(1) Kyoto: Kaiseki dishes (Kitcho)
Take a look at the picture below. This artistic and beautiful dish is served by the famous classy restaurant called Kitcho whose base is in Kyoto. This type of haute cuisine is called “kaiseki dishes”, a traditional Japanese cuisine that developed from the art of tea ceremony. Since the city preserves traditional cultures, Kyoto is a desirable place to try kaiseki meals; Kitcho is a famous restaurant of high quality you can find in various districts of Kyoto. As is obvious in the picture, you will enjoy the dish not only by your tongue but also through your eyes.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/naophotos/4479057708/
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Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama
58, Susukinobaba-cho, Saga Tenryuji, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto
(2) Kyoto: Mame-mochi (Demachi Futaba)
A famous and popular Japanese sweet shop in Kyoto, which is worth waiting in line for. Here is a picture of what is called “Mame-Daifuku”, a confection made of sweet bean paste wrapped by mochi (rice cake) containing some small beans. In Kyoto, there is a small yet popular shop called Demachi Futaba, where customers line up to purchase Mame-Daifuku. Soft texture it has as well as sweet and salty taste of the bean will surely grab you through the stomach. Never hesitate to wait in a line. Again, it’s worth waiting.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rhosoi/3010010710/
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Demachi Futaba
236 Seiryu-cho, Demachi-dori Imadegawa-agaru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
(3) Osaka: Okonomiyaki (Mizuno)
Okonomiyaki is a popular Japanese dish which contains a variety of ingredients, often compared to a Japanese-style pancake. Made of flour, potato, shredded cabbage and meat, okonomiyaki is available eveywhere in Japan, but you have different types according to regions. Okonomiyaki is said to have its origin in Kansai region. The dish can be either cooked and served right in front of customers or they can cook by themselves on a special hotplate called Teppan. One of famous Okonomiyaki restaurants in Osaka is Mizuno, located in Dohtonbori district. Mizuno is a family-owned restaurant which doesn’t seat many at once but is also popular among international tourists. You have a lot of choices for toppings, so customize your okonomiyaki; in fact “okonomi” means “as you like” in Japanese! Try one while you are in Osaka.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mujitra/8978240868/
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Mizuno
1-4-15, Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
(4) Osaka: Kani Doraku (crab restaurant)
“Kani” is a Japanese word for “crab(s)” and “Doraku” means “indulgence”. As you can imagine, this restaurant called Kani Doraku is a heavenly place for crab lovers. Found in various places in Japan, Kani Doraku has its head store in the center of Osaka. You will find it very easily because of the giant model of a curb attached to the building of the restaurant (pictured below), thanks to which quite a few Japanese people know its name. There are tons of different dishes using carbs, for example, crab sashimi, boiled crabs, crab croquettes and so on. Whichever you pick up, you will definitely enjoy crab dishes because the crabs are kept fresh in the restaurant’s own aquarium.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/takumi412/1232139630/in
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Kani Doraku (Dohtonbori main restaurant)
1-6-18, Dotombori, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
(5) Nara: Nara Chameshi
You may like this delicious local dish found in Nara called Nara Chameshi. This is a specialty of Nara region, which comes with rice boiled in Japanese tea and soybeans in it. Traditionally it was popular among monks of temples in Nara, it became widespread among the public later on. One of good restaurants serving Nara Chameshi is Yuusui. This restaurant, located between Todaiji temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine, uses local rice and vegetable. Nara Chameshi is nutritious and yet tasty, so for those who care about health, you can’t miss it. Because Nara Chameshi is difficult to find outside Nara, I recommend you take advantage of being in Nara to go to the restaurant, but remember it is open only during the daytime.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/inucara/4555825854/in/
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Yuusui
158 Kasuganocho, Nara-shi, Nara
I listed up 5 restaurants to go to if you visit Kansai region. Some look gorgeous while others look affordable. It’s up to you to decide where to go. But, since all of them have anything to do with Japanese traditional cultures, whichever food you try, you are likely to feel Japan-like atmosphere from it.
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