deep kyoto

It’s that time of year again! The 7th annual Kyoto veggie-fest will be held again at Okazaki Park this Sunday (October 4th) from 10 am till 5 pm. There’ll be plenty of entertainment on stage, NPO booths and of course plenty of tasty scran from a variety of local eateries, including  Deep Kyoto favorites like Sunny Place, Falafel Garden, Mikoan and Cafe Millet. Here’s a word from the organisers:

An event for all ages, the festival gives you aplace to enjoy vegetarian food and listen to music while learning about vegetarianism, the environment, and more… Thanks to everyone’s support, this year marks our 7th year. We hope to have another a great turnout this year! The Festival Philosophy In Japan, with 1 out of 2 people becoming victims of cancer, many people are reflecting on their dietary habits. The Vegetarian Festival provides a place for people of all ages and nationalities to learn about a healthy lifestyle, while bringing attention to problems like the degrading environment and World Hunger. This festival focuses on the following themes:
★Living a healthy life, both mentally and physically
★One’s respect for life, not just of humans, but of the animals with which we cohabit the world
★How pollution and food over consumption can degrade the environment
★Introduce organic retailers throughout Kyoto…

…★In an effort to reduce garbage, please bring your own eating utensils, and bags for the items you buy.

The 2009 Vegetarian Festival held at Okazaki Park, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
October 4th (Sunday) 10:00-17:00
Okazaki Park is just east of Kyoto Kaikan, and south of Heian Shrine.

You can find out more HERE and there are directions and a most convenient map HERE.

Ted Taylor writes…

On a warm autumn afternoon, during a north Kyoto hike from Ohara over to Kurama, we came across a group of young people building a wood burning oven out of stone. Standing in front of this ishigama, we made small talk with the young couple in charge of the project. The young woman told us that the bread that this oven would bake would be a centerpiece of the cafe that had just opened here, her hand gesturing at a comfortable looking building made of wood and glass. We promised to come back again.

A month or so later we ran into them again in Ohara, this time as part of a larger group busy harvesting adzuki and soy, some of which would wind up that night on the table of Cafe Millet.

What at first seems like a throwback scene to the old hippie days is actually a large and growing trend in Japan. Driven by both environmental and economic concerns, many young Japanese are shunning a life in the cities for one in the soil.

The idea of returning to the countryside is hardly a new one. Masanobu Fukuoka’s classic work, “The One-Straw Revolution” has for over 30 years lured people back to a traditional life of farming. What is different this time is that the movement is not simply at the personal or grass roots level. In March of this year, Prime Minister Taro Aso created the Rural Labor Squad, as a way to give employment to the young while simultaneously revitalizing rural communities and their dwindling labor pool. Local farmers are for the most part grateful for the help, though some feel that the young will once again return to the city when the economy picks up. Read the rest of this entry »

If you fancy a day out of Kyoto and a bit of fresh country air, a trip into Shiga to visit the Miho Museum might be a nice little adventure for you.  This is a most extraordinary private art collection, held in a most extraordinary building, and in an extraordinary location! The building itself is remarkable, designed by I. M. Pei (he’s the guy that designed the glass pyramid at the Louvre – you know the one Mary Magdalen is buried under),  80% of it lies below ground but what lies above somehow balances respect for Japanese tradition and surrounding nature, with a clean modernist line. Inside natural light from the glass roof illuminates beautiful art and treasures from all over the ancient world. I heard about this place years ago but for some reason I always had the idea it was in some remote inaccesible part of deepest darkest inaka. Actually, though it is in the middle of nowhere, it is fairly easy to get to. Here’s how: Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago Ted Taylor introduced me to Cafe dell’Orso a nice new Italian restaurant on Higashi Ichijo Dori. They do a good ￥1000 set lunch there; one pasta of your choosing + salad + focaccia with a home made pate and a wee slice of quiche. I decided to go back for dinner, and try some more dishes. In my pictures below you can see various appetisers and desserts but not the main dishes, as I was so intent on eating them up I forgot to photograph them! Thankfully, this popular Kyoto blogger has some good pictures on his site too, so you can check his pictures out here. I actually had the asparagus and parmesan gratin (￥700) and the tomato and clam spaghetti (￥1100), and washed them down with a cold sharp Peroni beer (￥700). They were all very good. However, the desserts were especially delicious, or as my companion Mewby put it  “yabai!” (which is Japanese for dangerously awesome). There are more pictures below and if you go to flickr you can see the prices too.

