Gion Matsuri
It’s that time of the year again when warmer days start to hum as Kyoto gears up for one of the biggest and important summer festivals in Japan – the Gion Matsuri. which starts and ends […]
0 Read MoreIt’s that time of the year again when warmer days start to hum as Kyoto gears up for one of the biggest and important summer festivals in Japan – the Gion Matsuri. which starts and ends […]
0 Read MoreI’m guessing it is around 15 years since I last visited Kurashiki, a small town in Okayama prefecture, famously centred around an attractive canal area lined with traditional store houses. I had very fond memories from our first meeting but the moment we re-met I noticed the marked increase in touristy shops. Which […]
0 Read More“Spending time in Kyoto with Jane gave me a deeper insight into the Japanese culture. The Japanese emphasis on beautiful presentation and how they represent nature and the seasons have been an almost subconscious influence on me. Because of Jane’s experience and network I had greater access […]
0 Read MoreThe good people of ABC Delicious Magazine have kindly allowed me to share the Global Flavours feature story I wrote and photographed for them a couple of years ago on Winter in Kyoto. (although some other clever person took this rare image of this vermillion bridge in the snow) If you […]
0 Read MoreAnother top notch Yakitori shop in Kyoto town but perhaps a little more upmarket than most. The eatery has a slightly more modern setting than your average Yakitori-ya and they do a few interesting takes on the chook theme. It is ALWAYS pumping so make a […]
0 Read MoreTankuma Kitamise Honten is a rather unassuming Kaiseki restaurant. It isn’t the fanciest looking Ryotei in Kyoto but their cuisine is pretty damn fine. I’ve eaten a lot of repetitive, lacklustre Kaiseki and to be honest I was expecting the same as I sat down to […]
2 Read MoreA snowy drive to a friend’s sake brewery followed by lunch in a wild foods restaurant in deepest Gifu prefecture. Mountain time. Take a look. Fascinated by sake stats. Thanks to my generous friend Kozaemon san the gang got the lowdown on the ins and outs […]
0 Read MoreI’ll keep this brief. Gion Karyo had potential to be, er, touristy being situated slap bang in the heart of Gion (for the uninitiated please think Geiko/Geisha and Maiko clip clopping down the cobblestones ). Only it wasn’t. Well not in the way you might expect. […]
0 Read MoreI love a good Yakitori joint and this is one of my favourites in Kyoto – it is also one of the hardest to get into. They have a large regular following and ideally you need to know someone who speaks Japanese who can book for you […]
4 Read MoreZenbu Zen takes you on a very personal ‘armchair’ escape to Kyoto, Japan with food and travel writer Jane Lawson. This book includes an informative, easy to read narrative with details about Japanese ingredients and plenty of authentic recipes. Plus the book is so beautifully […]
0 Read More
Luxury Japanese Cuisine & Culture Tours
Visit our online store of boutique and authentic Japanese homewares.