Tomorakuno 63℃ - 東毛酪農63℃
Tomorakuno 63℃ - 東毛酪農63℃
Tomorakuno 63℃ - 東毛酪農63℃

On the 4th floor of Soramachi is where “Tomorakuno 63℃” is located. As you can see, it’s a place that serves a yummy strong milk-flavored soft serve. Depending on when you go, you might get lucky and not have to stand in a long line but the line goes by fairly fast regardless (plus it’s worth the wait!). We got the waffle cone for 30yen more and enjoyed the original milk flavor as well as the strawberry milk flavor.

Address // Soramachi 4F, 1-1-2, Oshiage, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5809-7134
Website // http://www.tokyo-solamachi.jp/shop/249/index.html

Food:
Decor:
Service:
Cost:



{  Tokyo Ramen Show 2012  }

Tokyo Ramen Show 2012

Did any of you visit the Tokyo Ramen Show 2012 that happened between 10/26~11/4? I almost missed this awesome event but got to visit it over the weekend when it was insanely crowded. The line to purchase tickets were so long, there must have been over a thousand people in line but it went by really quickly so no complaints here. It was a dream come true for ramen lovers like myself. Forty different ramen shops from all over Japan (and even from UK) participated so you could try out their tasty ramen. Based on how many people I saw, this event must have been a huge success. I stood in line for one hour to try the ramen from Akita prefecture (which happened to be the most popular booth) and it was delicious!

To see lots more photos from this event, check out tokyoeats.jp’s facebook page!