Eating Our Way Through Kyoto, Japan ๐ฏ๐ต | Street Food, Shrines & Raw Horse Meat?!
Keyoto, where time slows and every street whispers a story. This week on Rangeless, we wander quiet alleyways where the past lingers in lantern light. Follow the river through the city’s living heartbeat, stopping at ancient temples and tasting tradition. Maybe a little bit too much tradition. Somehow between the chaos and the calm, we even stumble upon the world’s most beautiful Starbucks. Tucked into one of the most photogenetic backdrops on Earth. This isn’t a checklist. This is a taste of Kyoto. We started today’s adventure the only way you really should in Kyoto. Hopping on a couple of rental bikes and taking off towards Gueon. Pedaling through soft morning light, narrow lanes, and centuries of tradition. Navigating on bike is just part of it. It feels like time traveling at your own pace. Like everything in Japan, even parking a bike has its ritual. Tucked between a vending machine and an old stone wall, we finally spotted a tiny bike lot. Neatly marked, perfectly efficient, and almost hidden in plain sight. Bicycle parking check. And now we need to go find the matcha. The matcha. Bike’s locked. You got the key. Oh, whoops. This just means for the first 12 hours it’s 150 and then for the second 12 hours it’s 100. I have no idea. I have no idea. But I know I can’t lose my card. Well, we’re close to the matcha. No. Yes, it’s on that street there. This one. It is time to explore Guon. This district has been Kyoto’s cultural soul for centuries. Once a rest stop for pilgrims, it later grew into the center of geisha tradition, art and quiet elegance. We walked past wooden tea houses and stone lanterns. The scent of roasted tea drifting through the air. And just ahead, Sario Sarjiri, a tea house with over 150 years of history. Known for serving matcha so rich it borders on sacred thick deep green and bold. It’s where tradition isn’t just preserved, it’s tasted. It looks like it might be. There’s a lot of people here. Of course, there’s a lot of people here, Ryan. It’s a top matcha spot. Founded by a tea master from Uji, this place has been perfecting matcha since 1860. It’s known for elevating green tea into a literal art form. Think tradition meets indulgence. You can order thick ceremonial grade matcha or a lean, sweet, and layered matcha parfait with stacked mochi, jelly, red bean, and soft serve. So smooth it melts into silence. There’s also hot matcha lattes, decadent sweets, and seasonal creations that change with Kyoto’s rhythm. You can sit at the counter for a casual stop, or take your time upstairs and overlook the bustle below. Whether you come for the ritual or the dessert, or both. This is more than a tea break. This is a full sensory dive. They gave me a sample. Really? It’s a cold green tea. Cold. Let me see. It’s good. That is good. Yeah. I might want to get this one. Oh, you’re going to get the ice cream one. Yeah. Oh, that one looks good. It does. You get one float. Yes. We got a matcha float situation. There is matcha like the tea matcha ice cream and then like some sort of like matcha cookies. We just found the new best matcha. Really? Mhm. Yeah, we did. The best matcha you’ve ever had. Really? I think so. Mhm. Wow. I was a little skeptical when I saw this place. If Brit’s talking a big talk, I know how she is about her matcha. So, we’ll see. [Music] Yeah, she was good. With the energy and tradition of Kyoto flowing through our veins in the form of Matcha 3ways, we set off wandering deeper into the heart of Kyoto’s kitchen, Nishiki Market. And just beyond the crowds and sizzling skewers, we slipped into a moment of stillness at Nishiki Shrine. Small but powerful, this shrine is dedicated to the deity of scholarship and learning. A protector of wisdom and intention. Founded over a thousand years ago, it’s a quiet space to pause, reflect, and maybe even pull a fortune from the box, hoping for daichi, the best of luck. Visitors cleanse their hands with water flowing from a sacred spring and tie the fortune to branches, hoping the good will come true and the bad will stay [Music] behind. Let me find out what it is. Be honest in your heart and be careful in your deeds. It’s a fragile thing, but refrain from sexuality. Does