16 Sunday Jun 2013
Tags
Asia, Golden Pavilion, Japan, Kinkakuji, Kyoto, Myoshinji, Ninnaji, Ryoanji, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years
Mr. Selfish and I visited the iconic Golden Pavilion (aka Kinkakuji), which is a Zen temple covered in gold leaf. Just like everything else in Kyoto, the temple has burned down several times during its history. This latest version of the Golden Pavilion was built in 1955.
13 Thursday Jun 2013
Posted in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto
Tags
Asia, Food & Drinks, Higashi-Honganji, Japan, Johnnie Hillwalker Tour, Kyoto, Kyoto Station, Nintendo, Nishi Honganji, Ramen, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years, Toyokuni Shrine
Back in 2010, Mr. Selfish and I went on the Johnnie Hillwalker tour of Kyoto. It’s a five hour walking tour taking you through the back streets of Kyoto. The tour starts at Kyoto station and ends in Higashiyama near Kiyomizu Temple. It was a fun walk and only cost about 2,000 yen per person. I highly recommend it.
This time around, we decided to primarily visit the same sights on our own. Our apartment was in Higashiyama so we did the tour backwards and ended at Kyoto Station. First, we went to Toyokuni Shrine, which was built in 1599. This Shinto shrine is dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was a famous warrior and general and was best known as being responsible for the restriction that only the samurai class could bear arms.
10 Monday Jun 2013
Tags
Asia, Japan, Kurama-dera, Kyoto, Mount Kurama, Selfish Years, Tengu, The Selfish Years, Yuki Shrine
Mr. Selfish and I decided to take a short day trip to Mount Kurama, which is about a half an hour train ride away from Kyoto. Mount Kurama is a mountain that is northwest to the city and is the birthplace of Reiki practice, which is a form of alternative medicine.
The most popular attraction on Mount Kurama is the Kurama-dera, which is a Buddhist temple. Apparently, Kurama-dera is quite popular with Japanese tourists since it has an aura of mystery and occult associated with it. In particular, it is still believed today that tengu and other mountains spirits live in the area. Tengu are mythical creatures with human and avian characteristics, which are often depicted with large noses.
09 Sunday Jun 2013
Posted in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto
Tags
Asia, Beef Cutlet, Beef Cutlet Sandwich, Food & Drinks, Hafuu, Inoda Coffee, Japan, Kobe Beef, Kyoto, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years, wagyu, wagyu beef, Wagyu Cutlet, Wagyu Cutlet Sandwich
After all of the controversy about Kobe beef not actually being Kobe beef in the States, Mr. Selfish and I decided to have some wagyu beef while in Kyoto. Wagyu beef is notoriously expensive. We decided to have some katsu wagyu beef sandwiches, which are a little less expensive but still a bit costly. We tried two place, and both were delectable.
First, we went to Hafuu (located at 471-1 Sasayacho, Nakagyoku, Kyoto), which was well-know for its wagyu takeout sandwiches. Each sandwich was 1,800 yen and completely worth it.
The beef was perfectly cooked and melted. The sandwich also had lettuce, tomatoes, and a heavenly sweet but savory sauce. It was as wagyu should be. I’ll be sad when we leave Japan and all we have our supposed “Kobe” beef.
07 Friday Jun 2013
Since Mr. Selfish and I were in Kyoto for three weeks, we wanted to visit some of the more obscure and difficult sights. The most expensive and most difficult to get into sight in Kyoto is the Moss Temple, which is also known as Saihoji Temple or Kokedera. Admission costs a whopping 3,000 yen (~$30 USD).
You can only visit the Moss Temple by mailing a special reply postcard requesting a reservation at least 7 days in advance. Your postcard should indicate: (1) your name and address, (2) the number of people in your party, and (3) the date(s) on which you are available to visit the temple. Your postcard should also include a stamped and self-addressed postcard, which the temple will return to you with your scheduled date and time. In Japan, you can request this type of special reply postcard at the post office; it is known as ofuku hagaki. The Moss temple’s address is: Saihoji Temple, 56 Jingatani-cho, Matsuo, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8286, Japan.
