Savouring the Tea Capital of Japan - Uji

A fellow traveler once asked my wife what her favorite Japanese town was, and her answer was firm and simple -- Uji. Uji? Though the traveler had spent several years living in Japan, he hadn't even heard of it. I guess that's just how underrated as a tourist destination it is, especially to foreigners.

To the Japanese though, Uji is famous for several things -- World Heritage temples, Tales of Genji, but mostly, its ancient tradition of growing the finest green tea. Oh, and delectable desserts and great scenery too. By the end of this article, you too will see why this is my wife's favorite Japanese town.

So where the heck is Uji?

Uji is a small city just south of Kyoto along the Uji-gawa river, just 20 minutes away from Kyoto Station, or an hour from Osaka by rapid trains. So if you're going to Kyoto or Osaka, it is within striking distance for a day-trip.



But forget day-trips. I would highly recommend spending a night in Uji if you can afford the time by any means, which would give you the opportunity to explore the beautiful riverbanks in the serenity of the early morning. In fact this was the only time that we were able to have the entire stretch of the river to ourselves, as the armies of domestic tourists (High School students again!) started to move in around 9 AM.



It was just a magical morning, with the river taking on a scenic quality akin to the upper Danube or China's Guilin. From traditional wooden houses along the banks to the row of little riverboats to the sun breaking through the morning mist ... this river scenery was as peaceful as I had ever seen, and it was only 20 minutes from cosmopolitan Kyoto.



These are tour boats which you may hire at any time of the year, but during the summer they serve the special purpose of taking tourists to see the ancient tradition of Ukai, commonly known as cormorant fishing. No longer economically viable in most rivers, this ancient practice of using trained cormorants for fishing is preserved in a handful of locations in China and Japan, mainly due to interest from the tourism industry.

In Japan only a dozen of such locations remain, which is yet another reason to visit Uji, if you happen to be visiting in the summer. For about 1800 yen (CAD$18) you can join a one-hour tour of the river in a flat-bottom boat, complete with a close-up demonstration of Ukai and a chat with the master fisherman ... in Japanese of course. Each cormorant is controlled by the fishermen through a rope attached to the snare at the bottom of its neck, which prevents the bird from swallowing the fish ... well that's what the brochure says anyway. We didn't get the chance to see it since we visited in mid May, and the fishing season wouldn't start until mid June.


The 2008 Ukai season ran from June 14 to Sept 28 at 7 PM every evening, except for last-minute cancellations due to heavy rain. Reservation is required, but that's easy if you're staying at one of the hotels or Ryokans in town (your host should be happy to make the reservation for you). The schedule changes slightly every year, but if you're visiting the Kansai region from mid June to September, this is another great reason to visit Uji.



Let's continue with our morning walk. There are two charming little islands in the middle of the river, accessible via several little bridges along both shores, and famous for some old battle (actually it's Minamoto Yoshitsune's first battle, if you're a fan of NHK's TV drama series "Yoshitsune") and a 15 metre tall stone pagoda from the 13th-Century. Once every few hundred years a great flood would topple the pagoda and the locals would need to unearth and reassemble its sections, so this must be something they hold dearly. But the really cool thing was that it's part of the great view from our room's balcony in the traditional Ryokan -- more about that later in this article.

But the REALLY famous attraction of Uji, the one known to every school child in Japan, is the Byodo-in temple immortalized at the back of the ubiquitous 10-yen coin. This is what the coin looks like, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.



And this is the real thing:


When you take out a coin and it looks exactly like the object in front of you, you know you're looking at a National Treasure of some sort. It's not only some National Treasure, but also included as part of Kyoto's UNESCO World Heritage Site and has become world famous. To the Japanese it is the most elegant symbol of Buddhist architecture, perfectly symmetrical and adorned all-around with intricate wood and metal carvings of priceless importance. This must be the ideal demonstration of the tranquility of Buddhist paradise on earth right?

Would you believe me if I tell you that I had to fight through an army of hundreds of zealous high school students just to take this one picture? And wait 15 minutes in the process while each student grabs a few different friends and strike three different poses while making the "V" sign? Unfortunately this is the reality of the most popular tourist sights in Japan -- and you will most likely endure the same.