your fortune say no sense? Yeah, it does. We are definitely losing something in translation, but I don’t like it. This is bad luck. And what you do with the bad luck is you tie them and leave them behind you so they don’t follow you. I don’t I don’t want that one. Why can’t they just give me a good one? I’m going to stick it in there so it can’t follow me. Yeah. Here we go. I found them, too. Around the corner. These are These are wishes. Yeah. You get to write the wishes. And that’s a cool bull one. Yeah. I want to use them. You found them around the corner, too. There. Oh, yeah. I’m going to stand my journal. [Music] I love getting stamps. Why is it so much fun? Like, look at my look at all my good stamps. That one came out real good. Look, I got another page of them, [Music] too. All this reflection and matcha and stamp collecting excitement has left us hungry. So, we dove back into the rhythm of Nishiki Market, ready to eat our way through. Known as Kyoto’s kitchen, Nishiki has fed this city for over 400 years. It began as a humble fish market in the early 1600s, thanks to the fresh spring water flowing beneath its stone alleys, perfect for preserving and preparing ingredients. Today, it’s a feast for all senses. Sizzling skewers, fermented pickles, and sweets that stop you mid bite. We followed our noses and the crowd to a local favorite. A plump, perfectly ripe strawberry wrapped in smooth red bean paste and pillowy mochi. It’s soft, it’s sweet, it’s tart, and it’s gone in about 2 seconds. [Music] That strawberry is so good. You got lots of mochi paste on your lip. I think that might be the that mochi that changed my my life. That’s the one that’s made me decide that I actually really really really like mochi now. Wow. I think it might have been the strawberry though. Yeah, the strawberry is particularly good. But dessert first only works if we uh keep going. So, we are now officially on a food tour and officially on the hunt for something hot and savory. Did someone say takoyaki? Those crispy, gooey octopus balls that Kyoto does oh so well. Did you want takiyaki? Takoyaki. Is that right? Hey, here’s a spot right here. Do four pieces. Yeah, let’s do it. Takoyaki may have been born in Osaka, but Kyoto has its own way of doing things. Kyoto style. I don’t know what the difference between the styles are. Do you? No. So glad you asked. Here, these golden octopus filled spheres are often lighter, more delicate, less greasy, more refined. Some stalls use a dashy rich batter for that extra umami flavor. Others top them with matcha salt or a drizzle of soy instead of the usual mountains of Qi mayo and sauce. It’s takoyaki with a Kyoto twist. Crispy on the outside, molted on the inside, and they’re all daring you not to burn your mouth on that first bite. That is so good. It has a nice crispy on the outside. It’s pickled ginger in there. And it’s really, really good. It gives it like a nice bite and like that ginger spice. And then the inside’s like a little goofy. I don’t know like what is in there and then it has like a big piece of octopus and it’s topped with the QPI mayo and takiyaki sauce which is like a little barbecuey a little wishes saucy. I think it’s Ryan’s turn because if you watched our aaka video or one of them we ate this and I loved it but Ryan was a little on the fence about it and it might be the one that we had so he’s giving it another chance. I can see the steam coming off of it. That is really, really good. I didn’t like the last one at all. I was like, this one’s good. I like this. The last one seemed a little bit soggy. This one’s like crispy on the outside. I I don’t know, but I know I like it. It’s good. [Music] That was really good. That was so good. I’m glad you keep uh opening your horizons. And I try things over and over again. I’m like, maybe it was a bad one. I’ll give it a shot. Yeah. All the time. Yeah, you do. You can get a cup of saki for 100. I think it’s like a shot. See, first cup 100 yen. Let’s do it. We didn’t know it at the time, but the little hundred yen saki cups hold history here in Kyoto. It started as a humble gesture from local brewers. A way to let everyday people sample their saki without the pressure of buying a whole bottle. A taste for hundred yen. No commitment, just