There are many restaurants and cafés in Gion. This one however, I think is special. First of all, although it is inside an old, traditional

About Ichiwa and Aburi-Mochi Ichiwa is a over 1000 years old shop right next to the Imamiya Shrine and therefore the oldest sweets shop in Kyoto. It has been open since Heian-era and specializes in aburi-mochi. "aburi" stands for "grilled" and "mochi" for a rice cake made from glutinous rice powder. As the name suggests, aburi-mochi is a rice cake which has been grilled over hot charcoal after being rolled in kinako (roasted soybean powder) and then coated in a sweet sauce ma

When talking about Kyoto, most people think of the most famous temples and shrines such as Kyomizu-dera or Fushimi-inari as well as traditional houses with Maiko walking by. However, Kyoto is also widely known for its green tea, so why not visit the place where it is coming from? Uji Uji is a city in the southern outskirts of Kyoto and most famous for it´s matcha. The cultivation of tea in this area was promoted by Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimisu (1358-1408) and Uji became an impor

Have you ever been tired of being surrounded by busy streets, tall buildings and loud commercials in Tokyo and just wanted to escape into the nature a little bit? Or do you want to escape from your stressful every day life into another world? If so, wouldn't it be like a dream to drink tea and eat sweets surrounded by beautiful, colorful flowers? Aoyama Flower Market Tea House The Aoyama Flower Market Tea House is the perfect place to get a break from the city life and immer