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”. 
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
One Night – Eight Bars.
A 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
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
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.
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
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
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 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
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 
“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:
Smoke Room
Why the name? Here’s the story as I understand it: the master here was formerly an antiques dealer, ordering a lot of goods from Europe, and one such item was the lovely frosted glass door now in the entrance. This originally belonged to an old 19th century smoking room in England, and thus Smoke Room. Originally Smoke Room was a zakka and antiques shop and there are still a variety of zakka type knick-knacks available here, but now Smoke Room is also a very pleasant cafe/bar. And the bar is well stocked with wines, whiskies, shochu, and a full range of cocktails. To complement the Belgian accessories on sale, they also stock some Belgian beers. And to complement the Belgian beers they have a good Belgian pub-style snack menu of sausages, hams and Belgian style fries. If you want something more substantial, steak, and various pasta dishes are also on offer.
Or you could just go for a quiet cup of coffee for ￥５００．It’s a small place with a very distinctive atmosphere and um, handsome bar-tenders. Check out the photos below.
Smoke Room is on the north side of Nijo, a short walk east of Kawabata Dori. Closed on Sundays the opening hours are 17:00 ~ 24:00 (last orders at 23:00 for food and 23:30 for drinks). Here is a map. Check out their funky website here.
Tel/Fax: 075-761-5650
In my next post: Salut Ya and some very tasty sandwiches…
Hawkwind
Just around the corner from cafe Zanpano, is the music bar Hawkwind. Here the drinks are reasonably priced and the regular customers are very easy to talk to. Step inside and a friendly little spaniel by the name of Ruby will trot over to say hello. Taako-san runs the bar (and looks after Ruby) and he’s quite friendly too. Previously, there was another bar in this location named “Rose Garden” and as a regular customer of that bar himself, Taako-san decided to keep the old sign up outside as a kind of tribute. So why did he change the name at all? Well, his customers asked him to, and so he chose the name of his favorite band of classic British space rockers. His musical tastes are not confined to rock though, so if you come here be prepared for any genre – even enka. As Taako is a musician himself (he plays drums for local band Drillman among others), you can often meet musicians or music-lovers here, but a lot of local people and university students come here too. It’s quite a mix and a good place to make new friends and practice your Japanese. I would recommend bringing a Japanese speaking friend if your own language skills are not up to scratch. Having said that, when I asked Taako-san how he would feel about people coming who spoke no Japanese whatsoever he grinned broadly and said it was no problem, and some customers can speak English too so you may be ok. A note for beer lovers: they have Heartland on tap for ￥600 a glass. And for those who wish to give their liver a rest they also have non-alcoholic beer in a bottle. Below are some pictures, you can click through to flickr for a closer look.
To find Hawkwind head north on Higashioji Dori, past Hyakumanben and past Mikage Dori until you get to the Eiden railway line. Turn right here and you should see the Moto-Tanaka station a little ahead of you on the left. Look up to your right and you should see the sign for “Rose Garden”. It is in fact Hawkwind and you can find it on the second floor. If you see a big blue sign for Cafe Weekenders you have gone too far. Here is a most convenient map.
Opening hours are 8:00 pm ~ 2:00 am. Closed on Tusedays. Tel: 090-3650-1492
Bar 探偵
Here’s a quirky little place that’s worth a mention. Bar 探偵 (“Tantei” or “Detective”) opened up here in Sakyoku last month just across the road from the “Flying Keg” specialist beer emporium. Built to celebrate hard-boiled detective movies of the 1930s, the interior of the establishment has been carefully fashioned in the style of an old Japanese kissaten, and the music is strictly of the 1930s boogie-woogie era. The master Hayashi-san speaks English fluently, a fact I discovered when he invited me to discover this bar’s little secret. “Push any book in the bookcase,” he told me and I did, and to my absolute joy it swung back to reveal… a hidden room! Here he has installed a mini-cinema (seats about 6), where he plans to conduct screenings of old classic detective movies from the 1930s. The hidden room, which has a distinct nautical feel to it (not sure why), is also equipped with an old-style ship’s communication system, i.e. a long brass speaking tube which extends back to the bar and through which you can place your orders. Wonderful stuff! Here are some pictures (apologies for their wonkiness – I was excited).
Draft beer (Lowenbrau) is ￥600 a glass and cocktails ￥700. Shochu and soft drinks (and curry apparently) are also available. Bar 探偵 is open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from six in the evening till midnight. To find it go west from Higashioji Dori on Mikage Dori and it’s on the north side of the road. It is but a short walk from the Moto-Tanaka Eiden station (one stop from Demachiyanagi) or the Moto-Tanaka bus stop is even closer. Here’s a handy map.
Tel: 075-334-5418
Chigaihouken
治外法権 (“Chigaihouken” literally “Extraterritorial Rights”) is a 34 year old rock bar hidden away in one of the alleys between Kiyamachi and Kawaramachi. The original and best rock bar in Kyoto, Chigaihouken is a bar for those who know that real men wear very very tight trousers and have their hair in long feathered perms. It’s for those of us who want to hear rock music so loud it’s a crime against humanity. For those of us who know that the amps should go all the way up to eleven and who don’t consider it a good night unless they walk away with a mild case of tinnitus. If like me you consider bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Van Halen and White Snake (yes! White Snake!) to be Gods (probably Norse) walking among men, then this is the place for you. All other so-called rock bars are but mere imitations (you can actually hear your own voice in those places – imagine!). For ear-shattering machine-gun bending-the-laws-of-the-space/time- continuum rock – come to Chigaihoken! Here are a few (slightly tipsy) pictures:
To find Chigaihouken walk north on Kawaramachi and take the first alleyway on your right after the Bal departement store. Chigaihouken is on your right about halfway down the alley in the same building as “Transistor Radio” and “Blue Note”.