This restaurant/cafe is run by two friends, Stefano Bandini and Sasha Ashburne. I asked Stefano why the name is “Orso” which means “bear”, and he told me that his father used to have a gallery on Via dell’Orso in Milan named Galleria dell’Orso. The Caffe shares more than just the name with his father’s gallery though, as the walls here too are used to exhibit local art. At the time I visited they were decorated with the photographic work of Fumio Inoue. And as for the “cucina naturale”? Stefano explains:
“Cucina naturale” means that we are making, as far as possible, everything home made. Salad dressing, sauce, ginger ale etc. are all home made. When possible we also use organic ingredients. So far the dry pasta we have been using is organic. We have now started using fresh pasta, that we buy from a non-organic supplier. In the near future, if economically convenient, we’d like to make our own pasta. In this case we’ll try to find organic semolina…

Caffe dell’Orso, is on the north side of Higashi Ichijo Dori. Go east from Kawabata and it is just a little further past the Sakyou-ku ward office. If you get as far as Higashioji Dori you have gone too far! Here is a useful map.
Tel: 075-761-7600
email: caffedellorso@yahoo.co.jp

In December 2008 my friend David Ewen and I (that’s us on the left) decided to go on an Irish pub crawl and see exactly what each place had to offer in terms of food, drink, music and the elusive craic. What follows is a list of the five pubs we visited,  a summary of what we found there and a map to each location.  For a fuller article, more pictures and directions click on the name of each pub. However, before I continue, I must say if you are only in Kyoto for a short time you shouldn’t be wasting precious time in Irish pubs at all, so stop reading now and go somewhere Japanese instead. This article is for long term residents only!

The Gael

Very popular with expats but has more character than your average chain pub. A good menu with plenty of vegetarian options. Irish music every week and jazz monthly. Six screens show major sporting events. The staff are very courteous and professional. Map.

Tadg’s (formerly Mc Loughlin’s)

A gastro-pub specialising in micro-brew beers, they even have a chocolate flavored beer! Stunning views over the river Kamo and the city. Very personable staff and a very likeable and chatty owner the house chef, Tadg. Map.

Dublin (formerly The Hill of Tara)

Not the cosiest pub (perhaps because of it’s long, narrow interior) but with friendly staff and a good mix of Japanese and foreign punters. Excellent local musicians play Irish music here Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Map at the bottom of this link.

Field

The first Irish pub to open in Kyoto back in 2000, Field is all about the music. Irish music sessions are held twice a week and there is a recording and practice studio upstairs. Mostly Japanese punters here. It’s a nice place for a quiet pint. Map

Gnome

My personal favorite. Wonderful Irish style home-cooked food with lots of organic veggies and vegetarian options. A cosy atmosphere and a very friendly owner. The live music schedule is interestingly eclectic. Map.

Related article: Irish music at Cafe Woodnote

Out for a stroll last night I stumbled across health and whole food shop 菜花 (na no hana). They have plenty of organic vegetables and fruit here, all kinds of natural cooking ingredients, vegan food supplies and earth-friendly cleaning products. 菜花 sits about halfway between Demachiyanagi and Hyakumanben. If that isn’t convenient, they do deliveries. To find it, just walk east of the Eiden line exit of Demachiyanagi station, past Falafel Garden and further on past the Heming Sports Club until you get to the Omuraya オムライス (omelette and rice) place on your right. Turn right here and go past Kroon Thai restaurant and it’s on your left just before Rico Rico Spanish restaurant. Here is a most convenient map (the red circle marks the spot).
Opens weekdays: 10:00 ~ 20:00
Saturday: 10:00 ~ 19:00
Closed on Sundays and national holidays.
Tel: 075-711-8264

Related:
Online Supplies
Natural Food Stores in Kyoto

I’ve noticed that a lot of people discover Deep Kyoto, when googling for Cafe Peace. Sadly, Kyoto’s famous animal-loving emporium of vegan fake meats, Heartland beer and happy hippy clutter closed earlier this year. However, the ideals of Cafe Peace are continued each year at the annual and ever popular vegetarian festival, and as for eateries, in Kyoto, vegetarians are spoilt for choice. Here’s a list of top vegan restaurants in the city. Just click on the name to read more about them.

