Online Japanese tea vendor, The Tea Crane, is launching its first physical store in Kyoto in a beautiful machiya townhouse in central Kyoto. This will be a fully fledged tea shop with a dedicated room for the tea ceremony, and as an international learning center for tea lovers it will undoubtedly be a great addition to the city. However, The Tea Crane needs your help to realize … [Read more...]
Maruzen Bookstore on Inside Kyoto
My review of the new Maruzen Bookstore & Cafe is now up on Inside Kyoto... After a 10-year interval Kyoto’s best bookstore, Maruzen Books has returned! Our resident bookworm, Michael Lambe, went to take a look at the new premises and see if the new store matches up to its legendary past. Check out the full story here: Maruzen Bookstore Returns to Kyoto! … [Read more...]
Deep Kyoto on CNN Travel
In case you missed it, my recommendations for what to see, do, buy, & eat when in "Japan's most photogenic city" are now up on the CNN Travel site. Everyone should visit Kyoto at least once. It's Japan's best preserved ancient city. Shrines, temples, palaces, gardens ... the city is home to thousands of architectural wonders, including 17 UNESCO World Heritage … [Read more...]
Maruzen Bookstore Returning to Kyoto!
It's been ten long years since Kyoto's best bookstore closed it's doors... but now Maruzen is coming back! Kyoto's legendary bookstore occupied a special place in the hearts of expats because of it's huge English language book section. Locals too were sad to see the historic shop close down, for Maruzen had occupied a spot on Kawaramachi Street since 1907. The new … [Read more...]
Kyoto Antiques: Shopping & Window Shopping
Ian Ropke writes, There are two areas in Kyoto known for antiques: Teramachi and Shinmonzen. Both areas are perfect for window shopping and, naturally, shopping. Teramachi, south of Marutamachi, north of Oike but mostly north of Nijo, is Kyoto’s newest antique center. It is more casual, and often quite a bit cheaper when it comes to antiques pure and simple … [Read more...]
