Kyoto, Japan

We left Tokyo on a bus to get a glimpse of the famous Mt Fuji. We had a couple of hours to walk by the lake and admire the majestic mountain, and we stopped at a wonderful cake shop to enjoy a serve of Japanese soft cheesecake before hopping onto a bus and continuing our trip.
From Mishima we took a shinkansen to Kyoto where we spent a few days browsing the gorgeous shrines and temples and eating hearty food, typical for the Kansai region.


Kyoto seemed much more touristic after Tokyo, but we still enjoyed the atmosphere and all the wonderful experiences we had there. One of my favourites was the Nishiki food markets where we walked from stall to stall sampling different foods and ate our way through the delicious local delicacies.

These wooden containers are used for delivering food

Roasted chestnuts are perfect winter food

Zenzai (red bean soup) was perfect for the cold weather

Nishiki Markets

We enjoyed a kaiseki type dinner at a beautiful restaurant with my partner's relatives and yet again got to sample some of the best this region has to offer. We were also offered lunch at a famous Rokusei restaurant that has been serving traditional Japanese 'bento' since 1899.

First course of our kaiseki dinner

Egg custard (chawanmushi)

I'm taking this idea home: okara served with vegetables

Beautiful serving bowls

More bento surprises

A cute parcel containing a yuzu flavoured wagashi