Matcha Eclairs

Matcha eclairs - green tea icing and green tea creme patisserie. Wrap your laughing gear around one of these next time you visit Kyoto Daimaru! I say that because I want you to tell me how it was.. I neglected to taste one this trip - anybody willing to volunteer?

Ippodo - Kyoto いっぽど

Recently I met with friend Kyoto Foodie at Ippodo - a famous Kyoto tea shop on Teramachi dori north of Nijo dori and South of Marutamachi dori. He introduced me to Koicha - a very thick tea made from a larger than usual quantity of matcha (maccha) or high quality, powdered green tea.  Michael tells me it has about 5 times the amount of tea powder normally used and therefore packs quite a punch of caffeine - however the buzz is not that of coffee (due to a component in tea that brings on a certain calm and relaxation) -so one is awake but not climbing up the walls. 

Although the mixture has the appearance and viscosity of green wall paint its flavour is smooth, savoury and deep - meaty if you like.... I love Matcha but this is not a version I would opt for every day... a special occasion Matcha perhaps. It is certainly a must to try once. 

As always with Matcha/Maccha a traditional sweet (Wagashi) is served alongside it. As it is the beginning of summer the colour of the top sweet reflects cool and calm. At formal tea ceremony you are usually invited to eat the sweet first before drinking the tea but its fine to be more casual at Ippodo - sipping and nibbling as the urge takes you.

Once you have finished the majority of the Koicha the waitress will remove your cup and whisk hot water into it so that you can enjoy the rest of the tea as the standard thinner matcha. A two for one deal - what's not to like. 

I won't give too much detail about the tea itself or Ippodo - instead I will link you to Kyoto Foodie's post from 2007 plus a link to the shop itself. If you have never experienced a traditional Japanese tea ceremony but want to taste some professionally made matcha then make sure you check out Ippodo - its only a short walk north on Teramachi from the city shopping district.  You can pick up a variety of tea to take home too!

While we are on the subject of sweets - ok so not quite on but lurking around it, any excuse and all that - check out these beautiful summer offerings. They both turn up in shops around May/June for the rainy season and early summer.   The first, made from beans, with a jelly like top set with Kanten and green maple leaf promotes the "feeling" of cool. 

The second is a speciality made from a seasonal fruit - Natsu mikan or summer mandarin/tangerine. The slightly bitter juice is sweetened and made into a jelly before being set in the hollowed out fruit skin. It is chilled and sliced into wedges for serving -  and eaten with a small spoon. So refreshing on a hot day. 

Day trip to Uji 宇治

Hello we are in the process of transferring all Japan related posts to Jane's Zenbu Tours site. 

This post has already moved - you will find it HERE. 

Thank you!

A lovely day for a stroll...

Kyoto is one of those places you can wander for hours as carefree as a spring breeze.

On Friday morning, after trekking to the post office to send the first of a few heavy boxes back home, I made an executive decision to give myself the day off. I needed a break from the book and the book needed a break from me. It felt great to get some plum-blossom-air in my lungs.

The images below trace my meanderings from the full and fragrant bloom outside my front door just prior to ducking around the corner to the local soba joint for lunch before walking long into the moody afternoon and finally dinner in Paris - er upper Teramachi when there was no longer any light and the cool had set in.

Along the way I climbed around Chion-in Temple and one of its gardens before heading further south along the Eastern edge of town towards Kiyomizu temple.

On Sannenzaka I peeked into private gardens filled with koi ponds and stone lanterns before  stopping for necessary sustenance of iced matcha and mitarashi dango (rice flour dumplings with a slightly sweet and savoury glaze).

I ventured west, downhill, through Maiko dotted Gion and across the Kamo river.  In the south part of Teramachi dori just below Shijo Dori  I stole cuddles with an antique store owner's puppy "candy"while we chatted about chirimen Jakko (tiny fish and sansho condiment often eaten with rice) and she wrapped my purchases of  'props' for the book before I continued north around the maze of backstreets near the Nishiki Market where I happened upon the delightful Kyoto Design store  - and refrained from further purchase... Lies!!! Hey I was supporting local craftspeople.

Getting late I stopped for a light dinner in a French Cafe on northern Teramachi above Oike dori before cabbing it home, giving my feet a well earned rest.

A no plan/no expectation/no rules/no direction day that injected my week with much joy  - and motivation for jumping back into the book.