On a recent visit to Kyoca Food Laboratory on the edge of Umekoji Park, west of Kyoto Station, I waited more than half an hour for a friend who was "on her way." The mercury was tipping 37 degrees in the midday sun; even the cicadas had given up their racket.
When my friend eventually arrived we went inside, and our first call was to a fruit bar on the second floor, where we drank grapefruits from California in a method that could surely come under the banner of paleo dining. The bartender, Masami Houri, juiced the fruit inside its skin with a Cajyutta — a high-tech Japanese fruit drill — and inserted a straw. My companion and I sat at the bar, draining the fruit; it was, as the saying goes, worth waiting for. Although mind you, I could have done without the wait too.
That was my second visit to Kyoca, following its official opening at the end of July, a hectic affair with the usual mix of city officials, businesspeople exchanging cards, workshops open to the public, and florists arriving throughout the day bearing congratulatory bouquets or orchids.