Ryozanpaku 京・百万遍 梁山泊 - Kyoto, Japan

Our host is the 2-star Michelin Chef: Kenichi Hashimoto, a very humorous and humble man. We were greeted by Mrs Hashimoto dressed in kimono at the wooden craved entrance, entering a Japanese garden, a small pathway under a canopy of beautiful pastel pink cherry tree in full bloom, leading us to the doorstep of the restaurant. There's a big hand-crafted communal table in the centre, wooden racks on the wall and we were seated at the counter bar, facing the open kitchen.

Ryokan Hanaikada - Arashiyama, Sagano Kyoto, Japan

Arashiyama is a pleasant town with mountains and river located in the western outskirts of Kyoto, offering very beautiful natural setting and relaxed atmosphere. It's a masterpiece of natural scenic beauty, while it's a small town without too many attractions, many tourists go there for a day trip. It takes about half an hour ride on Randen Line from Kyoto. On my first visit, I had a day trip too but I've decided to stay a little longer this time. This area is especially popular among tourists during Autumn, when the Japanese maple (momiji) - which takes up to 70% of Arashiyama add grace and beauty to the season. 

There are a few beautiful ryokans in Arashiyama, my favourite was Hoshinoya unfortunately it's fully booked by the time I started to do my planning. I've only made all my hotel bookings 1-1.5 months before I departed. Bad bad idea to check out hotels 1-2 months before departure, furthermore it's the cherry blossom season, left aside the steep prices, many hotels were already fully booked and I've only left with a few choices. I've settled down with Hanaikada Ryokan, a traditional ryokan with natural hot springs. 

Ryuhei-Soba - Kyoto, Japan

Ryuhei-Soba

A 1-star Michelin restaurant located in a tranquil town slightly away from Kyoto city. It took us quite a while to get here; the map we printed online plus the one we got from the train station didn't help much but thanks to the pocket wi-fi I rented and Google Maps, after almost 15 minutes of walk from the train station, we finally arrived at Ryuhei-soba's doorstep. It's a petite restaurant sat between local houses. I was a little grumpy already, having to walk at a relatively fast speed as it's passed our reservation time due to our earlier journey in Nara (I got a little too obsessed with the deers in Nara haha), my grumpiness disappeared the moment we were welcomed by the hostess. The genuine Japanese greetings and welcome never failed to put a smile on my face. 

Cafe Cheka 菓子・茶房 - Kyoto, Japan

Cafe Cheka - A petite cafe hidden among a row of housing area, located on the street that runs along the north wall of the zoo, and a stone's throw from the beautiful Heian Shrine. This cafe caught my attention from its Tiramisu images I got from Google results. There weren't many reviews available (while most of it were in Japanese) and I was really glad that from the very minimal reviews of this cafe, they led me to this ethereal cafe.