Deep Kyoto

good places - good people

Salut Ya

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日本語はこちら

さるぅ屋 is a cafe/bar/diner in a lovely old renovated machiya on Imadegawa. The food menu concentrates on burgers, sandwiches and curries and is generally pretty meaty. As I don’t do the meat thing, I settled for an advocado and cottage cheese sandwich, expecting something bland and was surprised by its sweet deliciosity. And the bread! That was something else.

I finished off with chocolate cake and ice-cream — smashing!

Below are some more pictures and you can see some pictures of the renovation process up here.

The drinks menu includes coffee, a full range of Yogi teas and fruit smoothies. As well as wine, cocktails and shochu, the bar also has Premium Malts on draft and also some Mexican and Belgian beers.

Salut Ya is super easy to get to from the Keihan Demachiyanagi Station. Take the number two exit and go east from the Family Mart on the corner of Imadegawa/Kawabata and Salut Ya is right there on your right. Here is a handy map.
Opening hours: 11:30~22:00 (Last orders for food: 21:00, and drinks: 21.30)
Telephone: 075-203-6552
Salut Ya on Instagram
On the way out I asked where they got their delicious bread from.
“レ・フレール・ムトウ”, she said.
And I said: “What?”
Next post: the bakery/cafe Les Freres Moutaux.

Text and images by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. 

Craft Beers at Kyoto Brewing Company Taproom

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Here’s a pleasant way to spend a lazy weekend afternoon. Head down to Kyoto Brewing Company’s Taproom and enjoy the very freshest craft beers in a super relaxed and casual space. If the weather is good you can sit outside, and if not, you can chat to the friendly brewery staff indoors as they pull your pints. In the colder months they will also set up a tent outside with heating.

Mewby enjoying the cool and crafty weekend beverage vibes.

The taproom has six taps with a mix of regular beers and seasonal specials. The beers themselves are a fusion of American and Belgian styles priced at 600 yen for each 400ml glass. I enjoyed a glass of Ichigo Ichie (a fruity/spicy Saison style beer), which I followed up with a very satisfactory seasonal IPA. These are great artisanal beers, well priced, and served in a very special location.

Deep down inside all beer crates secretly want to be chairs or tables.

The brewery doesn’t serve food itself, but there is often a food truck on site for the taproom’s opening hours, and if not, you can bring your own snacks.

Perfectly poured by people who care from perfectly maintained taps.
Souvenir glasses and t-shirts are also on sale inside.

Opening hours: Kyoto Brewing Company Taproom is only open on weekends from 12.00-18.00 (Last orders are at 17.30). As the taproom closes on occasion, when the brewery staff are taking part in special events, you should check the scheduled openings either on the official Kyoto Brewing website, or on their Facebook page. Please note also that the taproom is not open on public holidays.

A window onto wonders. This is where the magic happens.

Location: Kyoto Brewing Co. is located in a former lumber yard about 10 minutes’ walk south of Toji Temple, about 15 minutes south west of Toji Station, and 12 minutes west of Jujo Station. Here is a MAP of the location.

Address: 25-1 Nishikujyo, Takahatacho, Minami-ku, Kyoto 601-8446
Tel: 075-574-7820

Once a lumber yard, now a hub of local beer appreciation.

Kyoto Brewing Company’s craft beers can also be enjoyed at a range of venues around town including (but not limited to) Tadg’s Gastro Pub, Bungalow, 100K, Bozu Bar, Beer Komachi, Len, and Beer Pub Takumiya.

Craft Beer in Kyoto

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A pinty at Tadg's
A pint at Tadg’s. Craft beer has become a serious business in Kyoto.

Craft beer is trending in Kyoto with craft beer festivals twice a year, many bars stocking varieties and some bars dedicating their business completely to promoting craft beer culture. There are two craft beer breweries in Kyoto, and another starting next year. Here I talk to Tadg McLoughlin who runs the eponymous Tadg’s: a craft beer specialty bar in Kyoto, about being on the cusp of this trend. Below the video I have posted a list of bars serving craft beer in Kyoto, with links for maps and details. [Read more…]

The Legend of UrBANGUILD

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Let me tell you a story, about a place called UrBANGUILD… It’s a kind of fairytale, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. And it all began in another place. A place that I like to call cafe underpants.

