(Kyoto, Japan). The day started off well with more Family Mart pancakes for breakfast. I think the ones at 7-eleven are better but these are still quite tasty. Why do they not have these magical pre-packaged treats in the U.S.?
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| Crazy good pancakes. |
We didn't have any real plans other than meeting up with Kinji Nakamura-san (the artist) in the afternoon for coffee and dinner reservations at Teppankappo-sou, so we decided to check out a museum. My husband saw an advertisement in the subway station for a Rene Magritte show at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art so we mapped out directions and headed out. (FYI - Both the apple and google map apps worked really well in Japan for walking and public transit directions.)
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| The entrance of the museum. |
The Rene Magritte exhibit was much better than expected. It was a very thorough and detailed view of the entire body of Magritte's work. (Note - In Japan, you aren't allowed to take any photos in museums - with or without flash - which is very different than most museums in the U.S. and in Europe. I didn't realize and took pictures and was asked to not only stop, but also to delete the offending photos from my camera.)
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| My refuge from the rain. |
I'm usually quite speedy in museums so I was done much faster than my husband. While he finished up, I decided to take a walk in the nearby area. At some point, the rain started and I took refuge near a local temple. While waiting I tried some hot coffee from the vending machine. It was very tasty but unfortunately, as I found out later, it had real milk in it which is (almost) deadly to the lactose intolerant.
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| Et tu, caffe? |
But before we get to that sad part of the day, I did a little bit of shopping picking up souvenirs for family and pastry treats for Nakamura-san (because in Japan it's polite to exchange gifts). Then I met my husband at a udon restaurant - which sounded quite appealing during a grey, rainy day.
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| I didn't see an English name, but this is the front of the udon restaurant. |
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| Tasty hot udon with beef sukiyaki. |
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| The cold version was good but probably not ideal for a rainy day. |
We each got a different lunch combo and they were both very comforting and delicious. Too bad I was too full (and my stomach was staring to turn from the milk) to have the delicious shaved ice desserts. Boo.
After lunch, we spent a little time shopping in the Gion area. It was a wonderfully quaint area with small lanes of traditional buildings and a main street with fabulous shopping. There were the cutest souvenirs - lots of miniatures, which I adore; lots of cute candies and treats; lots of beautiful silk items; etc. etc. We also saw a beautiful couple getting their wedding pictures!
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| Funny display - I think this store sold candies and treats. |
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| Stopped for a quick coffee break. |
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| Beautiful couple! |
Unfortunately, I started feeling ill and had to return to the hotel, but not before we passed by a blowfish restaurant with an aquarium display of the poisonous fish. (I'm really not sure why people risk their lives eating blowfish - it doesn't taste much like anything... it really is rather bland...)
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| Lots o' blowfish. |
After a nap to recover from my lactose intolerance woes, I was able to resemble a human being enough to meet Nakamura-san in the hotel lobby for more tea and coffee. Because he spoke very limited English and I only speak about 10 words of Japanese, we literally had to use itranslate - but somehow it all worked out. It was lovely learning more about this talented man and I was happy to finally fulfill my dream of owning some of his beautiful art.
Fortunately by dinner I felt good enough to really eat. I had been looking forward to eating kobe beef at Teppankappo-Sou based on the good reviews. The restaurant was located in the Gion area so we returned there again and had a glorious meal. Course after course of deliciousness plus an entertaining display of culinary skills to boot!
After the huge feast, we walked down another cute street of music venues and bars in Gion. I wish we had discovered this street earlier on our trip to enjoy a concert or two. Oh well - next time!
Our tour guide had told us about a new local sake bar that opened up so we followed our map app and found the hip, happening spot. But since it was local, literally no one spoke any English. But alas, pointing works especially in a sake bar with all the sake bottles displayed on the walls. Ultimately we found some expats from England and Canada who had lived in Kyoto for years, and it was really interesting hearing about their experiences.
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| Wonderful sake bar. |
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| Sake and an appetizer I was too full to eat... |
Tomorrow we will be moving to a ryokan (hot springs hotel) and going to the Yamazaki whiskey distillery. Can't wait!
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| An adorable store display - so cute!!! |
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