The Capital City Of Japan
KYOTO Jour na l
4
DAYS IN KYOTO
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FAMOUS FOODS
KYOTO
I
n 794, Kyoto (then known as Heian-kyō) was chosen as the new seat of Japan’s imperial court. The original city was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinese feng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capital of Chang’an. The Imperial Palace faced south, resulting in Ukyō (the right sector of the capital) being on the west while Sakyō (the left sector) is on the east. The streets in the modern-day wards of Nakagyō, Shimogyō, and Kamigyō-ku still follow a grid pattern. The emperors of Japan ruled from Kyoto in the following eleven centuries until 1869, when the court relocated to Tokyo. The city was devastated during the Ōnin War in the 15th century and went into an extended period of decline, but gradually revived under the Tokugawa shogunate (1600–1868) and flourished as a major city in Japan. The modern municipality of Kyoto was established in 1889. The city was spared from large-scale destruction during World War II and as a result, its prewar cultural heritage has mostly been preserved.
Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto
THE SOUL OF
JAPAN
Higashiyama is named for the Eastern Mountains that form a natural green eastern border along Kyoto’s great city basin. The Higashiyama district of stone streets is best explored on foot, from Kiyomizu-dera Temple to the south, along historic stone-paved Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka slopes lined with traditional shops, and past the iconic 5-story wooden Yasaka Pagoda. The cobblestone Nene-no-michi, a street named for Nene, the influential samurai wife of powerful warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, leads past Kodai-ji Temple, which was built by Nene as a Buddhist nun after her husband’s death. Stone roadways continue into Yasaka-jinja, a 7th-century Shinto shrine that hosts the extravagant Gion Matsuri, a historic festival held each July, and dating back over a thousand years.t Further north from Yasaka Shrine and the adjoining Maruyama Park, laid out by the seventh-generation landscape gardener Ogawa Jihei VII and known for its remarkable cherry trees, the streets are quieter, passing below the monumental Sanmon Temple Gate of Chion-in and the 800-year-old camphor trees of Shorenin Temple to the east. The nearby Shirakawa River offers a gracefully curving route to follow, partially bordered with willow trees that trail delicate branches in the swift, clear water, and crossed by numerous footbridges leading to winding stone alleyways lined with traditional machiya townhouses of uniquely subdued Kyoto architecture. It requires grace and stamina to brave the steep stone streets of Higashiyama in silk kimono and wooden okobo sandals. Chochin paper lanterns brighten the early evening at Yasaka-jinja, a venerable shrine with a history dating to 656. The village- like garden complex behind Inoda Coffee features fine traditional architecture. The company’s respected coffee heritage dates to 1947. A monk in takuhatsugasa hat, indigo robe, and straw sandals strides uphill, bound for the temple grounds of Kiyomizu-dera. A trinity of maiko proceed undaunted in broad daylight.
KYOTO
4-DAY ITINERARY
Here’s what you should be getting up to during the three precious days you have in Kyoto.
Kyoto itinerary day 1-2
Kyoto itinerary day 3-4
Kiyomizudera Temple
Pontocho Alley
If the weather is good on the day you visit, be sure to climb the hillside to take advantage of the wonderful views.
It’s lined with shops and restaurants and is a strictly pedestrian-only area. This gives it a vibrant atmosphere.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
The best thing to do is to walk the entire path, it only gets more beautiful and less crowded as you make your way along the path of Toriis.
Standing amongst soaring bamboo stalks gives you a feeling like no other. It’s almost other-worldly.
Hokanji Temple Pagoda
Tenryuji Temple
Watching the sunset from the streets around this beautiful building is an absolute treat and the perfect way to end off your first day in Kyoto.
It’s one of the most beautiful of the city’s zen temples which makes it well worth the visit. It’s intricately landscaped gardens are a stunning asset to the temple.
Gion Neighbourhood
Arashiyama Monkey Park
Indulge in delicious food as you stroll around the neighbourhood made up of very cute, little streets and sideroads perfect for a day of exploring.
