Time for Tea (and champagne)

Kyoto is all about tradition, and if there’s one activity that’s perhaps the most traditional of all in Japan, it’s the tea ceremony. Hannah and I learned to formally participate in a tea service at the home of a Kyoto tea instructor who taught us how to bow, carry a fan (unopened), sit, greet our hostess, apologize for taking tea first (or before the host), slurp the final mouthful of tea, and finally, to make tea in the formal way that it’s been done here for centuries. Check out our video here: https://youtu.be/n4-rCj2D388

The afternoon and evening were filled with more food experiences and a picturesque stroll by the Kamogaro River and Takase-gawa Canal. The river flows south to Fushimi.

The shallow canal was dug around 1614 for flat-bottomed boats to carry cargo from Osaka and other cities to Fushimi. More than 100 boats once operated along the canal contributing to the economic prosperity of Kyoto. Today it’s lined with cherry trees, shops and restaurants.

Food/resting stops at various points during the day and evening included:

Nishiki Market

(John, this one’s for you. It’s a stall that sells hot sauce and other chili products.)

Cafe de K, a French wine bar, for a celebratory glass of Ca’del Bosco champagne…

And selections from an array of French cheeses (a much appreciated break from rice, fish & miso)

Finally, after a long wait to get in, we ate the BEST award-winning gyoza in the city at Chao Chao, which included chocolate gyoza for dessert!