But that's okay, you have to expect lineups in most countries when visiting the top sights. I'm just warning readers not to expect the same kind of peacefulness in the photo.



Most of the original carvings have been moved a few steps to the humidity-regulated new exhibition hall, where you can see the thousand-year-old artwork up-close and buy some good prints and souvenirs. For an extra 300 yen (CAD$3), you can enter the main Phoenix Hall in a guided (Japanese-language) tour where you can get close enough to touch and feel the ancient wood structure and see some of the painstakingly restored artwork.

And close enough to see THE bronze Phoenix at the top ... did I mention that the Phoenix is ALSO immortalized on the back of the 10000 yen bank note (see its picture at Japan's National Printing Bureau)? And the Japanese students around me were taking money out of the wallet and comparing it to the statue. That's just how famous the Byodo-in is to the Japanese.



There is one other equally ancient but lesser known structure of World Heritage fame -- the oldest existing Shinto shrine Uji-kami Jinja. Not as visually impressive, but entrance is free, it's open 24 hours, and it's much quieter than the bustling Byodo-in.


And since it's open 24 hours, we visited at 7 AM in the morning when we almost had the entire shrine complex to ourselves, barring one or two devoted worshipers.


But there is one other aspect of Uji that is perhaps more famous than even the Byodo-in, a term synonymous with the name "Uji" in the Japanese language -- green tea. You can find Uji-cha in 500mL bottles and Uji Matcha flavored candy, biscuits or ice-cream at any 7-Eleven convenient store anywhere in Japan. One of Japan's favorite summertime desserts, the Uji-Kintoki, is Uji Matcha shaved ice paired with sweet Azuki beans from Kintoki. It's so popular I've even seen Uji-Kintoki flavored Kit-Kat. Being a tea-drinker, upon arrival I told myself that I MUST bring home some quality fine tea worthy of the Uji name.

Now these aren't your typical neighbourhood tea shops -- many of the traders have existed for HUNDREDS of years and have been selling their quality tea to a very elite clientelle, century after century. But no shop is as prestigious as the venerable Kanbayashi, a 500-year-old tea trader and former supplier to the Shogun and the Imperial Court of Japan. The old Kanbayashi residence had been converted into the Uji-Kanbayashi Memorial House, exhibiting various tea-related artifacts and antique porcelain tea bowls.


Nowadays there are several vendors claiming to be the successor to the Kanbayashi name, all conveniently located on the main tourist street (Byodo-in Omotesando), 2 minutes walking distance from the Byodo-in. You don't need to be the Shogun to shop here -- just expect to pay a bit more than at the neighboring shops.


And inside the stores you can see a demonstration -- well actually not a demonstration, but the real process of how steamed tea leaves are ground into Matcha powder. I'll leave it to your imagination of how the wonderfully refreshing aroma of fine tea permeates the store.


While doing our price comparison we walked into another one of these antiquated tea stores -- this one was a little newer, at 180-years-young, and gave us the best service. A lone female staff greeted us, ushered us to sit down, and served us cups after cups of several of their best-selling teas. One of them was the exact taste we had been looking for -- strong, fragrant, not too acidic, and with a pronounced aftertaste. She didn't tell me that it was this year's Hatsutsumi (first-pick), the youngest, greenest leaves collected in springtime's first picking and naturally one of the more expensive items in the store. Crap! Now the salesperson had me hooked on the good stuff!


It turned out to be something like 2310 yen (CAD$23) for 70 grams (33 yen per gram), which would last about 8 small pots. There were other quality teas to choose from, such as these ones selling at 10 to 20 yen per gram, but now I knew I couldn't go back to the regular stuff ... oh well, I can afford $25 for good tea, but I had to make a mental note to myself that if I ever find myself in Bordeaux ...



Of course, we couldn't leave Uji without trying some of the famous Matcha-infused desserts. One of the cheaper options would be the "double Matcha" softserve ice-cream at a roadside bench. Smooth, strong and bitter-sweet, needless to say it was among the best softserve ice-creams I've ever had.

And this was just the beginning.