The 1928 Building. This art deco fantasy houses a (currently) very popular cafe in the basement. Fans of UrBANGUILD might sense a certain familiarity in the interior design.

Once upon a time there was an honest carpenter named Jiro. One day, Jiro was hired by a man of property to design and build a cafe.  Jiro was a very fine carpenter and designer, and a very hard worker too, and so in no time at all he created a very fine cafe indeed. The owner of the cafe was very pleased with the work that Jiro had done and asked him to manage his new establishment. They called it independants. Under Jiro’s stewardship this cafe independants became a very special place: a place where musicians and artists could meet and freely experiment, and it became a true centre of the Kyoto avant garde! Unfortunately it didn’t make any money… and naturally the owner of the cafe began to worry. Jiro’s passion was for art, not money – but a cafe can’t continue if it doesn’t make a profit! Sadly the owner told Jiro that he had to go. In the real world, that’s just the way things are. Sadly, we just don’t live in fairytales…

ryotaro is the booking manager at UrBANGUILD. He told me this story, so I know it's true.

But then something magical happened. Every single member of staff at cafe independants told Jiro that they wanted to continue working with him. They wanted to recreate the same kind of special artistic centre with him in another place. They pooled all their funds together and they found and built another cafe/bar/performance centre on Kiyamachi. They called it UrBANGUILD (!) and having put all their money into it – well they endured some difficult times! But today, that place, that centre devoted to performance and art and music and the free pursuit of self expression is THRIVING! Well, to be honest, it still doesn’t make much money. Jiro, talented and hardworking carpenter that he is, supports it with his own income. And the staff still work there because they value what they do, not for any misguided notions of profit.

But UrBANGUILD is thriving, because it is ALIVE! Over the last twelve months or so, I have visited and revisited this place and I am ADDICTED. For one thing, I love UrBANGUILD for it’s acceptance.

Something very special indeed - click the image to read more about this one.

You  get some acts here that are mediocre,  others that could be interesting but are a little self-involved, and you get some TERRIBLE acts here too! But they are all accepted – and applauded. And then, pretty much every time, you get something very, very special indeed. Something you simply wouldn’t see anywhere else. Because only a place like UrBANGUILD would allow it to happen.

Another reason I love UrBANGUILD, is the inclusive sense of community. It’s easy to make friends here. Come regularly and some faces will become familiar to you – and you to them. You will become drawn into discussion. You will become part of the scene.

Tomorrow, UrBANGUILD is throwing a New Year’s party entitled “Velvet Moon”. I invite you to attend. There are some Deep Kyoto favorites performing: the dancers Bridget Scott and 袋坂ヤスオ, accordionist ryotaro and the mad scientist of sound mr. Sseeaann Rrooee.

Bridget Scott

And then there are other more intriguing things like Karikatura, a “gypsy, reggae, rumba, flamenco, ska, world, groove, band” from Brooklyn. Here are the details! Check it out! Enjoy!

VELVET MOON!

The Perfomers:

Karikatura (gypsy, reggae, rumba, flamenco, ska, world, groove)

なゆ(dance)

袋坂ヤスオ

Bridget Scott (dance)

Yangjah (dance) with
糸井宏美（映像）
イガキアキコ（たゆたう）
Jerry Gordon

Sseeaann Rrooee (sound artist)

袋坂ヤスオ (dance) & ryotaro (accordion)

OPEN: 18:00 / START: 19:00
Tickets in advance:1500 yen (includes one drink)

I almost forgot to mention, they do good izakaya style grub here too. The vegetarian curry is awesome!

On the door: 2000 yen

at UrBANGUILD

To find it, from Sanjo Dori go down Kiyamachi Dori (this is the narrow street running alongside Takase stream) UrBANGUILD is on the east side (left hand side as you walk down from Sanjo) after approximately 150 metres. It’s on the 3rd floor of New Kyoto Building – access by elevator or stairs. Here’s a map.
Tel: 075-212-1125  Facebook page here.

