[Kyoto 京都] Oimatsu 老松

Categories kyoto
[Kyoto 京都] Oimatsu 老松

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Oimatsu 老松

Add: Tenryui-ji, Sagano, Kyoto
Tel: 075-881-9033
Hours: 9am-5pm
Website: www.oimatu.co.jp
Price: 700 yen+
Visited: Aug 2016

The more than hundred-year-old Oimatsu used to be the wagashi (Japanese confectionery) provider for the Japanese imperial family. It has two locations in Kyoto (Arashiyama and Kitano), and was recommended to me by Nao from Bar Bunkyu the night before.

老松是曾經專門提供和菓子給日本天皇的百年老鋪，在京都有兩家分店（嵐山和北野），推薦這家店的是前一天在文久喝酒時認識的調酒師Nao。

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The shop is not huge, but the tables are comfortably distanced. On the left side are floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a beautiful courtyard, and it’s quite lovely to be eating wagashi with this as the backdrop.

店內空間不大，不過桌椅間隔距離寬敞；左邊大片的玻璃窗外有個小庭院，邊吃著和菓子邊看著窗外的景致，也太美好。

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[Kyoto] Tsujirihei Matcha Castella 辻利兵衛本店 抹茶かすてら

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[Kyoto] Tsujirihei Matcha Castella 辻利兵衛本店 抹茶かすてら

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Tsujirihei Honten 辻利兵衛本店

Add: 611-0021 京都府宇治市宇治若森４１
Tel: 0774-23-1111
Hours: 9am~5pm (closed on weekends)
Website: www.tsujirihei.co.jp
Tasted on: 2012-04

Here’s something to brighten up this rainy day: a beautiful and delicious packet of matcha castella from Kyoto’s famous green tea shop, Tsujirihei 辻利兵衛本店. I’ve previously blogged about castella from Nagasaki’s Fukusaya, and I’m happy to present to you the green tea variation on this simple Japanese sponge cake. If you have read my Kyoto travel posts, you might remember Uji, a tranquil little town that’s especially famous for its green tea. Tsujirihei is one of the most historical and well-respected green tea specialty shops in Uji (along with Nakamura Tokichi 中村藤吉 which I also adore), and its green tea desserts are naturally meticulously created.

The Japanese are true masters at packaging design, and the encasing of Tsujirihei’s matcha castella is no exception. Each layer is designed for a specific purpose, and all together they keep the cake fresh until it’s ready to be eaten. If you want to see what each layer is meant for, click here to see my previous post on Fukusaya castella.

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[Kyoto] Itinerary

Categories kyoto
[Kyoto] Itinerary

Kyoto. Beautiful, tranquil, mesmerizing with its historical flair and traditional sensibilities. One of my favorite places to visit in the world! Itinerary Day 1: Late afternoon arrival –> Hotel check-in –> Kyoto Station Day 2: Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺 –> Ninnen-saka 二年坂/Sannen-saka 三年坂 –> Lunch at Okutan 奧丹 –> Yasaka Jinja 八坂神社–> Gion 祗園 –> Afternoon tea…Continue Reading “[Kyoto] Itinerary” →

[Kyoto] Arashiyama 嵐山

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[Kyoto] Arashiyama 嵐山

After visiting Kinkakuji and Ryoanji, we boarded the Keifuku trains for Arashiyama, a touristy but still very pleasant district in the Western outskirts of Kyoto. The area has numerous temples, shops, cafes, and restaurants, all centering around the Togetsukyo Bridge and Keifuku Arashiyama Station. Come here for a relaxing afternoon away from the city.

Right outside the Keifuku train station is a roll cake (i.e. Swiss roll) specialty shop called Arinco. We tried a thick slice of their delicious matcha roll cake, which can also be purchased by the roll (¥950/roll) or as a “roll sand”, which is a roll cake sandwich. See their website here.

After the sweet fix, we headed for Tenryu-ji, which is ranked number one among the “Top Five Zen Temples in Kyoto”. For more pictures of the majestically beautiful Tenryu-ji, see this post.