Food Review: NAKAMURA TOKICHI CAFE (Uji)
Address: Uji-shi Uji-Ichiban 10-Banchi
Hours: Daily 11:00-18:30 (According to Official Site, 2008)
Website/Map: http://www.tokichi.jp
Directions: Easy. Exit the JR Uji train station, ignore the main road parallel to the train tracks, and you'll see a little street perpendicular to the main road straight ahead. Walk closer and you'll see the store curtain in the picture below, almost visible straight from the train station entrance. It's that close.


This has to be one of the most beautiful traditional store fronts I've seen in Japan -- the century-old entrance to the famous tea merchant and confectionist Nakamura Tokichi.

Matcha desserts are a must for any visit to Uji, and if you want a safe bet there are two well-celebrated Japanese dessert cafes to choose from. Ito Kyuemon is located near the Keihan Uji train station on the North side of the river. Nakamura Tokichi has two branches, the flagship branch being a stone's throw from the JR train station, and a second branch right on the main tourist street of Byodo-in Omotesando. Both confectionists have been around for at least 150 years and you really can't lose with either choice.

At the end we chose Nakamura Tokichi's main branch, mainly because it's a quick 100-metre dash to catch our train.


This is the most popular creation of the Tokichi cafe -- in fact as we looked around more than half of the clientelle was having this same item -- and it was very simply the best dessert I've ever had. It was a medley of the richest, creamiest, most flavorous Matcha ice-cream, a strong and slightly bitter Matcha jelly, sweet Azuki beans and Shiratama rice-flour balls, served in a frozen bamboo container. It was the most heavenly 720 yen (CAD$7.2) I have ever spent. I think it's simply called "Matcha Jelly", if you plan on ordering the same.


Yum ... but too much fusion desserts already and I didn't want to leave without a cup of genuine Uji Matcha. So we ordered the Usu-cha ("weak" Matcha) which was already an overwhelmingly strong tea ... I can only imagine what the strong version would taste like. As usual a small piece of traditional dessert came with the Matcha to balance its bitterness, this time a wonderful Matcha-flavored Yokan (bean jelly). Original price was 480 yen (CAD$4.8) but they would take 100 yen off any drink when ordered along with a dessert item.


A wonderful place for desserts or a light lunch (they also serve simple rice dishes and Matcha-infused udon noodles) while waiting for the next train. I have no reservations for recommending this cafe -- we have very fond memories of the top quality desserts here.

Bill for Two Persons

Matcha Jelly	720 yen
Matcha Jelly	720 yen
Usu-cha Matcha	380 yen
TOTAL	1820 yen (CAD$18.2)

Hotel Review: RYORI-RYOKAN AISO (Uji)
Address: Uji-shi Uji-Tonokawa 3
Price: 7350 yen per person per night including Dinner + Breakfast;
Japanese-style tatami-room without private bathroom
Website/Map: http://www.wao.or.jp/aiso/
How To Book: Through the email address listed on official website
Directions: From the JR Uji train station, walk East towards the Byodo-in temple (ask people along the way -- just say Byodo-in and anyone can point you in the right direction). From Byodo-in's front gate, keep walking along the riverbank for another two minutes. When you see a little house built leaning right on top of the river on your left, that is Aiso's restaurant, and the building on your right is the Ryokan.


If you're want the most authentic Japanese experience at a reasonable price in your trip to Kansai, or anywhere in Japan even, this is a good place to start -- a traditional Ryokan right on the Uji-gawa river bank, 2 minutes walk from the centre of Uji's tourist attractions, spacious Tatami-mat rooms and comes with a nice traditional dinner and breakfast. 7350 yen (CAD$74) per person per night is a bargain in Kansai according to my experience -- just compare with the Ryokan pricing at neighboring Kyoto.



There were only two groups of guests that evening, the other group being a single guest (more about him later), and the two of us were given this huge 12 Tatami-mat room with a balcony overlooking the river. Everything in the room was as conventionally Japanese as it comes -- fluffy down-filled futons, a low table with snacks and tea, a small crappy TV from the 1980's, Yukatas (casual robes) to change into, and most importantly air-conditioning.


