Kyoto — A&A in Japan

April 23, 2026

Arrival

When we arrived at Kyoto, it was raining. In a rare logistical failure, the line at the taxi stand for our complimentary taxi to the Hyatt Regency was very long, so we took an Uber instead. They were also super helpful in allowing me to have my iPad shipped from Zipair at Narita, something that the Tokyo Ryokan was much less amenable to for some unknown reason.

We had a low-key evening with good, simple tonkotsu at Ramen no Bombo and an early bedtime.

April 24, 2026

Sanjusangen-do, Söt Coffee, Cenci

Started the morning with 7-11 snacks and a walk to Sanjusangen-do temple near our hotel. This was a highlight. This site is famous for 1001 statues of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. She has 1000 heads to witness human suffering, and 1000 arms to help. The statues only have 42 arms each. Two regular arms, and then 40 additional arms × 25 planes of existence in Mahayana Buddhism = 1000. The 1000 smaller statues grouped together around the larger statue of Kannon in the center are both profound and meditative in their repetition. There are also striking statues of guardian deities in front of the Kannon statues. These guardian deities trace their origins to Hindu mythology, which is a fascinating look into the spread of spiritual thought from India to Japan. Cameras are not allowed inside the temple, which added to the peace of walking through (they should do this in more cultural attractions that reward a meditative presence). We had a lovely walk through the surrounding garden too.

After the temple, we visited one of Michael’s favorite coffee spots in Kyoto, Söt Coffee Kyoto Shichijo, where we had delicious pourovers and a lovely matcha cheesecake before making our way up through Gion, Maruyama Park, and Okazaki Park to our favorite meal of the trip at Cenci.

Ammar smiling over a matcha cheesecake and pourover flight on a wooden tray at Söt Coffee — Pourover flight at Söt Coffee

Arienne sipping from a pink ceramic cup at Söt Coffee, matcha cheesecake on the tray in front of her — Matcha cheesecake!

On the way to Cenci, we stumbled upon Zenkyo-an, a lovely temple dedicated to the guardian Boar, with lots of boar statues and cute little boars you could buy to make an offering. One of the things we liked about visiting Japanese temples and shrines is how relatable and welcoming they feel to outsiders. We experienced this with the cemetery where Geoff’s grandmother was buried, with the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, and here in Kyoto as well. By no means did we understand the nuances of Shinto and Japanese Buddhist theology and how they interact. Still, we could walk into a temple, enjoy the serenity it provided, and make an offering while reflecting on a goal or an intention, which you could make concrete and display (for it to be burned later in a ceremony that would help manifest the desire). No convoluted belief system required. The small and large temples and shrines scattered throughout one’s daily walk infuse mundane city wanderings with a little magic and spirituality. I wonder how people unfamiliar with Abrahamic religions feel wandering through Rome or Istanbul, where there is also lots of religious iconography on display. Are they able to find serenity in the simpler and more generalizable aspects of these religions or is the underlying historical/cultural/doctrinal baggage too great?

Arienne holding up a small painted boar figurine in front of the stone guardian statue at Zenkyo-an temple — The guardian boar at Zenkyo-an.

Rows of ema wooden wish plaques decorated with boar illustrations, one reading 'we hope to continue with love and passion in our relationship' — Us too!

Cenci was a delight. A Michelin-starred Italian Japanese fusion restaurant focusing on the harmony between both cultures’ reverence for letting high-quality ingredients shine. We had the lunch tasting menu with one tea pairing and one wine pairing. Both were fabulous. Michael and Hanna recommended this place highly and had been there on their honeymoon. We were seated at the same table they were and tried to replicate their photo. Meeting the chef was a nice touch.

Arienne carefully pouring tea from a small white pot at Cenci restaurant, a starter salad plate and glassware arranged on the table

Arienne and Ammar reaching across the candlelit table at Cenci, smiling at each other

After lunch we went straight to their sister store to buy some of the tea we had just sampled, and wandered through Kyoto to the shopping district Kawaramachi where we ditched our hit-or-miss thrift shopping for the bounty of Uniqlo, where we had many more hits than misses not only for ourselves but also for people back home! Uniqlo in Japan is both cheaper and has more unique styles than Uniqlo in the US, and taking sales tax off at the register is much more convenient than tax-free shopping in Europe, where you have to keep all your receipts and submit them at the airport.

After lugging our haul back to our hotel, we rested for a while before getting dressed up in some of our new threads and heading out to an izakaya recommended by our waiter at Cenci. Sadly, even though we were almost 2 hours before its listed closing time on Google Maps, we got a brusque set of crossed arms when we walked in, indicating they were closed, or full, but no one offered to have us wait for a table. It was kind of a disappointing interaction, but we moved on to another more friendly izakaya where we had some tasty veg-forward snacks. We then walked down to our first Jazz Kissa of the trip, a smoke-filled dive called Jazz in Rokudenashi where the bartender was spinning a rare Monk Live in Paris record and the walls were covered in old flyers for shows. The cigarette smoke was a bit much in the small unventilated room, but the vibes were spot on.

