Day 13: Kyoto

We travelled to the northwest area of Kyoto (Arashiyama) to visit and walk through the nearby bamboo forest. It was pretty but too crowded with tourists to appreciate from a nature point of view - with few exceptions.

For lunch we meandered through the Nashiki market, buying small treats: for me it was grilled shrimp on a skewer, oysters with salmon roe and uni, and fried chicken.

We then visited a lacquer shop operated by a family practicing the art for some 400 years! Eric spent a long time deciding what he wanted to buy: six simple/elegant red and black bowls is what he is bringing home. Then on to a print shop Eric, Matt and Sarah visited earlier in the week. Sarah and Matt decided to buy two prints, as did Margot and Ben! (Eric bought two prints during his first visit there.)

We had planned to visit a champagne and whiskey bar Margot found, but reconsidered upon learning it had a cover charge of about $200US, per person! We enjoyed a bottle of champagne at a hotel bar instead…!

Another excellent “omakase” (chef’s choice) dinner. For this one, at Washoko Toku, we had a table set for 6 in a small room behind the primary restaurant area in the front. The front section had stools set at a counter for about 8 diners, half of which were filled, but only for the first part of our 3-hour dinner, with which we enjoyed 3 different cold sakes. Knowing it would be challenging to find restaurants to seat all six of us, Eric made (actually “requested”) several reservations before we arrived in Japan. Most restaurants are primarily counter-style with only 8-12 seats.Read more