And of course all snacks we came across in Uji must be tea-flavored. Here it was glutinous rice-balls flavored with Matcha, Sencha, and Hojicha.

As in most traditional Ryokans the bathrooms and toilets are shared among guests, but that's not a problem here given the small scale of this Ryokan. Each guestroom is assigned a private time for bathing -- it's rather usual for guests staying in the same room to bathe together (ie.husband-wife, mother-daughter, father-son, close friends of the same sex etc) but you don't have to. Just lock the door. Simple.


What about the food you ask, and was it worth the extra cost compare to staying at 7000-yen-per-double-room business hotels? Aiso calls itself a "Ryori-Ryokan", or gourmet-inn, so the profitability of their business has a certain degree of dependency on the quality of the food they serve. Guests would justifiable expect better food compared to other run-of-the-mill Ryokans. So, let's start examining the dinner and see if they live up to their name.

It's not an extravagant Kaiseki type meal -- we had the option of paying another 2000 yen per person for that and we chose not to -- but a simpler meal at the same quality (ie.same chefs) as the Kaiseki meals they serve. Everything inside this Kago-mori (assorted dishes in a basket) first course was very good, especially the simmered Ayu (sweet fish) as it was my first time having this savory, mildly fragrant fish. That time of the year (mid May) was supposed to be the best season for Ayu, when early spring's new hatchlings mature into young adults ... but I never had Ayu before so I can only recommend you to try it yourself.


And remember the cormorants? The Ayu is the only type of fish they are trained to catch, and in fact the Ayu was the only reason of existence of the Ukai-fishing industry. Though I'm sure the fish ending up on my plate was farm-raised, as those caught by cormorants (and bearing the birds' beak marks) are highly prized and just ridiculously expensive IMHO.


Another example of how tea finds itself into every meal here in Uji -- a generous portion of Matcha-infused Cha-soba noodles. This soba was hand-made by Aiso itself, and frozen packages of these noodles was one of the popular souvenir items sold at the Ryokan's lobby.

The tempura was good -- not excellent -- but then this wasn't a tempura-specialist restaurant and they weren't charging 4000 yen for it.


What's this, some kind of pilaf? Aiso calls it Unagi Iimushi, which is essentially steamed glutinous rice with a slice of Unagi, wrapped inside a bamboo skin. This is another souvenir item guests can buy from the Ryokan, but I thought it quite ordinary.

Aside from these pictures there were the typical miso soup (which was very good!), pickles and plain rice, in case the meal didn't fill me up enough.


Did I mention the dining hall was right on top of the river? The great view was one of the factors making this meal so memorable, but the main reason was this friendly stranger who sat beside us and didn't speak for the first 3/4 of the meal ...

Then he spoke. I believe his first sentence was asking whether we're tourists and where we come from. And the second sentence was whether we drink. The next thing I knew, he summoned the waitress and bought us a bottle of Sake.

Maybe it's just me, but with a drink in hand, the conversation opened up and I spoke Japanese at a confidence level I never knew possible. Didn't make me fluent though, but I must have been speaking broken but coherent Japanese since we had almost no trouble communicating! That was a first for me, and I heard Japan's expat circle has coined a term for this phenomenon as Nomu-nication (Nomu = Drink + Communication).

Looking at the photos my wife took there were pictures of me being red and slightly drunk, and of me having a good time with our new friend M-san, so the cross-culture conversations must have been really fun. But maybe I wasn't too drunk, as I still remember M-san's work in the manufacturing industry, his travels to all over Japan to meet with corporate clients, his home in a small town in Western Honshu, his bicycling to work every morning for the sake of exercising, his disappointment at this year's Golden Week holiday, and his awe at the alien concept of our 3-week-long vacation. I'm laughing as I'm typing this article. It was such good times.

I thanked M-san for the wine, and he said don't mention it -- it's just Ichi-go Ichi-e. He then had to spend the next 10 minutes explaining to me what the term means, and asked me to write down an English translation. The best I came up with at the time was "chance encounter". It was chance that brought two strangers from different parts of the world together at a little Ryokan by the Uji-gawa river, and we may never see each other in our lifetimes, so we made the best of it and enjoyed the moment. Ichi-go Ichi-e.


After a very good night of sleep (yes the Sake helped), we went for a long early morning walk and worked up a huge appetite for breakfast. M-san dropped by to say goodbye, then we had the entire Ryokan to ourselves. The breakfast had the typical combination of miso soup/grilled fish/plain rice, but also had an excellent Onsen Tamago in Dashi broth.


Looks similar to the Western poached egg at first glance, but the Onsen Tamago is really a soft-boiled yolk surrounded by even softer-boiled egg white. One recipe I've seen says 70 degree Celcius water for 30 minutes, but I've never attempted at home. In any case I know I can never make it this perfect -- melt-in-the-mouth egg whites and a soft yolk, complimented by a flavourous Dashi broth.

So was it worth the 7350 yen (CAD$74) at the end? Considering the dinner should be worth 2800 (price listed at the dining hall for outside guests) and the breakfast another 600, then we paid less than 4000 yen per person for accommodation alone including tax. A 12 Tatami-mat room with a view of the Uji-gawa river, situated at the heart of Uji's tourist district, and only 20 minutes to Kyoto by train. If I tell you it wasn't a bargain I don't think you'd believe me.

EDIT - Many thanks to Sue, who provided her own comments after staying in Ryokan Aiso:
To all who plan to stay in Ryokan Aiso. Please agreed a rate with the owner. He quoted me a 4795 yen per pax (without breakfast or dinner) per nite in the email but when i checked out, the bill stated 5500 yen per pax ( no breakfast or dinner). I just paid him the higher rate because i cant speak japanese and we didn't print his email.


Now you know why Uji became my wife's favorite town in Japan -- there's just so much natural beauty, history, culture, excellent tea and of course her favorite desserts. A few months later I'm still slowly savouring my 2300 yen green tea, and whenever friends ask me about cool places to go in Kansai, I tell them about this hugely underrated place with a short name. Curious? Maybe this is your cup of tea too.

PRACTICAL INFO

Transportation

Uji is served by two separate rail companies. The Japan Rail (JR) line connects to Kyoto to the north (20 minutes by Rapid trains) and Nara to the south (30 minutes) and makes it most convenient for tourists staying in the Kansai region in general. The private Keihan Railway may also be useful if you want to directly transfer to the heart of Kyoto's traditional tourist district (Higashiyama) without going through Kyoto Station. The JR station is on the south side of the river where most of the sightseeing is, while the Keihan station is on the opposite side of the river.

Sights
Byodo-in - http://www.byodoin.or.jp/
Uji-kami Jinja - http://www.jnto.go.jp/

Traditional Ryokans
Ryori-Ryokan Aiso - http://www.wao.or.jp/aiso
Kimiya Minshuku - http://www.kimiya.jp/
Tohmi Ryokan - http://www.tohmi.com/
Fujigoyomi Ryokan - http://www.fujigoyomi.org/
Ujigawa Ryokan - http://www.ujigawaryokan.co.jp/

Cafes
Nakamura Tokichi - http://www.tokichi.jp
Ito Kyuemon - http://www.itohkyuemon.co.jp

Tea Shops
Kanbayashi - http://otya.co.jp/
Mitsuboshi-en - http://b-omotesando.com/shop/mitsuboshien/index.html
Kanbayashi Shunsho - http://www.shunsho.co.jp/
Yamada-en - http://www.yamadaen.jp/

Nara - Part 2: The Insider's Nara

As promised in the last article on Nara, I'm going to pay tribute to one of my favorite places in the Kansai region -- the beautiful old town of Nara-machi. If you're going to visit Nara's World Heritage Sites, and if you can afford an entire day's time in Nara, then I highly recommend that you read on.

This is the charming antiquated neighborhood immediately south of the famous sights at Nara Park, only fifteen minutes away on foot, yet still missed by most Western tourists coming to Nara. A centuries-old former merchant district, the town has retained its share of ancient temple and old shops from its feudal past, now haphazardly dotting its narrow, mostly residential streets.



As you wander into Nara-machi from the north side (neighboring Nara Park), you leave behind the commercialism of the tourist draws and fall back into feudal Japan. You have no need for a guide, or an itinerary, or even a map -- you are now in the midst of an open-air museum of traditional life in the yester-years. You may touch, smell and even eat some of the exhibits, so long as you are careful not to enter someone's home. In fact so many of the residences are so well-preserved that they would be legitimate museum pieces in most countries, and you wouldn't know aside from the old blankets being sun-dried on the window sills.


This is not a place to rush through with a guided group, or you'd miss the exceptional beauty in the details. Originally established back in the Kamakura period, the lay-out of the modern town is still a haphazard grid of 13th-Century narrow streets and backlanes that appear out of nowhere and terminates into dead ends without warning. Yes you'll more than likely to get lost. But in a place like this, even getting lost is romantic.



Though Nara-machi is not unknown to domestic tourists, it is one of the few examples in Kansai where an entire town of traditional 200-plus-year-old houses has been successfully preserved as a residential area (just compare it to the bustling shop-lined streets of Higashiyama in Kyoto). You'll run into some neighbourhood noodle houses, the odd camera repair shop, or a Ryokan (traditional inn) like this one, but even commercial establishments are housed in their authentic Machiya-style structures.



The Machiya, or "Town-house", is the quintessential Japanese residence of townsfolk before the introduction of western construction techniques in the modern age. Upon your first sight the most striking image would probably be the stark contrast between the dark wooden lattices and the white plaster walls. Almost every front door is a side-scrolling panel of intricate wooden lattice, and almost every roof is an orderly interlocking of traditional earthen tiles.



If you ignore the overhead powerlines and the ubiquitous Toyotas parked on the street side, the entire town retains the same image from a century ago, sometime between the opening to foreign trade in the Meiji era and the wide adoption of western architecture in the Taisho. Here this little cafe "Amachaya" occupies an unknown street corner, supplying the neighbourhood with the exotic taste of charcoal-roasted coffee from the western civilization. Japanese improvization of custard puddings ("Purin" in Japanese) is served alongside fresh baked bread flavored with sweet Azuki beans.



After a few minutes of wandering about the neighbourhood, you'll start to notice one fundamental feature of the Machiya house -- the wooden structure is suspended atop a few independent pieces of foundation stones. Compared to the Western house's stone (or nowadays concrete) building foundation which covers the entire floor area, the Machiya's construction is relatively simple. After a few pieces of foundation stones are places at the corners, wooden beams are placed horizontally on the stones to act as the house's bottom frame. Beams, flooring and room dividers subsequently go on top. The end result is the typical two-storey structure with a tatami-mat floor suspending in mid air, which had been critical for the purpose of improving air-flow and preventing wood decay in Japan's humid summertime.



With or without background knowledge in its construction, one can appreciate the Machiya's aesthetics and the painstaking details that the owner puts into its maintenance and enhancement. This old Chinese medicine shop still hangs its traditional lantern-shaped store signs, though no longer illuminated with an oil lamp.



And if you happen to come from an East Asian background and can read the Kanji, name plates can be very interesting as it will often tells you the family's name, how many people lives in the house etc. This name plate belongs to Mr. Nanji who heads the Nara-machi Archives House.



A fiery red "Shu" character standing out amid a facade dominated by black wooden frames and lattices. Shu, or crimson red, refers to red paste used for the East Asian ink seals (Inkan), so if you're in the market for a traditional personal seal, this is the place to get yours carved.



Just like Austrian Heurigers (wine tavern) hanging pine twigs outside to announce their presence to the townsfolk, the Japanese Sake-brewers do it with these huge cedar balls (sugidama). Even if the sake bottles are too heavy to bring home, you can still enjoy the wine tasting opportunities offered by these sake breweries that you'll encounter all over the country, usually located in older neighbourhoods such as this.



I like taking pictures of sewer covers in Japan. Each city, town or village of major tourist interest seems to have its own special design, as demonstrated by Nara's favorite mascot on this sewer cover. You simply cannot escape from running into the Shinroku, or divine deer, in its various artistic forms wherever you go in Nara.