Tel: 075-231-6049
Open everyday: 8:00 pm ~ 6:00 am
You can find a map on the bar’s website here: LINK.
Rokuyousha
Listed in the “Kyoto Music Spots” guide book (京都音楽空間
1F Open every day 9:00 AM ~ 11:00 PM
BF Cafe open 12:00 PM ~ 6:00 PM / Bar open 6:00 PM ~ 12:00 AM (Closed on Wednesdays)
1F Tel: 075-221-3820
BF Tel: 075-241-3020
A limited English menu is available.
Kisui
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!
The name Kisui (器酔) could be translated as “vessel intoxication”. You see, what’s intoxicating about this bar is not just the booze. Every drink here is served in a beautifully decorated earthenware cup, hand-made and hand-painted by the bar-keeper Setsuko’s own fair hand. These are kyouyaki; traditional Kyoto ceramics, and in addition to the cups there are other wares on display that you can buy if you take a fancy to them. And in addition to the handicrafts, and the flowing beer, there is also Setsuko’s friendly smile and happy conversation. Who could resist?
Tel: 075-561-4746
075-561-4746
18:00 ~ 24:00
Closed on Sundays.
To find Kisui, go south on Kawabata from Shijo, Kisui is on the corner of the next road you come to on your left. (Setsuko’s brother also runs an izakaya style restaurant on the second floor that I haven’t been to but Setsuko-san says that the turtle-soup is very very good indeed.) Here is a map. And here are a few more pictures for you. Click through to flickr for a closer look.
BAR Cafezinho
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Bar Cafezinho owes its existence to it’s owner’s love of Brazilian music; Samba, Bossa Nova and Pagode. A cafe during the day and a bar come evening, Bar Cafezinho’s strongest point is the cheap cheap menu. You can get good, strong, Brazilian coffee at only ￥２００ a cup and the whisky here is also remarkably cheap at roughly half the price you’ll find elsewhere. Here’s my lunch; a vegetarian coconut curry (spicy! spicy!) for ￥５５０ and Cafe Com Leite at ￥２００:
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Here are some more items off the menu:
All coffee: ￥２００
Beers Draft (Small): ￥３００ (Medium): ￥４５０ (Large): ￥５００
Heineken: ￥400 Guinness: ￥450 Corona: ￥500
Cocktails: ￥３８０
Whiskies and Bourbons ~ from ￥３５０
Early Times: ￥350
Jack Daniels / Black Bush / Johnnie Walker: ￥400
A Glass of Wine (red or white): ￥350
Snacks: ￥200 – ￥300
An extensive range of sandwiches (large) at ￥280
Pilaf: ￥500 Dry Curry: ￥500
Brazilian Garlic Steak: ￥1000
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There’s no table service here, so order your meal at the counter and remember to return your dishes when you have finished. Bar Cafezinho is open from 9:00 am ~ 22:00 pm. On Saturdays they have a Samba jam session that anyone can join from 17:00 pm. To find it walk west of Shimogamo Hondori on Kitaoji Dori and watch out for a Brazilian flag on your left. It’s right opposite the great big red “Lucky” pachinko monstrosity on the north side of the road. Tel: 075 712 5477
Below is a map:
The Flying Keg
UPDATE October 2010: I was very sad to learn recently that this fine establishment has now closed.
The Flying Keg is a superb beer emporium on the crossroads of Mikage Dori and Higashioji Dori. Literally, hundreds of delicious beers are on offer from over 25 different countries, all of which have been personally tasted by the owner (wow!). And because he knows his stock so well, he can make astute recommendations if you are not sure what you fancy. Each beer of course, comes with it’s own designated glass, which in the case of banana flavored, and delightfully named, “Mongozo” is a kind of gourd:
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Here’s a picture of myself and a Tripel Karmeliet from Belgium. Lovely.
The Flying Keg is a quiet relaxing place to enjoy a few quiet ones. It is also, in a radical departure from the norm here in Japan, a non-smoking bar. The reasoning being that tobacco fumes might impair the tasting process. And “hear, hear!” to that I say. Now just look at the range of tastes to choose from. Ah, tis a beautiful thing:
For those drinkers not interested in beers, there is also an impressive range of wines and whiskies which will cost you a whole lot less than they would in downtown Kiyamachi. To find The Flying Keg, head north on Higashioji Dori past Hyakumanben, till you get to Mikage Dori, go west and it’s a few steps further on your left. The nearest station is the Moto-Tanaka stop on the Eiden line or you can take buses ２０６・３１・６５ to the Moto-Tanaka stop. Here are some maps: Maps
Tel: 075-701-0245
Opening Hours: 19：00～0：30 (Till 1:00 a.m. on weekends)
Closed on Sundays