Arienne and Ammar in a hotel mirror selfie dressed for the evening — Ammar in an olive shirt jacket, Arienne in a quilted jacket

Ammar grinning among rows of vinyl records at Jazz in Rokudenashi — Jazz in Rokudenashi

April 25, 2026

Fushimi Inari, Tofuku-ji, Jazz Spot Yamatoya

Woke up and went to Fushimi Inari Taisha, the famed vermillion torii gates. Pretty crowded when we arrived but as we got up the mountain it got more peaceful. Even though it’s one of the most touristy sites in Japan, it still exudes peace and beauty when you get near the top. Traditionally, it is a shrine for ordinary people and merchants, and each gate is donated by an individual or business.

Arienne and Ammar smiling at the camera surrounded by the deep vermillion torii gates of Fushimi Inari — Fushimi Inari Taisha

A bronze kitsune fox fountain figure draped in a red cloth bib, water trickling from its mouth, surrounded by lanterns and torii at Fushimi Inari — Kitsune are the divine fox messengers of Inari.

A deeply moss-covered komainu guardian lion-dog wearing a red bib, a vermillion torii gate visible behind it — A Komainu guardian lion-dog guards a gate.

We hiked down mount Inari on the north side away from the crowds and this led us through a quiet upscale-seeming neighborhood and down to the serene Tofuku-ji temple and the nearby Tsuten-kyo bridge, which traverses two leafy riverbanks that are particularly iconic in the autumn but were also pretty with the green springtime growth.

Ammar standing on a gravel path lined with large moss-covered trees in the gardens of Tofuku-ji

Lush spring Japanese maple leaves in vivid green fill the foreground, a temple roof visible through the canopy against a blue sky at Tofuku-ji

We finished our walk at Takei, a tiny shop where the sweet elderly lady proprietor makes a few simple meals and you write your order using a number system so that she can understand. Hundreds of people had used the little slips of paper to write their thanks and greetings and stick them to the walls and ceilings of the shop or hang them from string. She LOVED Arienne’s curly hair and exclaimed “KAWAII!” (cute!) and pointed to the top of her head. Then she looks at me and goes “LUCKY BOY!” She gave us some candy before we left, which we noticed she did not do for the other (also foreign) patrons. We’re so special.

After a rest, we went out to Kikyo Sushi that Hanna and Michael had recommended. It was quite good but not as standout as Iwase. But they did treat us much more nicely.

We then hopped in the bus over to Jazz Spot Yamatoya. The loveliest Jazz Kissa, where the culture is to just have a good drink and listen quietly. The place was run by an elderly man and a younger woman who were both so put together and played some John Coltrane ballads, Michel Legrand, and Philly Joe Jones. There are hundreds of Jazz Kissa around the country, well chronicled by Katsumasa Kusunose on the Instagram account @jazz_kissa and in his print publication.

Jazz Spot Yamatoya storefront sign — Jazz Spot Yamatoya

Arienne at the bar at Jazz Spot Yamatoya

Arienne and Ammar in a hotel mirror selfie dressed for dinner — Ammar in a black suit jacket and white shirt, Arienne in a dark shirt with glasses — Dressed for Kikyo and Yamatoya

April 26, 2026

Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, Tea Ceremony

Packed day! Started by riding a cab across town to the Arashiyama bamboo forest, then over to the stunning Kinkaku-ji golden temple to beat the crowds. It definitely lived up to the hype. The golden facade was so striking against the surrounding hills. There was also a hundreds-year-old Bonsai there that we were excited to share with our favorite Bonsai-ers Chris and Michael.

Arienne turning back to smile at the camera with the Golden Pavilion and blooming azaleas behind her

We then went to a small tea ceremony. We learned about the traditional tea ceremony, where the host is both very deliberate and hospitable in how she serves the tea, with very precise movements, encouraging the guests to be mindful and meditative to use all their senses to consume the matcha. At the tea ceremony, we met a very interesting Italian woman who had lived and worked in Japan for several years and returned to visit. She told us about how she was here for a university course and then just decided to stay and worked her way into a business job, navigating Japanese cultural and professional norms.

We took a break from Japanese cuisine and had a delicious Neapolitan style pizza at La Balena. Then, the VIRAL MOCHI SENSATION at Mochi Mochi! Everyone got a video like this. And the Mochi was truly delicious!

We rested a bit then hit Uniqlo for some returns and last minute items, then Nike for some cool sneakies for Ammar.

Dinner wasn’t memorable that night — mediocre izakaya we dashed to in the rain when our favored option (also recommended by our Cenci waiter) turned out to be closed.