Tadg’s Irish Bar and Restaurant

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The Home of Craft Beer in Kyoto

Meet the family: Jimmy, Tadg, Mika, and Ben.

Four years since it first opened, the Irish pub formerly known as Mc Loughlin’s has been renamed as Tadg’s. Not a big change really, as I think everyone was calling it that anyway. I’ve written previously about this pub; its friendly hospitality and the fantastic views over the river and city. And Tadg’s cooking is also justifiably renowned; he uses locally grown organic vegetables in his many fine creations and the menu features an impressive vegan section. All that aside though, this bar’s most impressive feature is the selection of craft beers: Rogue, Ise Kadoya, Minoh, Yeti Imperial Oak and Victory at Sea… I had a snifter of the latter last night; a fine coffee flavored porter with hints of bitter chocolate like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Absolutely gorgeous. [Read more…]

Alphabet Ave.

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Here’s a place I’ve been meaning to write up for the longest time. As regular readers may be aware, of a weekend my friends and I tend to gather at the wonderful music bar Joao. However, Joao tends to close relatively early (around 11 pm), so if we still have a thirst upon us (and we invariably do) the bar of choice is Alphabet Ave. on Pontocho.

Some of the regulars...

Alphabet Ave. is a pretty laid back place with chill-out music and a fine night view over the Kamogawa. This bar specializes in rum but they have plenty of other drinks too. [Read more…]

Kanso

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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 your eye. [Read more…]

Yoramu

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Last Thursday Nick Coldicott, was in town and invited me out to sake bar Yoramu.  Nick is the editor of Time Out Shortlist Kyoto and also writes a drinks column for the Japan Times, so when he said that Yoramu was his favorite bar, I was naturally intrigued. Yoramu lived up to his promise. The master, Yoram, a quietly spoken Israeli perfectly fluent in English and Japanese, gently guides his customers through an impressive variety of flavors and happily explains how each fine beverage is made. Speaking honestly, I know nothing about sake – or I didn’t until I visited this bar – but one evening there is an education and a tasty one at that! I felt like a whole new fascinating world of booze had been opened up to me and Nick himself admitted “I never cared about nihonshu until I came here”. Many thanks are due to the calm yet charismatic master, Yoram. His passion for nihonshu and his enthusiasm is infectious.IMG_2178 sepia [Read more…]

Blue Note

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A couple of weeks ago, jazz singer Allison Adams Tucker invited me to Blue Note to see her live performance there. It was a great show but also an excellent opportunity to check out this legendary live music venue. I spoke to the current master Ohigashi-san. A mild-mannered chap, he goes by the nickname of  Chooper-san (after blues musician Al Kooper), and is as Allison put it “a very cool cat”. IMG_1751 Blue Note has been open for 47 years now and has seen a fair number of famous musicians walk through its doors, either to perform or to kick back after performing elsewhere. [Read more…]

Kiyamachi Bar Crawl

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One Night – Eight Bars.

IMG_1387A few weeks ago, my old drinking buddy David Ewen and I set out to explore some of the bar culture in the Kiyamachi area armed with my copy of 京都穴BAR (a Japanese pocket guide to Kyoto’s hole-in-the-wall bars). Actually I really recommend this book and others in the らくたび文庫 series (I have the cafe guide too). For less than 500 yen you get a guide to 33 different bars and a very easy to use map to help you find them. Though it’s in Japanese, even if you can’t read it you can still get an idea of the atmosphere of each location just by checking out the pictures.

Before I take you through the tour I should say though that most of the people in these bars whether owners, staff or regulars speak little or no English. If you can’t speak Japanese at all, you might want to stop reading now. However, if you do want to speak Japanese, meet some locals in a friendly atmosphere, or if you are just tired of the usual foreigner hang-outs – read on! [Read more…]

Kisui & Mamoriya

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ＵＰＤＡＴＥ　ＭＡＲＣＨ　２０１４： Sad to say but due to the changing life circumstances of the good folk at Kisui… this wonderful little bar has now closed. We wish both Setsuko and Risae all the best with their new lives. Kisui has gone, long live Kisui!

