And here’s the miscellaneous, non-ramen, non-breakfast meals we had in Kyoto. It covers an exciting array of traditional Japanese dishes – we certainly ate well on this trip!

Saga Tofu Ine

This restaurant is located in Arashiyama, close to Tenryu Ji and the bamboo forest (more on that later), making it perfect for when you’re exploring that part of the city. When we visited, the main store was closed for reconstruction, but we were met with a sign telling us we could go to the north branch just 100 metres away, so that’s what we did.

There were five set meals on the menu, one of which is labelled vegan, so we both went for that. We got a lot of little dishes, most of which were tofu based. If you’re not into tofu, this is not the restaurant for you! I love trying all the different ways tofu can be prepared, so this was right up my street. We also enjoyed the opportunity to play our favourite game in Japan: asking one another if a certain dish is sweet or savoury, and concluding that’s it somehow both and neither at once.

There were some tempura, a few pieces of vegetable and one piece of tofu. It was all very tasty but the batter was a bit heavy and greasy and not as light as we would have liked. We enjoyed the matcha salt that came along with it.

There was a pot with yuba in what seemed like a soy milk broth. It didn’t taste of very much besides soy milk, but we made use of the dipping sauces to add some flavour. The yuba texture was really fun, and as don’t really get yuba anywhere in Prague, it felt like a treat.

There was a pot full of a big block of silken tofu simmering away above a heater. It seemed like it was just simmering in water, so there was not a great deal of flavour, but the dipping sauces livened things up again. The texture was great, silky smooth but still robust enough to not just completely disintegrate.

We also got a cube of black sesame tofu, which was very enjoyable. The texture was firmer than the silken tofu and it had a good sesame flavour. The aftertaste was a bit bitter though and that let it down.

The warabimochi (in the bottom left corner in the photo of the tofu pot) was probably the highlight. It was a sweet, gelatinous mochi covered in kinako (roasted soy bean flour). The sweetness of the mochi was really well balanced by the savoury nuttines of the kinako.

The red lid in the top photo is hiding a portion of rice, which had some red beans in it and was well seasoned. There were some radish pickles as well, which helped to boost the flavour of the blander dishes.

Underneath the tempura in the bento box, there were a couple of things that looked like lollipops that had a bit of a gelatinous texture and not much taste. They came with a sweet and sharp dipping paste, possibly mostly made of tamarind. It was not as exciting as it looked.

While not every dish was a knockout, we were really thrilled with the opportunity to try so many little dishes and enjoy some high quality tofu. We won’t get meals like this in Prague, so I’m glad we made the most of it!

Mimikou

We were really keen to get some curry udon while we were in Japan, and this place did not disappoint! It serves meat, but there’s a vegetarian page in the menu which clearly states that all vegetarian options are vegan, so there are quite a few things to choose from.

We both tried the vegetarian curry udon topped with soy nuggets and tempura. It was delicious! The udon noodles were thick and slippery. The broth was really well flavoured, with that classic curry seasoning giving a nice gentle heat. It was also very thick in places, which I loved. The soy nuggets were very good indeed – the coating was crispy and even retained some bite while sitting in the broth, and the meaty texture was good. The tempura was nice, but it was basically one giant tempura fritter with multiple vegetables in it, and I lack the skills to easily eat that when it’s sitting on a hot broth. As it got soggier from the broth, it disintegrated into it. So if you want to enjoy the batter, tackle it as soon as possible! We didn’t see a lot of vegan curry udon options on our wanders, so this was a great find.

Kyoto Soba-Morihei

And here’s another Japanese classic we were desperate to try! We were looking for somewhere to eat close to the train station and this did the job nicely. It’s on the first floor of the station building, in the Kintetsu Mall section, so if you’re stepping off the train after a long day trip, this is the perfect place to eat. There were four vegan options on the menu. You order from a tablet on the table and there is a clear vegan section, so everything went smoothly.

Once again, we both ordered the same dish, the rice bowl and tempura. It came with a side noodle salad where you can choose between soba or udon noodles. We both went for udon. The tempura bowl was good, with a variety of well coated vegetables. Some were hot and crispy but some were already a bit cold and soggy. The rice in the bowl was dressed in a sauce so it had a bit of flavour, which prevented the dish from getting too bland.

I never thought I’d say this sentence, but: the side salad was excellent! We got plenty of noodles, some sliced onions, a flavoursome green leaf, and crispy noodles on top, all dressed in a well balanced sweet and sharp dressing. Perfect!

All in all, it was quick, convenient, and tasty!

Gion Tanto

Yet another Japanese classic to finish off Kyoto! It’s an extremely popular restaurant that doesn’t take reservations. It serves meat, but there are a few solid vegan options. The restaurant is really small, only seating about 20 people. On the advice of other reviewers, we got there about ten minutes before opening and a queue formed quickly behind us. There were only two free seats just after opening and they were filled quickly too. You take off your shoes and sit on the floor at teppenyaki style tables. We were sat at the long bar and when that’s full you’re sat shoulder to shoulder with others which isn’t really what I want at the end of a long hot day.

I ordered the soy meat okonomiyaki, and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I only got a couple of pieces of meat. They were quite big and had a good flavour, so it’s a shame there were so few of them. The sauce was really flavoursome and delicious too. The pancake itself was crispy and hearty.

Dr HH got the soy meat negiyaki, which is not a dish I’d ever heard of. We weren’t really sure what the difference was going to be when we ordered, and when it was served we found that it had a lot more spring onion in it and on top of it, and no sauce on top. We were provided with bottles of vegan sauces so he could easily add as much sauce as he wanted (the sauce bottles provided on the tables are not vegan, but if you order vegan food they take them away and bring labelled vegan alternatives). He really enjoyed the flavour and texture of the pancake too, but he found the soy meat chunks not very tasty, unlike me.

When we left after about 50 minutes, the waiting area was full with more people looking in from outside. They have a sign up saying vegan food takes longer to prepare, so even though we ordered first, two other tables for their food before us. I enjoyed the food but I don’t know if I’d have been so glowing if I’d had to wait a longer time for it.

Activities in Kyoto

We recreated a day trip to Arashiyama that we took in 2019, with the added bonus that this time we did not get lost on the way! We started the day with a quick train ride to Arashiyama and arrived at our first stop of the day, Tenryu Ji. This is a pleasant temple and garden. It was the busiest of the temples and shrines we visited today and to be totally honest, the least interesting. But it’s still a worth a look around. It’s also close to Saga Tofu Ine (mentioned above), so we stopped there for some lunch before ploughing on through the bamboo forest. The bamboo forest is absolutely packed with tourists, many of whom seem quite annoyed that they can’t get the crowd-free video they wanted for their social media.

Through the bamboo forest, you emerge at Okochi Sanso Garden, which is a private villa with very lovely grounds you can pay to walk around. It’s much quieter than the first stop of the day, and has better views.

From there, it’s a short walk to Jojakko-ji, where you have to climb up this fleet of stairs to reach a nice little complex of temple buildings and greenery. It’s very picturesque, and my favourite of the sites so far.

Now there’s a longer walk to Adashino Nenbutsuji, which is famous for these stone buddha statues. It’s an impressive sight.

And then on to the main destination of the day – Otagi Nenbutsuji. The grounds have loads of these little statues, each one a completely different character. It’s so much fun to wander around and see them all. When we visited in 2019 hardly anyone else was there, and it seems a lot more popular now. The statues were just as fun as we’d remembered!