curiosity. The tradition caught on in Kyoto’s markets and alleyway stalls. Brewed with mountain water and regional rice, each pore tells the story of its maker, the season, and its place. Hello. You one cup saki. I’ll do dry. Wow. Thank you. [Music] It’s good. Really good. I like it. It’s somewhere between like a wine and a little bit stronger. Like almost like a liquor, but not tastes like saki. There’s no other way to describe it other than like saki. I’m not the biggest fan of saki. So, it doesn’t smell bad, though. With the warm saki still lingering, we notice stalls quickly beginning to shut their doors. Most shops in Nishiki Market closed before 600. And somehow we hadn’t had anything on a stick yet. A tragedy because this place is famous for skewered delights. Then like a beacon, we spotted it. Tempora shrimp, golden and glistening in the soft evening light. Plus pro tip. If you swing by just before closing here or honestly anywhere in Japan, you’ll often catch the best kind of deal. Half off and still piping hot. Shrimp [Music] teriyaki. It’s a big piece of shrimp. I think that’s several pieces of shrimp, I would imagine. It’s good. Nice and crispy on the outside. Not too much like sauce on it. I’m not sure what this is. It’s a little bit sweet, but not crazy overpowering. And then the shrimp on the inside. Really good. [Music] That was a proper food tour. I’m still hungry. And that wasn’t enough. I heard about a sushi spot close to here. Conveyor belt sushi, which is our weakness. Oh, I love a conveyor belt sushi. And it’s supposed to be the best in Kyoto. Is it really? That’s what they say. Who’s they? The internet. Cuz I If it’s on the internet, I don’t believe them. If it No, if it’s on the internet, it’s true. Everyone knows that. Yeah. Yeah. Did we find it? We had found it. Operating since 1977, it’s a favorite for locals and travelers alike. Quick and affordable. Known for their extensive and diverse selection. Turns out sushi in Kyoto isn’t just about fish. They got horse meat. What? Raw horse meat. Are we trying it? Yeah. Grab it. Basi. Delicately sliced, lean, and cold. glided toward us like it belonged. And in this city of centuries old rituals and quiet rebellion, it did. I mean, it does. Now, raw horsemeat might sound shocking at first, but it has deep roots in Japan’s culinary history. Its origins date back to the 16th century when samurai faced food shortages during wartime. With little livestock and no cattle to spare, horses became a last resort and eventually a delicacy. Over time, some regions embraced it, refining the practice. Served thinly sliced, often with ginger, garlic, or soy. It is prized for its clean taste, high protein, and surprising sweetness. It’s still controversial, but in Japan, eating basi is less about shock and more about respect for regional traditions. And here we are in a Kyoto sushi joint, watching it glide past us right on a plate. I’ll go for it. You going to eat the whole piece or you going to bite it? I’m going to try and bite [Music] it. It’s not [Music] bad. Oh, that’s tough. This is like really tough. That’s what I was expecting the first piece to be like. That’s not so good. How do you feel that you ate horse? I probably ate horse before. There was a whole um scandal in in the UK and Ireland where it was horse meat getting into burgers from supermarkets. Oh yeah. A few blocks away, we found ourselves slipping into Ponto, one of the city’s most iconic alleyways. Ponto isn’t just an alley, though. It’s more like a living relic. Since the early 1600s, this narrow lane besides Camo River has been home to tea houses, hidden bars, and geisha culture. It was once a playhouse for poets, performers, and powerful men where they whispered many ideals over saki. Today, the area balances tradition and reinvention. We still find the geishas here in dimly lit town houses, keeping ancient art forms alive. But alongside them, modern restaurants home with life, serving craft cocktails and coyoto style tapas to locals and tourists alike. It really does feel like a place suspended in time yet modern. I love the little alleyways. They make me feel like I’m in an old movie. I’ve noticed a lot of the restaurants have signs that’s like no English menu, Japanese menu only. Fair enough. If