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[Kyoto] Tenryu-ji 天龍寺

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[Kyoto] Tenryu-ji 天龍寺

Tenryu-ji 天龍寺

Add: 68 Saga Tenryuji Susukinobaba-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto
Tel: 075-616-8385
Hours: [Apr-Oct] 8:30am-5:30pm [Nov-Mar] 8:30am-5pm
Price: ¥500
Website: http://tenryuji.org/
Visited: Nov 2010

If you travel to Arashiyama (嵐山), Tenryu-ji would undoubtedly be on your list of places to visit. It’s ranked first among the “Top Five Zen Temples” in Kyoto and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I honestly don’t remember too much about the design and history of this particular temple complex (it is, after all, our 3rd temple for the day), other than the fact that it is majestically beautiful. Let’s just proceed with the pictures and let those speak for themselves.

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[Kyoto] Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稻荷大社

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[Kyoto] Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稻荷大社

Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稻荷大社

Add: Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 京都市伏見区
Tel: 075-641-7331
Price: Free
Website: http://inari.jp
Visited: Nov 2010

On our third day in Kyoto, we visited the spectacular Fushimi Inari Taisha, a site with thousands of torii shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. The trail from the main shrine, located at the bottom of the hill, to the inner shrine, located at the middle of the mountain, is about a two-hour round trip. Happy hiking!

At the bottom of the hill is the main shrine. According to my Japanese friends, this is what you do: at the offering hall, throw a coin into the offering box, bow deeply twice, clap your hands twice, bow deeply once more and make your prayers. If there is a gong or a bell, ring it (this is my favorite!) before praying in order to get the gods’ attention.

There are other fun stuff to do at the shrine. There’s the ema, wooden plates on which you can write your wishes and then leave at the shrine for the wishes to come true. There’s the omikuji, fortune telling paper slips that are randomly drawn and contain predictions ranging from daikichi (very good luck) to daikyo (very bad luck). Tie the pieces of paper to a fixture at the shrine, so good fortune will come true and bad fortune can be averted.

The most distinguishing feature if Fushimi Inari Taisha is of course the thousands of torii. You’ll also see fox statues here and there, as foxes were thought to be the messengers of Inari.

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[Kyoto] Ryoan-ji 龍安寺

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[Kyoto] Ryoan-ji 龍安寺

Ryoan-ji 龍安寺

Add: 13 Goryoshita-machi, Ryoan-ji, Kyoto
Tel: 075-463-2216
Hours: [Mar-Nov] 8am-5pm [Dec-Feb] 8:30am-4:30pm
Price: ¥500
Website: www.ryoanji.jp
Visited: Nov 2010

Ryoan-ji’s “Zen garden” is another one of my favorite spots in Kyoto. There are no trees in this dry landscape garden (kareisansui), just 15 irregularly shaped moss-surrounded rocks of varying sizes, arranged in white gravel that is raked every day. The rocks are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle, only 14 are visible at one time. It is said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to see the fifteenth boulder. Come try it yourself?

So why 15? In the Buddhist world, the number 15 denotes completeness. To have a whole and meaningful experience, one must have a total view of the garden, which is not possible in the conditions of this world.

The meaning of the garden is not explicit and is up to each viewer to find meaning for him/herself. Do visit early since the garden becomes crowded in the afternoon, and you most definitely won’t have a serene moment for contemplation and introspection.

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[Kyoto] Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺

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[Kyoto] Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺

Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺

Add: 1 Kinkakuji-chō, Kita-ku, Kyoto / 〒603-8361 京都市北区金閣寺町1
Tel: 075-461-0013
Hours: 9am-5pm
Price: ¥400/person
Website: www.shokoku-ji.or.jp
Visited: Nov 2010

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion), also known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺, Deer Garden Temple), is a Zen Buddhist temple and one of the 17 World Cultural Heritage sites in Kyoto. It was built as the retirement villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and is modeled according to the descriptions of the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida. The most distinguishing structure in the temple complex, the Golden Pavilion, has the two floors completely covered with pure gold. Talk about lavishness.

Kinkaku-ji’s history dates to 1397, but the present Golden Pavilion (金閣) structure was rebuilt in 1955 and subsequently underwent various reconstructions. The top two stories of the pavilion emit a warm glow in the sun as they are completed covered with pure gold leaf. More mesmerizing yet, the Mirror Pond upon which the pavilion was built on produces a perfect reflection of the golden extravagance on a clear day. Absolutely beautiful.

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