On Wednesday I spent a very pleasant evening at Robert Yellin's ceramics gallery, looking at all beautiful things that he has gathered there and enjoying his fascinating conversation. Robert had invited me up to see his new exhibition; the beautiful blue celadon of Kubota Rekkou. Light, pale and graceful this 青白磁 (seihakuji - or blue-white porcelain) stands in marked contrast … [Read more...]
Cafe & Gallery Rokujian
I had a bit of free time this afternoon, so I popped over to see the exhibition at Cafe Rokujian of photographs and paintings by our friends John Einarsen and Tiery Le. The cafe forms part of the Kampo Cultural Center, which as I understand it, opened up last month. The center consists of three parts, the cafe, a small gallery space, and a learning center where you can take … [Read more...]
Somushi
Somushi is a beautiful Korean tea shop on the north side of Sanjo, a short walk west of Karasuma. John Einarsen and I have gotten into the habit of meeting up here whenever a new issue of Kyoto Journal comes out. These pictures were taken in the spring. … [Read more...]
Kanso
Sean Roe invited me out to this place ages ago. "￥380 a beer," he said. Very hard to resist. So I went. And here's what I found: Kanso is a bar, and an art installation combined. Its concept can be roughly summarized as drink x cans = fun The art here is nothing precious, consisting as it does of cans. Big cans that you sit at like tables and walls of cans to dazzle … [Read more...]
Frank Signage
Cycling down Yasaka Dori today I spotted this "ukiyo-e small museum"... ...and the sign pleased me. … [Read more...]
Caffe dell’Orso
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 … [Read more...]
Sheep’s
Sheep's Public Cafe is a place I have been meaning to check out for a while. I kept seeing it as I cycled home from work and thinking to myself "Sheeps. Why Sheep's?" The signboard outside says "Fish & Chips", "Guinness" and looking at the exterior I imagined just another foreign style pub. Once inside though I was impressed by how bright and cheerful it is. The owners have … [Read more...]
Iyemon Salon
The delightful Japanese tea emporium Iyemon Salon opened its doors last June and has quickly become a fashionable spot for lunch and dinner despite the competition from nearby Starbucks and Neutron Cafe. Breakfast is a choice between onigiri or a tasty egg sandwich for ￥400. The lunchtime and dinner menu ranges between ￥800 and ￥2000, and if you get a "plate" set you can be … [Read more...]
Hōnen-In Temple & Gallery
法然院 is a lovely temple with carefully tended gardens nestled in the foothills of Kyoto's eastern mountains. It was founded in 1680, and named after the priest Hōnen, who devoted his life to seeking salvation for all, no matter what their station in life. Today this temple holds regular exhibitions of both local and international artists. At the time of writing, there are … [Read more...]
Ｎｅｕｔｒｏｎ Ｃａｆｅ
Previously located in the space now occupied by Sunshine Cafe, the restaurant and gallery Neutron Cafe moved west of Karasuma two years ago. The bigger space here means bigger and better art exhibitions. You can also enjoy good food here, such as this salmon salad: Tasty tasty! Or this deliciously fruity parfait: They also have a variety of arty goods on sale. A … [Read more...]
りほう
There's a tree-lined canal that runs between Shirakawa and Higashioji Dori that is one of Kyoto's best kept secrets. Follow it south and then east and it leads on to the far more famous 哲学の道 ("The Path of Philosophy"), but follow it north in the springtime and you can enjoy the cherry blossom here minus the crowds of tourists, and in June it's also a good area to spot … [Read more...]