I originally wrote about Kisui on this blog in 2007.  Two months ago I sat down with Setsuko for a proper interview and took some fresh pictures  for this month’s edition of Kyoto Visitors Guide.  As always and inevitably, quite a lot got left by the wayside during the editing process. However, this time I somehow felt more than a little dissatisfied with what finally went to press. I understand fully why those cuts were made. But the edited article seemed so average, and as this is one of my favorite places in Kyoto, I want to do it justice. Here for your reading pleasure are my original words, complete and uncut, and a few extra piccies too.
special-kisui-2
Here’s an idea for a pleasant afternoon in deep Kyoto. Take a stroll through the Gion district to Kenninji; Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple. Walk about the beautiful gardens and view the gorgeous artworks on display. Feel your jaw drop at the awesome beauty of the Junsaku Koizumi’s Twin Dragons installation. Then head south to Ebisu shrine. Say a prayer here to the guardian spirit of business and prosperity. Camera in hand, walk back up through Miyagawa-cho. This charming machiya lined street will give you a flavor of old Kyoto and is prime territory for Maiko spotting. Around six in the evening you will see many of the beautiful apprentice geisha hurrying off to their various engagements. By now it is evening, dusk has fallen, and your feet are tired after all that walking. Perhaps you fancy a bite to eat or maybe just a drink? I know just the place for you! This month Deep Kyoto recommends the bar Kisui and the izakaya style casual restaurant Mamoriya. [Read more…]

antighseinnse

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There’s a Scottish pub in north Kyoto named antighseinnse (a.k.a. Horie’s Bar). The name (pronounced “an ti shayn jay” I think) is Gaelic and means simply “Inn”. The owner Toshiyuki Horie named it after a favored pub on the isle of Islay in Scotland and still proudly wears a T-shirt celebrating “The best pub in Portnahaven”. Horie-san, a self-described whisky otaku or geek, visited Scotland out of his interest in Scottish whisky and there he fell in love with the scenery, culture and the warm and friendly people he met there. He went on to revisit Scotland every year over a ten year period. Now his pub is a celebration of Scottish culture and fine whisky. He also does some damn fine pub food. The menu is enormous and ranges from typical Scottish pub food (Guinness stew! Venison steaks!) to Korean dishes. Why Korean dishes? “If they’re tasty, why not?” says Horie-san. I recommend his hand made bespoke pizzas myself. Absolutely wonderful. Here are some pictures. Go to flickr for a closer look.

Horie-san himself is an entertaining fellow, and if you sit at the counter and he’s not too busy he can chat with you for hours on end. While we were there, he told us about his whisky tasting experiences, his travels in Scotland, and some of his amusing regular customers. He also gave us an fascinating talk about the relationship between Japanese sake in different regions, the local geography and how this affects the flavor and what food is best eaten with it. Whether sake or whisky, he is quite the expert on the culture of these beverages and it makes you realize what a shame it would be to unthinkingly knock the stuff back just to get drunk. Horie-san was kind enough to share with us a sip of 1965 Glen Grant on our last visit and together we shared our impressions of the changing flavor and aroma as this fine vintage whisky aired; hints of papaya, mango and then custard cream… Just like sipping history. This pub is a whisky specialty shop but also has a good range of beers on tap including Guinness (of course) but also that fine Japanese micro-brew Yona Yona real ale. It’s not far from Shimogamo Shrine and the Tadasu no mori woods, so if you happen to be sightseeing or rambling in the area it’s a nice spot for you to finish off your day with some good pub grub and a quiet drink. Horie’s bar is on the west side of Shimogamo Street, a little ways north of the bridge at Demachiyanagi. Here is a  map.

Opening hours:4:00 pm ~ 2:00 am
Tel: 075-723-6686

Related articles: Sheep’s Public Cafe
In Search of the Craic: A guide to Kyoto’s Irish pubs.

