Four Seasons in Japan

Kyōto is famous for keeping Japanese history alive, and there is nothing more traditional than the tea ceremony, in which maccha tea is served accompanied by small and artistic treats called wagashi.

In Kyōto these sweets are a real cult, so much so that they are called Kyō-Gashi. The bakeries compete in creating the most refined and detailed sweets to entertain their customers visually.

Some of these bakeries offer the opportunity to participate in the preparation of these desserts through special experiences, such as Kanshundō.

The Uji region, south of Kyōto, is one of the prefecture’s largest producers of green tea, supplying the ancient capital with high-quality tea called Uji-cha. The most famous types of Uji-cha are the maccha powder, used for the tea ceremony, the gyokuro, that is the first harvest of the year with leaves grown in the shade instead of under the full sun, and the sencha, the classic green tea.

In the city of Kyoto tea shops can be found almost everywhere. In addition to the old quarter of Kiyomizu, the shopping area between Nishiki-Ichiba Market and Shijō-dōri Street has many shops selling Uji-cha tea, as well as accessories such as containers, teapots etc. Among them Harada has a wide assortment of cups and teapots of all manufactures and materials.

The area of Wazuka has several crops including Obubu, a community that promotes this local product selling it online and offering experiences of harvesting and tours through their fields.

Chazutsu is a metal container, usually cylindrical in shape, used to store tea leaves. It is an essential and everyday tool in Japanese homes as the quality, aroma and taste of tea tend to deteriorate due to sunlight, moisture and oxygen.

With time, the function of preserving tea has been joined by the aesthetic aspect transforming these containers into real objects of furniture. While the inside remains in metal, the outside can be covered with different materials: from elegant wood, often finely decorated with gold or hand-painted leaves, to washi paper or cloth, two materials that, thanks to the infinite patterns and colors available, have allowed the spread of this product as an accessory or simple souvenir.

Kyōto offers a myriad of shops that sell these containers, many of which also sell tea. On Shijō-dōri Street there are many, among them the beautiful shop ALBA offers many different types.

Tsukemono, literally “things in brine”, are vegetables preserved in salt or vinegar, or fermented using rice bran, miso or soy sauce. They are usually served as a snack, with meals to accompany the main courses or even in the various mini-courses of the kaiseki kitchen.

These products are typical of the vegetarian Buddhist diet, the shōjin-ryōri, and are rich in properties that promote the immune system.

These foods are now part of the cuisine of the country and are also offered in the traditional Japanese breakfast. The most common vegetables to find like tsukemono are daikon, cucumber, eggplant, carrot, cabbage, ginger, onion and umeboshi plums. 

Typical in Kyōto are purple pickles such as shibazuke, a pickle made from cucumber or eggplant, and senmaizuke, thin slices of crispy turnip.

Also worth mentioning are the saikyōzuke, preserved cod slices and marinated in miso paste that, at the time of eating, are grilled and served hot. The fish preserved in this way takes on a sweet and caramelized taste thanks to miso.

Walking through the Nishiki-Ichiba market, many shops offer these specialties to be eaten fresh or given as a souvenir.

Sabazushi consists of single portions of rice covered with marinated mackerel and wrapped in sheets of pickled konbu seaweed, all pressed in special molds. The mackerel is filleted and the fillets are then marinated in rice vinegar and sugar for a short time. Then the outer skin is carefully removed while maintaining the thin inner layer.

The origin of this specialty is linked to Kyoto’s remoteness from the sea, as the conservation of many fish, such as mackerel, was entrusted to methods such as salt and vinegar during the journey to the city. Over the centuries, this extremely nutritious dish has been preserved to this day becoming the most famous type of sushi in the city.

In Kyoto, all sushi restaurants serve this specialty, and some historic eateries such as Izuu specialize in different variations of the dish, even to take away. Further north, it’s worth a visit to Hanaore Honten, a shop selling mackerel and other marinated fish under vacuum.

Furoshiki are square cloth cloths used by the Japanese to store or transport objects. If in the past they were used to wrap the bentō boxes, the typical Japanese packed lunch, today they are widely used as real bags and passing bags, as well as wrapping for gifts.

The first furoshiki fabrics were the Tsutsumi, literally “casing”, used to protect the objects to be brought to the temples. Then, with the increase in public toilets, these cloths became known as furoshiki (furo=bath and shiki=unfold), as they facilitated the transport and change of clothes in bathrooms by preventing mixing with those of others.

Today, thanks to the sustainability of the fabric compared to plastic bags, these accessories are back in fashion as real items of clothing, thanks to the beautiful patterns that embellish them.

In Kyōto, where the tradition of fabrics is very much felt, you can find classic furoshiki hand-painted or in bags version for all tastes. Along the Sanjō-dōri shopping street is Kyōto Musubi, a large shop specializing in furoshiki of all kinds and imaginations. If you prefer small craft shops, then Gotō Saburō-shōten is for you!

In addition to the tissues used as clothing around the neck or the bag, the tenugui, soft, long fabrics of thin cotton printed or painted by hand, are really widespread. Once used as towels, today they have become real furnishing elements to be framed as paintings, with subjects that vary from stylized patterns to traditional scenes, but also enchanting designs related to the seasons and nature.

In the chain of shops of Eirakuya, which has several outlets throughout the city, you will find an infinity of these magnificent fabrics, a lightweight souvenir that will not take up much space in the suitcase.

Every weekend and on fixed dates of the month, hundreds of stands are set up at temples and sanctuaries in nature where small local artisans sell their handmade products.

Stands of wallets, handbags, clothing or home accessories made from Japanese fabrics, but also stalls displaying creations and objects in a variety of materials, are flanked by those of food prepared by the locals, Handcrafted treats made with care, teas and other products from local activities.

If you visit Kyōto, it’s recommended to spend just half an hour inside one of these markets that sell out-of-the-ordinary souvenirs and truly unique. Onigiro has collected the most famous markets in his guide to the monthly markets in Kyōto.