05 Wednesday Jun 2013
Tags
Asia, Japan, Katsuya Terada, Kyoto, Kyoto International Manga Museum, Manga, Manga Museum, Selfish Years, Sketchtravel, Sugar Sugar Rune, The Selfish Years
My good friend, Devon, recommended a temporary exhibit at the Kyoto International Manga Museum to me. I’m not really into manga (Japanese comics). However, due to a confluence of circumstances (proximity of the museum to an udon restaurant, the fact that Mr. Selfish’s sister was visiting, and the constant rain that day), we actually went to the manga museum.
Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the museum. The museum has three stories and is primarily a huge manga library. There were tons of locals, including families and couples, reading manga. The library section also contains an exhibit on the history of manga, which was quite well-done. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside. I did sneak a couple though.
03 Monday Jun 2013
Posted in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto
Tags
Asia, Coffee, Desserts, Efish, Food & Drinks, Ice Cream, Japan, Karafuneya, Kinako, Kyoto, Parfaits, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years
Mr. Selfish and I have quite a sweet tooth. We learned while in Kyoto that the Japanese also have an affinity for sweet desserts.
First, we went to Kinako (祇園きなな), which is located at Kyoto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Gion-machi Minami-gawa 570-119, for the best soy bean ice cream ever. It was quite simple but smooth and packed full of flavor. We also had Berry Berry Kinana parfait, which was visually pretty but had too many different components that were all competing with one another. I found the soy bean ice cream to be more than sufficient for my ice cream palate.
01 Saturday Jun 2013
Mr. Selfish and I decided to visit the Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle during our stay in Kyoto. We didn’t really know much Japanese history but it was still interesting to see the palace and the castle.
Apparently, in 1600, the Tokugawa Shogunate seized power and established a military government in what is now Tokyo. During this time period, the role of the emperor was largely symbolic since the shogun controlled foreign policy, the military, and feudal patronage. Although the government was in Tokyo, the shoguns still frequented Kyoto since it was home to the Imperial Court. Hence, the shoguns built Nijo Castle, which is quite close to the Imperial Palace.
Mr. Selfish and I toured the Imperial Palace first. You can only visit the palace through a tour, which is offered in English or Japanese. You have to bring your passport to the tour office and sign up. We were lucky in that we showed up about 20 minutes before an English tour was to begin and were able to join that tour.
31 Friday May 2013
Posted in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto
Tags
Asia, Chabuya, Chicken, Fukei, Japan, karaage, Kyoto, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years, yakitori
During our first trip to Japan, Mr. Selfish and I learned that Japanese food is quite diverse. We sampled yakitori, karaage, takoyaki, ramen, udon, soba, okonomiyaki, etc. Unfortunately, the majority of Japanese restaurants in the States only serve sushi and some form of teriyaki.
This post is dedicated to the wonderful chicken that we had in Kyoto, specifically the yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers) and karaage (deep fried chicken). I never knew that chicken could be so tender and delicious until I had it in Japan.
Our favorite yakitori place is called Chabuya (炭火焼鳥ちゃぶや), located at ３１０−３ Uradeyamacho. We ate here in 2010 with some locals and knew that we had to return during our selfish year. It is a small, unassuming place that is frequented by locals. Luckily, they have an English menu (though we never saw any other English speakers the two times we were there).
29 Wednesday May 2013
Tags
Asia, Eikando Temple, Ginkakuji, Japan, Kyoto, Nanzenji Temple, Philosopher's Path, Selfish Years, Silver Pavilion, Tenjuan Temple, The Selfish Years
When Mr. Selfish and I visited Japan in 2010, we fell in love with Kyoto and knew that we had to come back. We accordingly spent three wonderful weeks in Kyoto. The city has an astounding amount of places to visit – in fact, 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. Not surprisingly, we never ran out of things to see.
One of our favorite places in Kyoto was the Philosopher’s Path, which is a two-kilometer stone path that Nishida Kitaro, one of Japan’s most famous philosophers, supposedly walked every day to meditate. The path starts at Ginkakuji, which is also known as the Silver Pavilion, and ends at Nanzenji Temple.
