Field is the oldest Irish pub in Kyoto having opened in the year 2000. Previously the owner, Suzaki Kazuhiko, ran a cafe and gallery here and Irish music was just a hobby for him. "At that time, I had no idea there was such a thing as an Irish pub," he told me. But on learning that such places existed he decided to open up his own. It was a bold step in the dark for him and one … [Read more...] about Field – The Oldest Irish Pub in Kyoto
Woodnote
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 … [Read more...] about Woodnote
Hotline
"Kyoto 2nd Hand Record & CD Shop Hotline" Hotline has a lot of oldies records (both albums and singles) from the 50's, 60's, 70's and a lot of Elvis and Beatles records. Accordingly, it does seem to attract the older customers. However, you will also find music from the 80's and 90's, Soul, R&B, Jazz, Classical, Latin, Blues, Funk, Reggae, Rock, Heavy Metal and of … [Read more...] about Hotline
Workshop Records
Small but packed with goodies, Workshop Records deals in used and imported records and CDs. This shop specializes in Jazz and Soul but also includes the following genres: Rock, Punk, Avant Garde, New Wave, Pychedelic, 90's, German, French, Japanese Rock and Folk, U.K. & Irish Traditional, Reggae, Dub, and R&B... The music playing in the shop today was Ueda … [Read more...] about Workshop Records
Jet Set
This place is awesome! They really do have everything! Here you can find older music like Jazz, Soul, Rock and Classics and also the newer stuff: Hip-hop, House, Techno, Reggae, Indies and Pop. "What I like about it," said my friend Nana H. (who recommended it to me), "is you can listen to all the records." This from their online profile: "Open since 1998.As one … [Read more...] about Jet Set
Le Petit Mec
Le Petit Mec is a French style cafe & bakery on Imadegawa just west of Horikawa, which appears to be open only on weekends... They sell a fantastic variety of delicious breads, sweet pastries and sandwiches which you can eat in or take out. Here below are my purchases, left to right: くるみパン - Walnut bread, ジャガイモパン - Potato bread, and チャバッタ - Ciabatta. They look tasty … [Read more...] about Le Petit Mec
Hale ~晴~
Hidden away in the heart of the bustling market on Nishiki Dori is a tiny little alleyway that leads to Hale (晴). This is a fully organic and vegan restaurant, specializing in seasonal dishes, yuba tofu and Kyoto's famously distinctive vegetables. For lunch you can have a set meal or the "Special Lunch" which costs a bit more. I settled for the standard set lunch which you can … [Read more...] about Hale ~晴~
舶来酒 Absurd (Formerly Bar 探偵)
Update June 2025: Having survived the pandemic, the master of Bar 探偵 decided he wanted a change of mood and so changed the name of the bar to 舶来酒 Absurd (Hakuraishu Absurd). However, it is still the same bar, and run by the same guy, who is still a detective. My original review is below. Here's a quirky little place that's worth a mention. Bar 探偵 ("Tantei" or … [Read more...] about 舶来酒 Absurd (Formerly Bar 探偵)
Hiraganakan
This place is great. Hiraganakan (ひらがな館) is just across the road from Kyoto University on Mikage Dori, so I guess the fact it caters for a lot of penniless students may explain the great value. For a very reasonable price you get a main course AND rice AND miso soup AND salad. In other words: “Lots of STUFF!”. And it all tastes wonderful too. One drawback: it’s mostly meat so … [Read more...] about Hiraganakan
In Search of… Marmite
The Deep Kyoto Guide to Import Stores Living abroad, we all have one little something we miss from home, the absence of which makes our life seem less than complete. For me that thing I crave is Marmite; those little brown jars of nutritious yeasty goodness. A by-product of beer brewing (further evidence of the coolness of beer) this delicious goop is packed with B vitamins … [Read more...] about In Search of… Marmite
Getting Around Town
Overview Kyoto is laid out in a grid system (streets running east–west or north–south) and this makes it (atypically for Japan) fairly easy to find your way around. If you are planning to meet someone, the easiest places to agree on are the intersections between streets (Sanjo/Kawaramachi for example, or Shijo/Karasuma). Kyoto station sits to the south of the city and beyond … [Read more...] about Getting Around Town