Sheep’s

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img_9538-mediumSheep’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 abandoned traditional British or Irish pub trappings in favour of their own relaxed cafe style. And though they do serve Guinness and chips, and Bass Pale Ale, they also have a large selection of very nice Belgian beers including some on tap. And why is it called Sheep’s? Well, the two handsome young fellas who run it, Sawano Takehiko and Yokoyama Naoki, were both born in the Year of the Sheep. Simple really.

Photos by mewby.

Takehiko worked for a time as a regular salaryman before jacking it in and getting a job in an Irish pub in Hirakata. Then he and Naoki opened up their own bar Sheep’s in September of 2007, doing a lot of the interior work, such as the wooden counter and flooring themselves. They have created a pub with a uniquely fresh and young feel to it. There is a screen opposite the bar on which you can watch the football (Takehiko is a keen supporter of Newcastle United).  And as of December 2008 there is also an art gallery in the basement, set up by a artist and neighbour Nika Feldman. The opening exhibition was not surprisingly a collection of works inspired by the theme: Sheep.
Photos by mewby.

Sheep’s is a nice spot for a quiet drink and a tasty bite to eat. You can find it on the east side of Higashioji Dori a short walk south of Marutamachi. Here is a map.
Open everyday: 16:00 ~ 3:00 (the gallery closes at midnight).
Tel: 075-334-5676

Many thanks to mewby for the photographs!

Related: In Search of … the Craic.
Next post: An upcoming music event at Zac Baran!

Zac Baran

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I first met Yoshida Koichi in the music bar Hawkwind. A shakuhachi player, he told me he plays in many styles, not just traditional, but jazz, folk, avant garde, new age, pretty much anything. In Hawkwind we were listening to some hip-hop. “How about this then?” I challenged him with a grin. And do you know, he stood up immediately, he played, and it was wonderful. I was very impressed (not least because he had obviously had a few). Koichi is still but a student of shakuhachi though, so he supports himself by working part-time at the jazz cafe, bar and diner Zac Baran. I decided to go and visit him there in the New Year.

Zac Baran, is listed in 新版 京都音楽空間 (Kyoto Music Spot Guide) as one of the “legendary places” of Kyoto. It first opened in 1977 during Kyoto’s jazz boom along with other great jazz cafes like Yamatoya and Lush Life.  Zac Baran is not so strict about the jazz as those other locations though.  In the entryway you will find a stash of over 2000 old vinyl records that includes blues and latin music and the current management are clearly not averse to a bit of rock guitar too. When I visited I found myself watching DVDs of The Police, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Nirvana on the big screen. Not what I was expecting! Among the succession of owners Zac Baran has had over the years, one was clearly a fan of the  Freak Brothers as their images are all over the walls.  I asked current owner Nakano Koji what kind of people come here now. “We get musicians, not so many salarymen… students from the nearby university… doctors and nurses from the nearby hospital…”
“And maybe a few patients too!” quipped regular customer Kikuchi Yousuke. He himself is a jazz pianist.  “Why don’t Koichi and I play a little something for you?” he said and so they gave an impromptu performance which you can see at the end of this post.  First here are some pictures to give you a flavour of the place:

The drinks menu here is reasonably priced. A draft beer will cost you ￥600. Spirits and cocktails cost between ￥600 – ￥750. They also have coffee and soft drinks. Food is cheap too and they have a big range of dishes to choose from (on an English menu!): pizza, curry, noodles, stir fries, quiche, etc. Live music events are frequent, and the space can be rented for parties. As for the atmosphere? It’s a dimly lit but friendly place in which to meet interesting and sometimes very talented people. Zac Baran means frank speech or straight talking, and that being its guiding principal, this is a place where you can relax and freely speak your mind.
Zac Baran is on the north side of Marutamachi a short walk east of Higashioji Dori. Here is a most convenient map. Open everyday 18:00 ~ 04:00.
Tel: 075-751-9748
Here’s that video for you: