From the outside, you can barely even tell that Fu-ka is a restaurant. Tucked away in a quiet residential street near one of Kyoto’s many shrines, it’s pretty much the definition of a hidden gem.
I mentioned in a recent post that the under-the-radar temples and shrines in Kyoto are where it’s at; well, on the other end of the spectrum is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is famous for its seemingly endless pathways of orange gates.
I know, more cemeteries? Weird, right? Well what can I say, they’re entrancing.
On the 21st day of every month, the Toji Temple in Kyoto gets transformed into a bustling market — something I had no idea about until the owner of the pug cafe clued me in. Ah, pug cafe: the gift that keeps on giving.
So there are posters of this guy all over Kyoto — I’m assuming he’s a politician of some sort — and in almost all of them, he’s doing a totally normal pose. But in this one, which I only saw a couple of times, he’s doing… whatever it is that he’s doing.
I didn’t think it was possible, but I may have found a bowl of ramen that’s too rich. Because I just went to a local chain called Tenkaippin that specializes in an incredibly hearty chicken-based soup, and yowza.
I was wandering around after visiting the Kiyomizu Temple (which was really nice, but completely overrun with tourists), and I stumbled across an absolutely amazing cemetery.
You’re probably familiar with Japanese cat cafes — they’re popular enough that we’ve even got a couple in Toronto.
Well, Kyoto has a pug cafe, and yeah — it’s just as amazing as you’d hope. Whoever came up with this is a genius, because being surrounded by about a dozen snorting, wheezing pugs is flat-out delightful.
I finally found a line-up for food that I didn’t have the patience to stand in.