The following restaurants are entirely vegan:

Cafe Proverbs [15:17], a new vegan restaurant that took over the old Cafe Peace location on Hyakumanben. Cafe Proverbs has more of an emphasis on good health than animal loving, the menu is good, it’s non-smoking and the staff are very friendly. The interior design however, with it’s plastic seating and glaring lights, is not as comfy as the old style cosiness of Cafe Peace. Map.

Kairasu: Good Japanese style set lunches in a comfortable, arty atmosphere. Map.

Sunny Place: Fake meats cooked in a Japanese style. Cosy and friendly and healthy to boot! Map.

Hale: Tucked away in a machiya just of Nishiki market, this restaurant specializes in yuba dishes. Map.

Mikoan: Affordable shojin ryori, jazz music, Guinness beer and shaved cats (in boxes). Map.

The following restaurants serve both vegan and non-vegan dishes:

Mole: Ambient music, lots of greenery, delicious chickpea curries, and humous sandwiches… Map.

Sunshine Cafe: Lots and lots of healthy organic goodies. Map.

Raju Indian Restaurant: They do a very good vegetarian set for ￥1,300. Map.

Falafel Garden: Crispy golden balls of goodness. Map.

Earth Kitchen Company: An organic bento shop. Vegan lunch boxes are also available. Map.

Obanzai: All you can eat, organic buffet. Map.

Vegetarian and Organic food supplies can be found here.

Online supplies can be found here.

I shall add more to this list as and when I find them. In the meantime recommendations are always welcome at luain37@yahoo.co.uk. There’s also a list of vegetarian restaurants that includes some shojin ryori temples up on Happy Cow.

I had my supper at Woodnote last night; a big plate of sarnies and two bottles of Guinness. And they were tasty. I really like this place. There are a lot of bars and cafes in Kyoto that are dedicated to a particular kind of music; jazz, soul, rock or blues… and finding these places always gives me a real kick. But Woodnote is something else. It’s a “99.9%” (says the owner) organic cafe, a gallery (yes, you may rent the walls for ￥1000 an hour), and a live Irish music venue (sessions every Monday!). Also Shibutani-san (the Master) does very good sandwiches (￥550 and no meat!). Oh, and if you want to learn more about all those big crazy birds you regularly see wheeling over or wading in the Kamogawa, they have a bird-watching club you can join too.
What Woodnote is perhaps best known for is Irish music and the Master himself plays the fiddle. I asked him how he first got into Irish music. He told me, gesturing at all the vinyl records behind him, that throughout his youth he had always had a big thing for bluegrass. Then later when he discovered the roots of bluegrass, he naturally took a shine to Irish music. How he got into playing music goes like this: a customer brought back a tin whistle as a souvenir from Ireland. He teaches himself to play it and plays it for about two years. Then one day he is cycling by an antiques store and he spies a fiddle. It’s in good condition but the price is a mere ￥18,000. Well, that’s fate, isn’t it?  He bought it and taught himself to play (purely by ear mind you). And here’s how he sounds ten years later:

Now, the master will say bashfully that he is 下手, or “poor” at playing. But I think it’s wonderful he can play like that when he only started in his 40s and he never had a teacher! But then, says the Master, everyone who plays here learned that way.

As mentioned before, every Monday evening there is an Irish music session here, and on the 23rd of this month (Sunday) there will be a live performance of musicians from all over Kansai from 2:00 till 5:00 pm followed by another session later that evening. To find Woodnote, go east on Kitaoji Dori untill you reach the Eizan dentetsu line and then turn left onto Takahara Dori. Woodnote is just a little ways up there on the right. Or you can walk south for about 10 minutes from Ichijoji Station. Here is a map.
Opening hours: 12:30 – 23:00 (closed on Tuesdays). Tel:075-722-9302

November 24th Update: I have posted two videos from the above mentioned session on my journal here.