The Arashiyama Monkey Park is a sanctuary for wild Japanese Macaque monkeys. It’s a beautiful and lush area making the experience all the more enjoyable.
Nishiki Market
Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple
Nishiki Market is the perfect place to stop for lunch as you explore the fascinating market. It’s a narrow street that extends for 5 blocks and is home to over 100 stalls, shops and restaurants.
This zen temple in northern Kyoto is a pretty impressive golden temple with beautiful gardens. The top two floors of this pavilion are covered in gold leaf, giving it the incredible colour.
MUST SEE ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS
The exquisite art of simple food.
3
You’ll Find In Kyoto
FAMOUS FOODS
Delicious, Healthy Winter Food of Japan
YUDOFU
I
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“Hot tofu”
n Japan, tofu is not a meat or dairy replacement. It’s just a regular food that regular people eat and hardly anyone there is vegetarian. The very best way to experience tofu is at a yudofu restaurant in Kyoto. Yudofu was born in Kyoto out of shojin ryori, which is the vegetarian cuisine originally derived from the dietary restrictions of Buddhist monks. Specialty yudofu restaurants were founded near the Nanzenji temple around 1635 and some are still there today. You sit down (on mats) to a set meal which starts with a few small dishes made out of various types of tofu.
t is the ultimate, simplest tofu dish that allows you to enjoy the natural flavors of tofu. The ingredients are just tofu, water, kelp, and a dipping sauce. It is also a healthy, lowcalorie dish which contains protein and all eight essential amino acids. It is super easy to make yudofu! It’s cooked quickly and warms you up on a cold day of winter! Tofu is made of curdled soy milk, pressed into blocks in a process similar to making cheese. It is a good source of protein and a staple of Japanese cuisine. Tofu is an especially important ingredient in vegetarian Buddhist temple cuisine (shojin ryori).
“In any case, tofu, water and kelp are the only ingredients, but they all must be of good quality. Particularly, good water is an absolute necessity, and therefore the ones from Kyoto are renowned.”
“Conger eel rice bowl, baked with a sauce, put on rice and eat.”
HAMO “Conger eel”
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W
The eel’s nature is as fierce as its teeth and hamo have been known to bite the finger of an unwary chef even after it has had its throat cut. It is this strong life force that has made hamo a part of Kyoto’s culture – it was strong enough to last the long.Ư
It is also used to make fish cakes and imitation crab, uses where the bones can be strained out. The photo specimens, from Vietnam, were about 2 inches thick by 2-1/2 inches high. This fish has no scales so is not kosher.
he spikey-toothed hamo (conger eel) is not an easy character to deal with. Small bones run along the length of its slender body. To make it edible, chefs place halfcuts into the filleted flesh – 24 cuts within each three-centimeter span. Hamo can be boiled or grilled, deep fried, even served as shabu-shabu or in a nabe stew.
hile this Indo-West Pacific eel can grow to 7 feet, it is commonly about 3 feet long. Though it is very expensive to prepare and bland in taste, hamo is very popular around Kyoto, Japan. In ancient times it was one of very few fish tough enough to survive a multi-day journey to the inland capital. It is shot full of bones and cannot be de-boned.
“Even today, hamo remains a must-have dish during Kyoto’s Gion Festival in August.”
TSUKEMONO (Japanese pickles)
“Pickles at Nishiki Market, a famous spot in Kyoto.”
Long, long before the first refrigerator was created, Japan was preserving its vegetables by pickling them in salt. When Kyoto became the nation’s capital in 794, various items from all over Japan began to be brought to Kyoto and the imperial court. Local artisans worked to further enhance these products, thus creating a broad range of Kyoto crafts, one of which is tsukemono.
Senmaizuke literally means the “thousand sheet pickle.” Big, round Shogoin turnips are cut into slices just one millimeter thick and pickled together with konbu kelp. Sugukizuke uses a different kind of turnip called sugukina. The production of this small-headed, long-leafed turnip has been strictly controlled for well over...
By: Võ Thị Thanh Trúc GVHD: Cô Lê Giang Lớp: D2009L2