Kyoto, Japan (Osaka) - Day 4

What we did:
- Slept in (shocker) and ended up running late to our 1st activity (shocker). Steph and Trent hurriedly running late to something? Who would have thought? We had a 10am “Tea Ceremony” scheduled and Japan takes a page from the Brian Pohlman playbook and is a very prompt country. If you’re not early, you’re late (and respect/honor is everything) so shame on us
- After a panicked taxi ride across Kyoto we arrived about 5 minutes late and fortunately they must be used to dumb American’s blowing it and were overly nice and allowed us to still join.
- The “Tea ceremony” is a traditional ritual that involves preparing and drinking matcha tea in a special tearoom with the “tatami” floor (i.e sitting cross legged on a matted floor). The ceremony is a cornerstone of Japanese hosting and is very ritualistic. We were grouped with a couple of New Zealand Kiwis and our Japanese host was incredibly nice and quite funny. She taught us all the steps of the ritual and all the symbolic meaning behind it all - very glad we did it!
- From there we headed out to continue our noodle journey. The spot was recommended by our bartender from the night before and a nice 30 minute walk back through the Higashiyama district. With reservations out for weeks, they fortunately had a separate room where you can quickly slurp your noodles at a counter. Another hit! Haven’t met a noodle yet that we haven’t liked
- We regrouped at the hotel and then jumped on the subway for a day trip to Osaka! We debated going to feed the semi-wild deer in Nara, but decided we’d avoid the risk of rabies and that Osaka, as the 3rd biggest Japanese city, was somewhere we should hit. “You don’t come to the US, visit NYC and say it’s just like LA”.
- The throngs of commuters on the subway were slightly intimidating, but we navigated appropriately and got through with no issues. So much cleaner and better structured than the blue line! We did slightly miss the second-hand crack fumes though.
- First stop in Osaka was the large Osaka castle! With expansive grounds and a large moat around it, it fit the bill for a true castle.
- After our nice hour long walk through the grounds, we grabbed a cab to the electric Dotombori neighborhood. This place was buzzing! Even with a steady rain, the blocks and blocks of restaurants, bars and neon lights were an onslaught to all of our senses.
- Trent grabbed a plate of the famous Takoyaki (fried dough balls filled with Octopus) from one of the countless shops dishing them out. Not a favorite, but hey this country can’t shoot 100% from the line.
- With the rain picking up, we tucked ourselves into a small 6 seat bar off one of the alleys - Bar Simon. Surprise, surprise at 3pm on a weekday the other 4 seats were taken up by other Americans. A couple from Springfield, IL and one from SanFran. Our Japanese bartender was hilarious and in broken english was learning french so he could go become rich in Switzerland “Japan doesn’t pay me enough”. Some great green tea old fashioneds and a couple more “neat” Japanese whiskeys later, we stumbled back into the neon lights of the street. Time to catch the subway back to Kyoto for our dinner res!
- One of our favorite meals of all time (yes another superlative awarded), we thoroughly enjoyed the Teppanyaki style Wagyu! They set us up in our own private bamboo walled room, with a grill (I.e the Teppanyaki) for us to cook our steak. Never before have we had such rich steak that legitimately melts in your mouth - with the high fat content of a Wagyu sirloin it was truly decadent. Now we certainly didn’t have the highest rated “A5” wagyu as we went took a far more affordable approach ($50 total to split 7oz) and man it still blew away any steak we’ve had in downtown Chicago. Accompanied by some delicious rice, vibes were high and made for an unforgettable dining experience!
- Did our own version of trick or treating on the way home by raiding the local mart for more delicious Japanese candy. Safe to say Steph’s obsessed. A bit more of Last Samurai before heading to sleep. Kyoto you were good to us!

What we ate:
- Hotel pastries for breakfast. This will probably remain the same throughout the remainder of the trip. Maybe Japan will be a breakfast country one day…
- Yamamoto Menzou: One of the most popular places for udon noodles in Kyoto. We got there shortly after opening and the only reservation open for lunch was 3pm, so we opted for the standing room only, counter serve version of the restaurant. Trent got their signature udon and Steph got their udon with Japanese curry. The second meal of udon solidified our love for this noodle. This won’t be the last time we have udon during our trip here!!
- Takoyaki Juhachiban: The famous fried octopus balls!! Trent could not convince Steph to try this. After stumbling into one of the most renowned food stands, Trent determined it was a must try! Shortly thereafter he determined that they were rather “mid”
- Wagyuyakiniku Toku: A lot of wagyu steak (Steph had a stomach ache later because of how rich this steak was), some fried garlic rice, special matsutake mushroom rice (advertised as the king of mushrooms), French fries because why not, and very tasty miso soup.

Fun facts:
- Japan is typically known as an expensive destination to travel, largely because of the strength of the Japanese yen. The yen lost more than 20% against the dollar since 2022, prompting several rounds of intervention from Tokyo to prop it back up. Because of this, we have experienced great prices here, and in most cases our meals have been less than $20 and it’s been cheaper for us to be here than in Chicago. What a win for us, not great for Japan.
- Kyoto was originally a planned target for the world war 2 atomic bombs but was later removed from the list due to its cultural significance.
- Osaka is the former capital of Japan. Osaka is home to Osaka Castle, which was built in 1496 and played a key role in unifying Japan in the 16th century.
- Zen Buddhist monks discovered matcha in China during the 9th century and began incorporating it into their meditation practices. The quality of matcha is determined by color.Leia mais