The Silver Pavilion, for which admission is 500 yen, is not actually covered in silver. Its name was meant to contrast it from the Golden Pavilion, which is covered in gold. The Silver Pavilion is located next to a dry sand garden. Mr. Selfish and I sat and admired the view of the Silver Pavilion from the sand garden.
25 Saturday May 2013
Posted in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan
Tags
Asia, Food & Drinks, Fukuoka, Gyoza, Ichiran, Ippudo, Japan, Ramen, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tonkotsu, Yatai
Upon leaving Seoul, Mr. Selfish and I flew to Fukuoka, which is the sixth largest city in Japan and is located about 680 miles southwest of Tokyo. We had read online that tonkotsu ramen originated from Fukuoka and knew that we had to try it there.
Tonkotsu ramen is made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen for an extended period of time. The broth is typically thick and creamy. The first place we tried was Ichiran (1-2-22, Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka). Ordering your ramen at Ichiran is an interesting process devoid of all human contact. First, you pick what you want to order and pay for it at a vending machine.
23 Thursday May 2013
Posted in Asia, Food & Drinks, Seoul, South Korea
Tags
Asia, Chicken Noodle Soup, Fried Chicken, HanChu Fried Chicken, Myeongdong Dakhanmari, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea
Mr. Selfish and I certainly enjoyed the Korean food in Seoul. We loved the bulgogi, galbi, and bibimbap, but there was something missing – chicken. Specifically, we were on the hunt for Korean fried chicken, which is seasoned with many spices, including salt and sugar, prior to frying. We also learned that Korean chickens are different from the ones U.S. since they are typically smaller and have less protein. As a result, the chickens are usually fried whole and then chopped into smaller pieces. The fried chicken is then typically served with pickled radishes of some sort.
Mr. Selfish looked for the best Korean fried chicken places in town, and we decided to go to HanChu Fried Chicken, which was located at 549-9 Sinsa-dong. It wasn’t a fancy place but it sure was tasty.
22 Wednesday May 2013
Posted in Asia, Seoul, South Korea
Mr. Selfish and I visited Gyeongbokgung Palace during our five-day stay in Seoul. This palace is the largest of the five grand palaces in Seoul. It was first constructed in 1395 but since then, it has been burned and abandoned several times. It wasn’t reconstructed until 1867.
We enjoyed the reenactment of the royal guard outside the main gate (Gwanghwamun). Just like the guards at Buckingham Palace, they will remain still when you pose for a photo next to them.
21 Tuesday May 2013
Posted in Asia, Seoul, South Korea
Tags
Asia, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea, Trick Eye Museum, Trickeye Museum, trompe l'oeil
Mr. Selfish and I have posted our fair share of silly photos on this blog. This post is to rule over all of those photos. We went to the Trickeye Museum in Seoul, which is located at Seogyo Plaza B2, 357-1, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu. The museum uses the technique of trompe l’oeil to make masterpieces and other scenes into 3-D interactive photo opps.
The first part of the museum consists mostly of converted masterpieces.
19 Sunday May 2013
Posted in Asia, Food & Drinks, Seoul, South Korea
Tags
Asia, Bibigo, Bibimbap, Bulgogi, Food & Drinks, Galbi, Namsangol Sanchae Jip, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea, WooSung Galbi
Of the primary Asian cuisines, Mr. Selfish and I probably have the least amount of experience with Korean food. We didn’t officially become foodies until our time in Orlando, which does not have much of a Korean food scene. As a result, we knew that we had to maximize our time in Seoul and try as many Korean food as possible.
Bulgogi is grilled marinated beef, and it was listed as #23 on CNN Go’s list of the world’s most delicious food. The meat is typically marinated with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper. It is then grilled and served with lettuce and a dab of ssamjang (a thick spicy paste).
We ate bulgogi from a little restaurant across the street from the Westin hotel that I had discovered from a thread on Chowhound. The restaurant didn’t have an Internet presence otherwise and seemed to be called “Korean Restaurant.” It was quaint, had a great atmosphere with jazzy music, and had traditional real-wood grills for each table.
The Selfish Years 