Kyoto Places
We saw [[Leslie Yau]] and [[Joyce Liu]]. Travelled to Kyoto primarily to observe their [[Shinto Wedding]]
[[Warabi Mochi]] at [[茶寮翠泉 高辻本店]]. Warabi Mochi is my all-time favorite Japanese snack. It's a transparent slimy version of mochi that is slimy, works best when dipped in roasted soy bean powder. [[Patricia Poon]] took me to this place where they serve it fresh and hot. The Japanese name for this is 出来立てわらび餅. It comes out steaming hot. You get a paddle and chopsticks and have fun eating it. This is super good, I'd go back there again in a heartbeat.
[[Ace Hotel Kyoto]] is lovely. A nice twist from the grungy dark [[Ace Hotel New York]] -- ths lobby looks inviting, more like a WeWork than a dance club. Signature [[Stumptown Coffee]] is also in the lobby with a decidedly Japanese feel. They hung an oversized noren at the top of the entrance way of a coffee pot.
[[Beams Japan Kyoto]] is a delightful shop. I love orange and design, this had both. They had fun works from designers but also their own quirky design goods.
[[Kawai Shrine 河合神社]] is a small shrine that's out of the way in Shimogamo, that triangular tip area in Kyoto. The fun thing is it's a shrine dedicated to beauty, so the wooden prayer blocks you can buy are a face you can decorate. In fact, it makes me think there should be a shrine dedicated to Emojis. Right next to it is a shrine dedicate to Rugby, so this isn't that far off.
[[Coffee House Maki]] is a coffee place we went for breakfast because we were too early for the shrine to open! Surprise is that their Breakfast set is REALLY worth getting.
[[Ogawa Coffee Nishiki]] was the last cafe we went to. They had an amazing Cafe Mojito which was Mint Sorbet, with lime soda and espresso. The cafe also does a really good sandwich which you can enjoy staring at one of the best bonsai like inner-garden ([[中庭 Inner Garden]])
[[Kennin-ji 建仁寺]] hosted a night time art show in the shrine. It was an interesting combination of light-based art with [[Rock Garden]] and procedural art with paintings in the room. We went with [[Leslie Yau]] and [[Joyce Liu]] there.
[[雑太社]] is a shrine in [[Shimogamo]] which oddly is a shrine dedicated to [[Rugby]].
Stayed at the [[Hotel Hokke Club]] in Kyoto. It wasn't anything special, but very convenient.