Kitty Solo in Japan 2015 Day 8 and 9

It's Day 8. Still not sick of cafeteria food yet. Or maybe I'm just choosing wisely.

Hamburger with Ponzu Sauce, Ankake Don, and Tonjiru

The burger patty was good. So juicy! And the ponzu sauce made it feel light so you could ignore the cries of your arteries. The katsu don with egg gravy sauce though was a bit too much. Just a bit.

Later in the day I showed my students one of the best things about Japan: the basement level of a department store. It's a more wholesome yet still affordable and quick alternative to fast food or convenient store food. Plus they tend to have discounts when you peruse there about 20 minutes before closing.

Nikuman (Steamed Pork Bun)

Behold Succulent Pork Inside

I wasn't feeling too hungry so I opted for 551's steamed pork bun. It's a fairly famous chain. Tell anyone that your had their nikuman and they'll give you a thumbs up. I grew up in a Chinese household, and I would like to say I'm picky when it comes to Chinese food and 551 earns my stamp of approval in a totally elitist and pretentious way.

Later on I took my students to Den Den town which is like the smaller version of Akihabara in Osaka. I am definitely coming back some time to visit a maid cafe. But in the mean time I was walking around and saw this:

Seemingly Normal Snack Shop

I thought: Oh that's cool. Anime character snack breads. I wonder what anime characters they are making right now.

This Month's Feature: Assassination Classroom

[INSERT HEAVY BREATHING CAT]

8 Characters for $5 USD

To be honest these little mini cakes were just ok. I had the option of buying sauces but I didnt...but can I at least sat I saved the world by eating Koro Sensei? Twice?

Later on we went to eat okonomiyaki. We found this little place in the alleyway called Houzenji Sanpei. It was raining so I didn't have the chance to take a picture of the store front.

Sizzling Sounds...Music to My Ears

Okonomiyaki Masters Working Hard

Special Yakisoba with Squid Scallop Pork

Indeed this yakisoba was special. SPECIALLY TASTY.

Beef Tendon with Onion

They forgot my order so they gave this to me as a freebie. The beef was so tender and flavorful. It made me wish I ordered the beef tendon okonomiyaki....

Okonomiyaki with Scallop Mushroom and Cheese

This place was the best okonomiyaki I have ever had (so far in my life). There wasn't too much batter, it wad cooked just right and even though they said there was cheese inside it wasn't overwhelming at all. And they were certainly not stingy with the scallops! I admit this place is a little more expensive than other okonomiyaki places but hands down I would put my money on this.

The next morning I finally got my Mister Donut fix.

Pon de Ring

Meatball Onigiri and Plum Onigiri 

I think I've taken a liking to trying different onigiri here. I loved both of these. Can never go wrong with meat and rice. This was the first time I tried plum flavor and ended up liking it. Palate level increased!

So we took a trip to a quaint little town called Wakayama which is about 2 hours away from Kyoto. They had a ramen taxi tour (taxi drives you all around and you try special sample size bowls of ramen at each stop) but we didn't have a reservation set up. But we were able to try one place! Wakayama Ramen Aji.

Store Front

Cozy Booth

It had a very cozy old fashioned interior with several booths like these where you had to take your shoes.

Mackerel Sushi

We saw these green rolls and wondered what they were. It turned out to be mackerel sushi. Since we touched it, we ate it. Not bad, a bit strong with the ginger.

Not Too Greasy Fried Rice

The fried rice wasn't greasy at all and wasn't too salty. I can't quite put my finger on why is tastes different from Chinese fried rice. But it does. But it's still delicious. So that's ok.

Negi (green onion) Chashu Ramen

They weren't kidding about the green onions. What was distinctive about this ramen was a very deep distinct taste. You can see in the picture that the broth is a relatively deeper color. It had almost a fermented taste to it. Some people may like this. Otherwise everything else came pretty standard.

Afterwards we took a break at a cafe at the basement of the Kintetsu department store by the JR Wakayama station.

Assorted Sponge Cakes

Mint Au Lait

When dinner time rolled around we were back in Kyoto. I wasn't feeling for anything heavy so my friend recommended me this yakitori place he's been going to for years. It's about a block away from Kyoto station.

Store Front of Yakitori 

 Intimate Atmosphere

Shiitake Mushrooms (Left) Shishito Peppers (Right)

Hasami (Chicken with Green Onion)

Grilled Rice Ball

Chicken with Perilla served with Ketchup Perilla Sauce (Left) and Pork Belly (Right)

Momo (Chicken Thigh)

Pizza (aka Cheese and Marinera on Chicken)

Nankotsu (Chicken Cartilage)

Damage Done

This place was very friendly and cozy. Their meats on a stick were delicious (even the pizza one)!! Price was very reasonable (about $1.5 per stick). The meats were always tender and juicy. There was nothing ordered that I wouldn't get again (I would still get the pizza one). They are also very welcoming of foreingers as well (the pizza one will welcome you as well). Beware they only have squat toilet available.

A must visit place for yakitori!!!

やきとり好きやねん
Japan, 〒600-8219 京都府京都市下京区烏丸通七条上る西入中居町114−5