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
Kyoto Prefectural International Center
KPIC is a free resource and information center for foreign tourists and residents in Kyoto. The friendly staff speak fluent English and there is also a free counselling service available in five different languages for those needing advice about employment, housing, medical care or... pretty much anything really. Whether you need to find an English speaking … [Read more...] about Kyoto Prefectural International Center
