Hiding from the Rain in the Kyoto International Manga Museum

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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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.

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Enjoying Desserts and Coffee in Kyoto

03 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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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.

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Yummy Yakitori and Karaage Craziness in Kyoto

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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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).

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Walking Along the Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto

29 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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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.