Tag - kyoto

 
 

KYOTO

Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 27, 2015
Will bureaucrats stymie Kyoto's bid to lure central government bodies out of Tokyo?
Every decade or so, it seems talk arises in Japan about relocating the functions of the central government outside the capital.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Sep 22, 2015
Site of 1930s activism, Kyoto cafe is steeped in heritage
Nestled away on a side street just south of the busy intersection of Shijo and Kiyamachi streets, the Western facade of the Salon de the Francois cafe stands out amidst the traditional machiya wooden townhouses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2015
Michelin star chef Murata plans London restaurant with farm co-op backing
Chef Yoshihiro Murata, who holds seven Michelin stars across three establishments in Kyoto and Tokyo, plans to open a restaurant in London's Mayfair serving modern dishes based on traditional Japanese cuisine.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE HIGH GROUNDS
Sep 4, 2015
Roasted-on-the-spot coffee from Kyoto is going global
The five-story pagoda of Hokanji Temple has crowned the skyline of eastern Kyoto for more than a millennium — give or take the few times when it burned down and was reconstructed. Just down the lane from the current incarnation (constructed in 1440) sits a rather newer landmark, % Arabica, which has...
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2015
Kyoto turns to toilet etiquette signs in a bid to flush out bad behavior
Japan has rolled out the welcome mat for foreign visitors and this is benefitting businesses nationwide, but there's a not so rosy catch. For the city of Kyoto, one of the most popular destinations for tourists, the result has been reeking public lavatories.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2015
Osaka drawing more foreign visitors; may see record 5 million this year
Thanks to a favorable exchange rate, relaxed visa restrictions, more discount airlines flying into Kansai airport and an increase in the number of duty-free shops downtown, the number of foreign visitors to Osaka this year is expected to top 5 million for perhaps the first time.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Aug 10, 2015
Aomori is Japan's top tourist destination for festivals
Aomori in northeastern Japan is the most popular prefecture for festivals, surpassing Kyoto, a survey by a major travel agency showed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Aug 7, 2015
Gion Sasaki: Where eel is served in tiny shrines and speaking on phones is banned
On the wall at Gion Sasaki there are two signs depicting mobile phones with lines through them. Bringing your phone with you is allowed, but speaking on it is a no-no. When I visited for lunch, an Asian tourist dining on his own nearby barely put his phone down during the entire nine-course kaiseki meal....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Aug 7, 2015
Kiln: Incredible burgers for wagyu lovers and vegetarians
Kiln takes its name from the oven at the center of its open kitchen, which is surrounded by communal wooden slabs that seat around 10 diners.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 30, 2015
Kyoto bids to host Cultural Affairs Agency
The city of Kyoto is stepping up efforts to become the new home of the Cultural Affairs Agency, which works to protect Japan's officially designated cultural treasures.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 25, 2015
Sony's Yoshida affirms faith in indie developers
Shuhei Yoshida, the bespectacled president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, didn't attend the BitSummit independent game festival in Kyoto on July 11 simply to deliver a speech and reaffirm Sony's commitment to indie developers — he wanted to try out some games.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jul 19, 2015
The cafes play jazz deep in the heart of Kyoto
Last month, it was announced the number of visitors to Kyoto in 2014 (including day trippers) topped 55 million people, a 7.8 percent increase over 2013. The total number of foreign visitors who spent at least one night was 1.83 million, a whopping 62 percent increase over 2013.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jul 10, 2015
Ogawa: Dining at a six-seat restaurant in Kyoto's traditional nightlife district
The Kyoto neighborhood of Gion is small but complicated. Wedged between the hills of Higashiyama and the Kamo River, it contains some of Japan's most picturesque and well-trodden streets, but there's also a warren of back-alleys and lanes with bright lights and seedy goings-on.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 5, 2015
Kyoto residents rally around Nepal quake victims in charity drive
When earthquakes struck Nepal in April and May, killing more than 8,700 people, relief poured in from around the world. That included aid from a group of friends in Kyoto, for whom the people of Nepal were not far off strangers but friends, and almost family members, who they'd been assisting for many...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jun 12, 2015
Minimalist approach to traditional Japanese dining in Kyoto's Gion district
I still find it amusing that so many chefs at high-end Japanese restaurants wear neckties beneath their white chef uniforms. It seems at odds with the temperature and temperament of a kitchen, but I suppose it's no more amusing or wondrous than the traditional chef's hat, that elaborate, elongated white...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jun 12, 2015
High-quality soup stock at Kyoto's serious ramen shop
There are two ramen shops well worth visiting in the western outskirts of Kyoto. Distance-wise, they're only a five-minute walk apart, but judging by most other measures they are polar opposites.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NATURE'S PANTRY
May 29, 2015
Searching Kyoto for the holy grail of Japanese rice vinegar
Akihiro Iio, now in his late 30s, is the fifth generation of his family to run Iio Jozo, a venerable vinegar house outside of Kyoto. Using locally grown rice, the Iio family has been producing vinegar in Kyoto for more than 120 years, and since the early 1960s their output has been 100 percent organic....
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 10, 2015
Writers in Kyoto offers expats a forum to discuss state of publishing in Japan
Those who love the English language and the written word have always found like-minded souls to associate with, formally or informally, in cities where English-speaking expats and immigrants are located. In Japan, though, once one is outside Tokyo, such gatherings are rare.
EDITORIALS
May 9, 2015
Kyoto leading the way with bicycles
Kyoto's new bicycle initiative may be propelled by a desire to please tourists, but the many benefits will spill over to residents as well.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Apr 26, 2015
Cycling the Kyoto maze could get easier
As Kyoto residents know, bicycles are the best way to get around the congested city, which is taking steps to make it more amenable to foreign cyclists.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past