you’re in Japan, yeah, download download Google Translate or learn some basic Japanese. Or even better, if you’re like us, you don’t know what you’re getting and you just point at something and and trust that you’re going to try something [Music] new. We got to make sunset. [Music] I just spotted the temple. We’re trying to get there by sunset. Sunset’s in about soon. 12 minutes. Yasaka Pagota rising above the rooftops of Higashima. This fives fivetory icon has stood since the 15th century. A timeless silhouette etched into Kyoto’s skyline. It’s more than just a landmark. At sunset, the alleyways glow, the rooftops blush, and Yasaka Pagota becomes a perfect contrast against the soft burn in the sky. There are a bunch of temples up here. We came to like a a street crossing, and there’s signs for like temple that way, temple that way. And around here, a lot of people rent the kimonos, and they go around and take pictures. And we passed like a few shops on the way here that sell them. our rent. I think this is the most photographed street in all of Kyoto. This is Yeah, it’s really pretty. Mhm. One of the most photographed spots in Kyoto. And for good reason. Now, we weren’t chasing a shot. Well, okay, maybe we were, but some views are worth [Music] chasing. This is also the most famous Starbucks. in Kyoto. Set inside a restored 100-year-old townhouse, this Starbucks blends its oldworld charm so seamlessly. You’ll miss it if you’re not looking for it. Hello. Can I get a grande lemon cake? To Tommy Mats inside, it’s the only one in the world where you can sip your Frappuccino like a local in a tea house. It’s calm and tranquil. And of course, it was full. Every tatami nook, every low table spoken for. We lingered for a minute, pretending not to be utterly heartbroken. But honestly, just knowing this place exists was almost enough. Almost. It’s so delicious and lemony. Whipped cream is whipped cream and it has like a sweet lemon sauce on top and then these like little sugar crunchies. Yes. I’m glad we only got one though. This is like decadent. Mhm. You want some starfish? Yeah. Let me try that. Oh yeah. That’s really That’s really good. Really really sweet. Not really really sweet. Not overpowering, but it’s a lemon cookie. It’s like a key lime pie kind of thing. It’s like a lemon meringue. Look, that’s what I meant. Yeah, I was picking up what you were putting down. Mhm. But now it’s time to get back to our accommodation. Yeah. Cuz we got like We’re about 7 km away, so we have to ride the bicycles back. Yeah. Cuz you can’t bring the bicycles on the trains. No. Or the buses. That is the one like bad thing about the public transit here is that there is no place to put any bikes, I guess, cuz if they allowed it, everyone would. So, yeah, it is what it is. We found the bikes. Not that they were lost, but we’ve made it back. Now, we got to pay and ride 7 km home. Today left us exhausted. Turns out eating and drinking your way through Kyoto is hard work, but someone’s got to do it. To join us for more, hit the like button, drop us a comment, and don’t forget to subscribe because next week we’re waking up early, climbing hundreds of Tory gates at the legendary Fushimi Anori Shrine. You won’t want to miss it.
๐ต Eat, Pray, WTF?! | A Full Day of Food & Culture in Kyoto ๐ฏ๐ต
Today, we eat everything Kyoto has to offerโfrom matcha 3 ways in Gion, to strawberry mochi in Nishiki Market, to raw horse meat on conveyor belt sushi. Yep. That happened.
We also dive into Kyotoโs spiritual sideโvisiting ancient shrines, exploring quiet alleyways, and chasing golden hour at Yasaka Pagoda.
๐ Plus, we stumble upon the most beautiful (and most impossible-to-get-into) Starbucks in the world.
๐ In this episode:
Matcha at Saryo Tsujiri
Fortune-telling at Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine
Nishiki Market street food crawl
Sushi no Musashi & raw horse meat experience
Poncho nightlife stroll
Yasaka Pagoda at sunset
Kyotoโs secret Starbucks
๐ฃ Kyoto isn’t a checklistโitโs a mood. Come wander with us.
๐ Donโt forget to like, comment & subscribeโnext week, weโre heading to Fushimi Inari Shrine before sunrise for a crowd-free climb through the torii gates. You donโt want to miss it.
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