Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

Now with our program as packed as it is, a free day is a rare occurrence to be treasured so I wanted to make the most of it. Here’s a great itinerary you can follow the next time you’re in town!

Visiting Nijo Castle:

While most days I’m an early riser, I decided to reward myself and sleep in a little until around 9:00 am before going out to hit the town. I started the day by buying a cream bun from the nearby Lawsons before heading to the bus stop to make my way over to Nijo Castle in central Kyoto. This historic site dates back to the early 1600’s and acted as housing to both the Emperor and the Shogun at different points in its 400+ years of history. With thick stone walls encircling it and many gates to defend, this castle is 100% worth the visit. In the center of the grounds is the central palace; with nightingale floors and beautifully decorated paintings across every wall and ceiling. While many of the walls are currently reproductions, some of the originals can be seen in the attached art gallery. This change is part of a government-sponsored renovation project that began in the 2000’s to preserve the world heritage site.

Samurai & Ninja Museum:

With many branches located across Japan, I highly recommend this experience! While they offer many different packages including ninja training, sword lessons, tea ceremonies, dress-up as a samurai and many more, I opted in for just the basic entrance ticket. For the very reasonable price of 2,700 yen you get a guided tour that leads through not just the museum, but also several key eras of Japan that covers everything from the birth of the samurai until their eventual fall in the Meiji reformation. After the tour you get a shuriken lesson included along with a competition between all tourees. As the winner of the competition, I even got to keep the rubber shuriken they taught us to throw with! After the tour concludes, they allow you to peruse the museum and see the different artifacts, info and graphics scattered through their three floors. While some aspects of the tour are definitely touristy or more geared towards kids, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend anyone to give it a try!

Kyoto’s Nintendo Store:

While walking around the central shopping area of Kyoto I spotted a large Mario head peaking out of his signature green pipe and I knew I had to stop. One of my best friends from back home is the biggest Nintendo fan so I knew I wanted to get him something there as a souvenir. When shopping, I wanted to get something that’s specific to just Japan so I decided on a deck of Mario-themed hanafuda cards. What many people don’t know is how Nintendo really is– founded in the Fall of 1889 in Kyoto, they were originally a playing card company with these Hanafuda cards being one of their staples however back then they had different flowers and plants on them rather than Goombas, Ghosts and various Italians on them.

Nishiki Market:

Another historic site to see, I visited Nishiki Market! While originally founded in the early 1600’s as a fish market, it was transformed into a bustling place for both tourists and locals alike to shop. Each side of the market is filled with shops on top of shops on top of shops. After seeing professor Young’s kitchen knife purchases, it convinced me to follow suit. I stopped by Yoshimune Knives, a small family run shop that if you didn’t know what you were looking for, you might accidentally walk past once it’s in the basement of a much larger knife shop. There I was greeted by professionals of the craft that were able to skillfully explain the differences between materials, shape, care routines, etc. In the end I purchased a Kiritsuke-style knife that’s a blend of stainless steel and high-carbon steel. Along with it, I purchased several Higonokami pocket knives as souvenirs for my friends.

Dinner:

One of my friends just so happens to be in the supply chain dialogue that just touched down in Japan yesterday. They had a day trip to Kyoto today so we met up at Nishiki Market to find a spot for dinner. After wandering around for a while we settled on a little hole in the wall a couple blocks away from the market. To finish off the day I decided on a pork katsu dinner set: each cutlet was hammered paper thin before being breaded, fried and dipped in a teriyaki-type sauce. They were then layered in a deep bowl with rice, some being hidden like treasure in the sand. Adjacent to the bowl were a few pickles along with a refreshing bowl of miso soup. The dinner was very filling and was the perfect end to a fulfilling day.