Wedged between neighbourhood houses in Nara-machi, the Koshin-do is a famous little temple -- it is neither Buddhist nor Shinto, but dedicated to the worship of a monkey deity (Koshin) believed to have halted the spread of a plague 1300 years ago. That's Koshin-san right in the middle, sitting and holding a stone basin on top of its head. Also note the terracotta figures of the three monkeys at the top of the temple.



And you'll see more of these little monkeys at the back of the temple. Note the positioning of the hands of the monkeys -- these are the same "See no evil; Hear no evil; Speak no evil" monkeys made famous by the Tokugawa Mausoleum at Nikko. The wooden plaques in the background are installed here to acknowledge the local businesses providing financial contribution to the construction of the temple. These range from the Koseikan Inn to a traditional medicine company to a soy sauce maker.


Though this residential neighbourhood seems to have a very high concentration of temples of various kinds, the temples generally blend in very well with the dark wooden houses. When you pass by a structure like this without a formal sign, you don't really know whether this is a temple or a restaurant or perhaps simply someone's house.



This one is easier to tell, since the Torii gate always signifies the entrance of a Shinto shrine. This is the entrance to the Goryo Jinja, a small shrine sitting next to the World Heritage Genkoji temple.



Another tell-tale sign of Shinto shrines is the appearance of the thick rope with thunderbolt-shaped paper strips. This shrine is dedicated to a past Emperor and is designated as an Important Cultural Treasure.





I think this is part of the Genkoji temple complex, which is part of Nara's UNESCO World Heritage Site. A group of domestic tourists happened to be passing by, testifying the popularity of this little town which is still relatively unknown to Westerners.



"This is the front entrance. Please do not let your dog defecate or uninate here. Genkoji Temple."



I still haven't figured out whether these are really tombstones -- sure looks like it, but Hello Kitty tombstones? For someone's deceased cats? That is just freaky ... then again, Nara-machi is just full of surprises.


Food Review: TOFU-AN KONDOU (Nara)
Address: Nara-shi Nishi-shinyamachi 44
Hours: Tue-Sun 11:00-14:30, 17:30-20:00 (According to Official Site, 2008)
Website/Map: http://www.kondou-touhu.co.jp/
Directions: This is tricky. Starting from the Kintetsu Nara train station, walk straight south for about 10 minutes. **Stop and ask** people where the "Koshin-do" (monkey shrine) is. Tofu-an Kondou is directly south of Koshin-do on the same street.

To tell the truth, we happened to stumble upon the beauty of Nara-machi partially because we decided to check out this little restaurant reputed to be one of the best specializing in Tofu.


Tofu, you ask? Many foreign tourists may not realize that the lowly meat-substitute sold at the vegetarian section of American/European supermarkets is esteemed in Japan as an upscale, traditional fare often served as part of an extravagant meal. Kyoto, just a short train ride to the north, still boasts a large number of restaurants specializing in nothing but Tofu and charges quite a premium for it. At the 360-year-old Okutan Tofu (http://www.frommers.com/destinations/kyoto/D38848.html) the cheapest and simplest 6-course lunch would set you back 3150 yen (CAD$32), which is quite a reasonable price. But you want a larger multi-course meal at a cheaper price? That's where Tofu-an Kondou comes in.

Just like almost every upscale restaurant in Japan, Tofu-an Kondou serves lunches at a significant discount from the dinner pricing. There are only two lunch courses to choose from -- a 13-course "Tofu Kannou" meal for 2000 yen, and a 3200 yen meal with even more courses and an emphasis on Yuba (tofu skin). I don't know about you but a 13-course lunch is quite enough for us.


OK let's count. The first course started with a very rich (the menu says 15% organic soy bean content) soy milk, which was very simply the thickest and creamiest soy milk I've ever tasted. Trust me -- I drink soy milk every morning since I'm slightly lactose-intolerant -- this was good stuff.

The 2nd course was a little dish of boiled whole soy beans (Ni Daizu), marinated in Dashi soy sauce. Nice, but nothing too impressive.

The 3rd course -- the Oboro Tofu -- was a dish where all Tofu makers attempt to stake theirs claims as a top restaurant. I had only heard of this dish before, so this was my first time tasting it. This is supposed to be the softest and creamiest tofu, half-curdled and made on the spot in limited quantity. The restaurant recommended starting the dish without any seasoning at first, then adding a little algae salt, then finally finishing with the addition of Dashi soy sauce.

