Zenbu Blog
Nijo Castle in Winter
Naturally I’m rather fond of Japanese architecture but for some reason traditional buildings of the castle variety have never really grabbed me… Nijo Castle is different. For one… it’s not your A-typical castle. It isn’t a wedding cake perched high on a hill overlooking the town, […]
ZENBU HOME
Dear Friends, We’ve finally opened our little dream store – an online shop selling beautiful Japanese things we’ve collected during our travels through Japan. ZENBUHOME.COM It’s rather small (yet sweet!) at the moment.. Stunning vintage, 100% silk Kimono – all handmade and absolutely divine to wear […]
Naoshima
It had reached the point of embarrassment. The business of ‘not yet’ having visited the ‘art island’ of Naoshima. Many of my clients had made the trip and raved, or were seeking my advice on a regular basis… ‘what’s it like?’ ‘when’s the best time to go?’ ‘where should […]
Catching up with myself…
Well it seems like light years since I published my last blog post here. Things became just a little bit crazy leading up to the 2017 winter tours…. In the latter part of 2016 I’d sold my flat, finished building a new home, slipped in a secret wedding, […]
Breakfast in Kyoto…tbc…
Locals generally eat breakfast at home in Kyoto -town so unless you are staying in a hotel, ryokan or an apartment a sit down breakfast, like you might be used to in your own country, can be difficult to find. There are a few boulangerie and fast […]
Red, White and Black Japan
Last week I was blissing out on all the calming green of Kyoto and this week I’m seeing RED. Red, white and black that is. Dramatic, graphic, striking and stimulating. In Japanese culture the colour red represents energy and lifeforce ( it also wards off evil spirits […]
Cafe Bibliotec Hello
From the moment I found this cafe I wondered why I’d waited so long to visit… truth is it seemed so well established on the Kyoto cafe circuit that I figured I’d look elsewhere. In most countries this wouldn’t be my first reaction to a much […]
Tonyu Ramen
Hunger + Frosty Kyoto day = a deep bowl of brothy noodles In this case – soy milk ramen. And this ain’t your average soy milk – this is freshly ‘squeezed’ soy milk made by grinding pre-soaked (in pristine Kyoto mountain water) dried local (high quality […]
Anzukko Gyoza
Usually when I’m in Kyoto long term I stay in an apartment but this particular trip was a shorty so it was all about hotel life (5 of ’em to be precise!). Being slap bang in the centre of town this time it was easy to […]
Going gluten-free in Japan ?
A couple of years ago one of my clients contacted me about coming along on one of my Japanese cuisine and culture tours. She was keen to join us but was concerned as she is coeliac. To be honest I was a little worried too… how the heck was […]
