I spent last week exploring Japan in search of the next great flavour for Ainsley Harriott’s World Kitchen range of soups. What a fantastic opportunity!
Japan has been one of my dream destinations ever since I was a kid learning the importance of waxing off with my left hand. And this trip did not disappoint! I even got to bring a guest with me – Kemey of course! She had as much of a blast as I did. Our only complaint: it was all too brief!
The last full day of my Japanese #SoupSearch had us exploring the evocative back streets of Kyoto. Here’s how it went:
We commenced our day waking up from a restful sleep in our traditional inn in Hakone, and after a gorgeous brekkie of miso soup and more we were whisked away to Odawara station for a ride on the Shinkasen “Bullet Train” to Kyoto.
En route to the station our really friendly and very friendly driver pulled up to Odawara Castle to allow us a few minutes to snap our way through this 15th century marvel.
Once in Kyoto, it was back to the fast paced Japanese urban bustle. Being allowed an early check-in at Hotel Vista right across the street from ever jamming JR Kyoto Station was a most welcome introduction. Dropping our bags, we zipped back to the station for a quick lunch. Rather a luck of the draw approach, we scored when taking a chance with a seating at Morihei restaurant (bottom floor inside the station). I went with a hearty bowl of udon nabeyaki (noodles with shrimp tempura, scallions, yuba, steamed fish paste, rice cake, chicken and egg served boiling in an earthenware pot) – yum!
As much as I absolutely loved my lunch, I wished I had saved a little room in my tummy for our next delicious adventure: a stroll through mile-long, covered Nishiki food market. Somehow I managed to get in a bite or two of home made fish cakes, conger eel tempora, some freshly roasted chestnuts and a few other treats here and there. As with Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Nishiki was well worth a roam. It was a brilliant spot for edible and otherwise souvenir shopping too.
After Nishiki, the rest of the day was a bit of a blur … an incredibly fun and tasty blur! A visit and tasting at an old sake brew house, a courtly crash course in tea ceremony etiquette and even a fancy dress Halloween party. We loved dipping in and out of Kyoto’s myriad shops (great gift ideas at tengui shop, Eirakuya).
When one dip resulted in some Halloween high jinks with free drinks with artist Choco Moo at Joyrich fashion boutique, the access to wacky local culture was almost too much to take in and offered awesome convo fodder over our amazing dinner at Yuzuya. The spacious and attractive restaurant turned out to be an ideal venue for a final izakaya dine. Highlights? Many! Grilled mackeral, (even more) conger eel tempura, mushrooms in foil, salmon, lotus root, matcha ice cream …
Check back around the same time tomorrow for my final #SoupSearch installment.
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