{  Nakamura Tokichi — 中村藤吉  }

Nakamura Tokichi 中村藤吉
Nakamura Tokichi 中村藤吉
Nakamura Tokichi 中村藤吉
Nakamura Tokichi 中村藤吉

Nakamura Tokichi is a restaurant/cafe located in Uji, Kyoto. Uji has become quite famous for their Matcha/green tea and Nakamura Tokichi is one of the most popular places to dine in the area. They serve meals such as matcha soba as well as matcha sweets in a very traditional setting/ambiance. Since the main branch and the nearby Byodoin branch are walking distance from each other, you can choose to dine at one or the other depending on which has a longer wait. We actually ended up going to the Main branch first but it was way too crowded so we walked over to the Byodoin branch and got a seat right away.

We ordered the matcha soba noodle lunch set for 1100yen and the seasonal cha soba special lunch set for 1200yen. The set comes with rice, pickles, and a small dessert as well. Everything was tasty and enjoyed our meal. Both locations are beautifully designed so I think you would enjoy either one. Don’t miss this place if you are near Uji, Kyoto.

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Related Posts on Kyoto:
1) Hirobun
2) Nakamura Tokichi
3) Kyoto Trip
4) Kyoto Cafes
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Address for Main Branch // 10, Ichiban Uji, Uji-shi, Kyoto, Japan (map)
Phone Number for Main Branch // 0774-22-7800
Address for Byodoin Branch // 5-1 Renge Uji, Uji-shi Kyoto, Japan (map)
Phone Number for Byodoin Branch // 0774-22-9500
Website // http://www.tokichi.jp/english/

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{  Kyoto Trip  }

Kyoto Trip
Kyoto Trip
Kyoto Trip

Kibune Shrine/貴船神社 and the area around Kibune
Had lunch on kawadoko here!

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Kyoto Trip
Kyoto Trip

Nanzenji Temple/南禅寺
What a beautiful temple with multiple areas to see and walk around. Lots of great spots for photos.
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Kyoto Trip

Kamogawa/鴨川 near Sanjo/三条 and Shijo/四条.
This area is THE hang out place in Kyoto. So many shops, cafes and places to dine on Sanjo and Shijo streets near and around Kamogawa.
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Kyoto Trip
Kyoto Trip
Kyoto Trip

Eikando Temple/永観堂
Absolutely zen and beautiful. A must see especially during foliage season.
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Pictured above are some of the places I visited during my trip to Kyoto and absolutely LOVED. Since I’ve already been to many of the main stream temples and popular places in Kyoto, I am finally getting to visit some of the less known and less traveled places. We were fortunate to have our friend drive us around everywhere so it was easy getting around to all of these places. It’s always a treat to travel with locals who know the area well :) We totally want to come back during the fall foliage season in November if we can. Kyoto is definitely one of our favorite places in Japan outside of Tokyo♡

xoxo,
Maki

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Related Posts on Kyoto:
1) Hirobun
2) Nakamura Tokichi
3) Kyoto Trip
4) Kyoto Cafes
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{  Hirobun — ひろ文  }

Hirobun ひろ文 (ひろぶん)
Hirobun ひろ文 (ひろぶん)
Hirobun ひろ文 (ひろぶん)
Hirobun ひろ文 (ひろぶん)
Hirobun ひろ文 (ひろぶん)

I recently took a trip to Kyoto with some friends and had a blast! I’m planning to post some of the places we visited + yummy Kyoto eats that we enjoyed so stay tuned :)

Did you know there’s a place in Kyoto where you can have nagashi-soumen on top of a river while enjoying a waterfall view? (Note: it’s a seasonal event and is usually open between May-September). “Kibune/貴船” is located about 40min north of Kyoto Station by car and is all the way up in the mountains. It’s a place where people go during the hot summer season to cool down. The best part is that you can dine on top of a “Kawadoko/川床”, a man-made floor that sits on top of a river. Traditional Japanese cuisine (Kaisekiryori/懐石料理) is also available and is quite an experience surrounded by beautiful greenery, water, and nature.

Instead of having the kaisekiryouri, we opted for the nagashi-soumen which is a fun way to eat cold noodles. The noodles come sliding down a pipe that you have to catch with your chopsticks as it passes in front of you. They time it so you get your noodles one bite at a time and they make it so you’re only sharing your pipe with your own party so you don’t have to share it with other guests. We had a party of four so the noodles came sliding down 4 at a time and were spaced about a minute in between each bite. The noodles were surprisingly good and overall was a decent sized serving. We all loved the experience even though the wait was 2hrs long(!) It wasn’t too bad though because we visited the nearby Kibune-shrine and walked around the area during our wait. There’s also a covered tatami area next to the nagashi-soumen where you can put your legs in the river and wait. It’s 1200yen 1300yen per person which you pay at the top before you head to the waiting area.

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Related Posts on Kyoto:
1) Hirobun
2) Nakamura Tokichi
3) Kyoto Trip
4) Kyoto Cafes
…………………………………………………

Address // 87 Kuramakibunechō, Sakyō-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 075-741-2147
Website // http://hirobun.co.jp/index.html

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{  Bangkok  }

Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok

“Bangkok Restaurant” is a hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant located in a very random area in Roppongi which you would never go to unless someone recommended it to you. However, this place serves authentic Thai food and many people seem to know about it since it’s always packed with customers.

The menu is straight forward: you get to choose between 5 main dishes that change daily for 1000yen. All the lunch sets include a small soup, salad, and dessert. Pictured above are the ‘Pad Thai – fried noodles with shrimp, peanuts, egg and vegetables’, ‘Stir-fried chicken and basil leaves with rice & fried egg’, ‘Green Pork Curry with rice’, and ‘Stir-fried chicken, bamboo shoot and red curry with rice’.

Everything we’ve had so far has been really good. Check it out if you’re in the neighborhood and in the mood for authentic Thai cuisine.

Address // 2F, 3-8-8, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3408-8722
Website // n/a

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{  Dougenzaka Kanamori — 道玄坂金森  }

Dougenzaka Kanamori - 道玄坂 金森
Dougenzaka Kanamori - 道玄坂 金森
Dougenzaka Kanamori - 道玄坂 金森

Go up Dougenzaka in Shibuya and you’ll find a small Japanese restaurant named Dougenzaka Kanamori. They serve traditional Japanese dishes and they’re famous for their “Karatsu-don” which they only have a limited number of per day. Karatsudon is basically like a refined fisherman’s dish. It’s made up of chopped tuna, mackerel, salmon, and some other ingredients which are lightly flavored with soy sauce on top of sushi rice.

I’ve been wanting to come here for a while and finally got to check it out. My friend and I both ordered the Karatsudon (1300yen) and we were very satisfied with both the flavoring and the portion size. As you eat the donburi, there are little surprises such as ginger pieces and wasabi which all went very well together. The side dishes such as the dashimaki-tamago complemented the main dish as well.

The first floor is counter seating only and the second floor (which we ate at) were private booths. It seemed like there was more seating on the third floor as well.

It’s hard to find an affordable, nice, authentic Japanese restaurant in Shibuya so this is a good one to try if you’re searching for something Japanese in the area.

PS: Here’s a list of some of their lunch options:
Karatsudon (唐津丼 ) – 1300yen
Nikujyaga Teishoku (金森の肉じゃが定食) – 1300yen
Grilled Fish Teishoku (焼魚定食) – fish changes daily – 1300yen
Boiled fish (煮魚定食) – fish changes daily – 1300yen

Address // 1-17-4, Dougenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5456-1367
Website // http://dogenzaka-kanamori.jimdo.com/

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