Some time ago I wrote a short guide to Kyoto’s import stores and also this piece on natural food suppliers, but on both occasions I neglected to add links to some of the online food suppliers available here in Japan. Silly me. Let’s quickly rectify that now.

First up is The Flying Pig. In their own words:

Reasonable prices on imported groceries and general merchandise in Japan? When pigs fly! But that was before Costco Wholesale opened its doors here. Afterwards, there were only two problems left: not everyone can get to a Costco warehouse very easily, and Internet ordering isn’t available. In a nutshell, TheFlyingPig.Com was launched to overcome these issues… Shop the site, pay at the nearest bank or post office, and receive your order in just a few days. It’s as simple as that. LINK

Also, we have The Foreign Buyers Club (Food and Fun from home – Direct to your door!) which sells not only food and groceries but educational items too. As I wrote in my previous article: Living abroad, we all have one little something we miss from home, the absence of which makes our life seem less than complete. Hopefully you’ll be able to find that little something now.

Now for lovers of organic food (and animal lovers too) there is Warabe Mura, again in their own words:

We are a small mail order company situated in land locked Gifu, central Japan, offering home delivery service for the whole of Japan. We are committed to offering traditional natural whole foods that have been grown, whenever possible, organically and locally, processed as little as need be, with absolutely no artificial additives, colourings or flavourings used. Only naturally occurring sweeteners such as brown rice malt, hatomugi malt, are used, and all products are sugar, dairy, egg, fish, and meat free. The natural personal care products are cruelty free and contain no animal products or by-products. The house cleaners are the most environmentally friendly we can find, and all stationary is from recycled sources. We specailize in macrobiotic whole foods and offer an extensive selection that includes traditonally handcrafted shoyu, tamari, miso, Japanese pickles, as well as a wide variety of wild sea vegetables and Japanese pastas. We also offer a large range of imported organic natural whole foods that include herbs & spices, dried fruit & nuts, pastas, sauces, teas, grains, flours and oils. LINK

Seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? And finally, (the only one I’ve actually used myself) good ole Tengu Natural Foods. I’m rather partial to their vegetarian cheeses, organic breads and um, organic beverages… but anyway, I quote:

Tengu is a mail order service for organic vegetarian foods, environmentally sound cleaning supplies and more to make life just that much happier and healthier. We ship anywhere in Japan in just a few days (all things being as they should)… Order by post, fax, phone, email, or right here online in English or Japanese… LINK

I can confirm that theirs is an excellent service, they deliver right to your door, and you can pay cash on arrival or by credit card, your choice. And that’s all I have to say about online suppliers for today. I hope it’s been of use.

Related articles: Natural Food & Import Stores.

Hidden away in the heart of the bustling market on Nishiki Dori is a tiny little alleyway that leads to Hale. This is a fully organic and vegan restaurant, specialising in seasonal dishes, yuba tofu and Kyoto’s famously distinctive vegetables. For lunch you can have a ￥1000 set or the “Special Lunch” for ￥1800. I settled for the ￥１０００ lunch which you can see amid the pictures below and which was more than ample enough for me.

Even if you are not vegetarian, Hale is worth a visit for its traditional cuisine or just to spend a pleasant hour or so in a peaceful old machiya house quietly contemplating the central garden. A wide range of beverages are also available, coffees, teas, soy drinks, juices, beers and shochu and even something made of dandelions – but I didn’t go for that. To find it walk along Nishiki Dori between the Fuyacho and Tominokoji streets and look out for that little alleyway on the north side of the market. Here is a most helpful map. It might be worth booking ahead on weekends as Hale is both small and popular.
Opening hours: Monday & Wednesday ~ 11:30 – 18:00 / Wednesday – Sunday ~ 11:30 – 14:30 and 16:00 – 21:00. (Closed on Tuesdays).
Tel: 075-231-2516