And it was really the best tofu I've ever had -- rich, soft and creamy, and in my opinion no seasoning was necessary. I did try the algae salt and Dashi soy sauce, which certainly did not overpower the intensely condensed soybean flavor, but didn't add anything special to an already special dish.


Next up would be the most substantial course in the meal -- a pot of silken tofu in broth (Yudofu) in a wax paper container. Shown in the photo was the portion for two persons.


Incredibly smooth texture, and very generous portions too. The taste was a little bland, and the restaurant suggested serving with algae salt, soy sauce, or Yuzu-kosho (a mixture of finely chopped Japanese citron and green pepper). After a few tries I found my favorite combination -- a generous dash of soy sauce with just a touch of Yuzu-kosho.


I apologize for forgetting to photograph the 5th and 6th courses, especially since the 5th course was my favorite in the entire meal.

The 5th course was a sashimi of Yuba, sometimes translated to "tofu skin" but is really the thin coating forming on the surface during the process of making soy milk. Incredibly soft and intensely flavored, I actually enjoyed this even more than the already superb Oboro Tofu. In case you're wondering -- yes it was served with Wasabi and Sashimi soy sauce just like fish sashimi.

The 6th course was a Namafu Dengaku, which was two skewers of wheat gluten grilled with a thick, sweet miso. It was chewy as expected, and the richness of the Dengaku miso preluded a bold departure from the relatively delicate taste in the previous courses.

The 7th course, at the bottom right corner of the photo, was a warm salad -- a Shira-ae of asparagus. What's Shira-ae? Similar to Goma-ae, but replacing sesame dressing with a thick tofu dressing.

At the top of the photo was the 8th course -- a deep fried dish of tofu, oyster mushrooms, lotus root and green pepper.


The next four courses consist of a clear broth with Yuba, a ball of Tofu-vegetables mixture in a Dashi broth, and a bowl of red multi-grain rice, and pickled Hinona turnips.


And finally the 13th course, an excellent Yuzu (Japanese citrus) flavored jelly infused with tiny slivers of tofu, and topped with a sweet bean paste. Perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, and of course the incredible delicateness of the tofu slivers suspended in the transparent gelatin. I can only tell you that it really tasted as good as it looked.


At the end we walked out with very full stomachs, perfect for a long afternoon stroll in the Nara Park. I don't have a star-system in my restaurant reviews, but if I did I would give Tofu-an Kondou the highest rating based on its Quality-vs-Price ratio. Only 2000 yen (CAD$20) for a 13-course traditional tofu meal in a century-old atmospheric restaurant in central Nara. What more can a casual tourist ask for?

Bill for Two Persons

Tofu Kannou Course	2000 yen
Tofu Kannou Course	2000 yen
TOTAL	4000 yen (CAD$40)

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Transportation

Nara is served by two railway companies -- the quasi-national West Japan Rail (JR), and the private Kintetsu railway. Being in the close of Osaka and Kyoto, many domestic and Western tourists take a sidetrip to Nara while touring the Kansai region. From Kyoto or Osaka it should take roughly an hour and cost a few hundred yens, if you travel by cheap non-Express trains.

Once you arrive at either train stations (JR Nara or Kintetsu Nara), you can get to Nara-machi by local bus number 51, 50, 92, 34, or 35. Get off at the Fukuchi-in Machi bus stop, and you'll be at the eastern edge of Nara-machi. Alternatively, if you're arriving at Kintetsu Nara station, you can reach Nara-machi by walking directly south for 10 minutes.Bus fares are currently 180 yen (CAD$1.8) per trip within central Nara. Or ask for the day pass (say "Ichi-nichi Joshaken" to the driver) for 540 yen if you think you'll take three or more trips.

If you're on the way to somewhere and need a locker to store your luggage, there are lockers of several different sizes at both Kintetsu Nara and JR Nara train stations. The 500-yen (CAD$5) size was enough to stash one large and one small backpacks for us, but there are 600-yen ones which should be enough for 28-inch suitcases.