Christmas Day at the Kitano Tenmangu Flea Market

Christmas Day in Kyoto dawned bright and sunny though  still very cold at about 5C.  

Kyoto resident and good friend Meiko san had made a date to meet up with us on Christmas Day.  

I asked her to take us to the flea market at the Kitano Tenmangu shrine, which coincidentally, is held on the 25th day of each month.  

I had read that Tenjin san, as it is called, was one of the major flea markets in the area so of course I had to go and see it.

Marche aux Puces,  Kyoto style!

Perhaps because it was Christmas day, the crowds seemed unusually thick.  We had to literally elbow our way through the crush of people when we got to the entrance of the shrine.

 It was so interesting to see all the different stalls selling all kinds of food, dry goods, second hand clothes, etc.
Meiko san said that this was her first time in this flea market and she found it quite an experience as well. This flea market is one of the two more well known ones in Kyoto -- the other is the flea market held every 21st of the month at the Toji Temple.

This lady was selling chocolate covered bananas that were too irresistible to pass by.

 There was even a stall selling fresh fish.  This man had very fresh looking salmon.

 Tenjin san has many stalls aimed at young children such as this booth with an interesting assortment of both traditional and modern toys.

There are game booths where kids can try their hand at winning prizes.  It was just like one big happy "perya" or country fair.

The ultimate destination is at the end of the flea market grounds.  This large wooden gate marks the entrance to the Kitano Tenmangu shrine.  I think it is one of the most  beautiful gates that I have seen not just in Kyoto but in Japan.

The shrine is one of the more important shrines in Kyoto.  Dedicated to a renowned scholar, Suguwara Michizane,  Kitano Tenmangu has been around since 950 AD and  is associated with Tenjin, the Shinto god for education.
Meiko san said that it is a major destination for students,  as they seek help for success in their studies and exams.

A number of statues of oxen are found in Kitano Tenmangu because Michizane san was born in the year of the ox.  Most of the visitors who come here rub the ox statues as a way to get good luck.

 This particular  statue made of multi coloured stone is said to have healing powers.  Meiko san told me to rub a part of the ox's body corresponding to a part of my body that has pain or illness and that  illness would  be transferred to the ox.

Further inside the shrine grounds is this hall where a long line of people have queued up to ring the bell and pay their respects to the Shinto god.  Meiko san said that Shinto gods were like humans -- not omnipresent and so, were not always in the shrine -- you rang the bell to summon them to come and give their blessing.

As in other temples and shrines, wooden tablets such as these are for writing petitions and wishes on.

Note the plum blossom design on the lantern.  The plum tree was a particular favourite of Michizane san and they are planted all over the grounds.

If it were spring, the hundreds of plum trees in Kitano Tenmangu shrine would be in full bloom and would be such a sight to behold.  But for now, I had to content myself with looking at their leafless twigs and imagining their springtime beauty.

 Soon it is lunchtime and we head out of the shrine and back onto the flea market grounds.  People continue to arrive but the crowd is not as thick as it was.

 The wide array of local food stalls has made me decide to have an impromptu picnic lunch at Kitano Tenmangu.
It would be a different and delicious way to enjoy a Christmas day meal.  Karaage, sold from a vendor and placed in a small paper cup, was bite sized, piping hot, perfectly crusted and to quote the Colonel -- finger licking good!

 One stall was selling okonomiyaki, a traditional Kansai and Osaka dish.  The vendor said his okonomiyaki was "Hiroshima" style and this meant that in addition to the batter, vegetables,  seafood and meat, it also had noodles.

Hiroshima style okonomiyaki was really good.  The noodles made for slightly toasted crust which enhanced the soft creaminess of the batter and the vegetables.  The generous serving of bonito flakes on top was the delightful coup de grace.

I smelled before I saw these rolls grilling on a bamboo mat and couldn't resist asking about them.  The vendor said it was butabara or pork belly.  That's bacon to me!

I bought one and before he handed it to me, he put some cheese on top and melted it with a mini blowtorch.  

Biting into the roll, you get the smoky flavour of the bacon or butabara and the gooey goodness of melted cheese.  Inside is soft slightly sticky Japanese rice.  What a genius combination!

The takoyaki vendor was a popular favourite.   Like okonomiyaki, takoyaki is an Osaka and  Kansai "soul food" .   Big, plump, glazed with sauce and topped with a sprinkle of herbs, each ball was a mouthful of bliss.

What's a picnic lunch without beer? Asahi Super Dry added to our Christmas cheer.

This is Meiko san who was so generous with her time and friendship, making sure that we would not feel lonely in Kyoto on Christmas day.   It must have been so tiring to walk all over the flea market, in the biting cold and then have to sit on hard wooden benches for a very casual outdoor picnic lunch. 

Christmas in Kyoto was definitely a different experience -- yet one to treasure and remember in the years to come.   Merii kurisumasu mina san!

Note : thanks to my son Gani and husband Jay for some of the photos used in this post.

Ramen Face Off in Kyoto Station : Part 4 Menya Iroha, Toyama Black Ramen from an Iron Chef

Did I save the best for last?  Rushing to cram in one more ramen bowl before I left Kyoto, I still had five shops to choose from.  I decided on Menya Iroha -- famous for Toyama black ramen.  This is the reigning Ramen champion, having won best in the Tokyo Ramen show for three years straight.

I had an early dinner to prepare myself for a late night ramen run.  Ramen Koji closes at 9:30 p.m. and I got there just before 9, just before last orders were called.  Note the big poster at the door showing Iron Chef Chen with his special concoction for Menya Iroha.

I can't read Japanese but it seems that the best seller for Menya Iroha is their black ramen.  This is a lighter pork and dashi based broth with a dark colour -- which is derived from the special soy sauce that is used as its flavouring.  The "black" ramen comes with the traditional negi or japanese scallions, chashu, green onions, ajitama eggs and bamboo shoots.  The menu board features the popular ramen partner, gyoza plus side dishes such as extra eggs, rice, negi and chashu slices.

Since I time my visit just before the call for last order, there are just a few of us ramen die hards slurping over our bowls.  I see a strange and not familiar sight -- dirty and used bowls are left on the tables -- another sure sign that they are no longer expecting new customers and are just about to close.

It's fun to watch the chef as he prepares my bowl of ramen.  Not to so fun to sit beside all these dirty bowls that have been left on the counter top right beside me.

I am not too fond of shoyu based ramen so I pass on the best seller and instead opt for the "white prawn" ramen.  The broth is light and clear and there are dried white shrimp shells on top of the chashu slices.  The aroma is redolent of dried shrimp, and gives off a very appetising smell.

 The "white prawns" are just dried shells -- no meat inside.  The shells are thin and easy to chew and complement the rest of the ingredients very well.  I thought it would be salty, because of the white shrimp and the strong aroma but the broth was subtle and easy on the palate.  The chashu slices were also very succulent -- tender and yet not mushy.  The ajitama egg yolks were not as soft or runny as I would like but other than that -- it was a perfect bowl!
A perfect ending to my Ramen Face Off at Ramen Koji, Kyoto Station!

Ramen Face Off in Kyoto Station! Part 3 Yamagishi Tai-sho-ken

After trying tsukemen or ramen "dipping noodles" at Rokurinsha in Tokyo, I decided that I preferred the regular ramen in noodle soup.  I found the tsukemen dipping sauce to be too cloying and the fat, udon like noodles quite heavy.  The "umay" or "tiredness" factor kicked in early on in the bowl.

So when I saw this menu board for tsukemen in Ramen Koji in Kyoto station, I was really inclined to pass it by.

But when I saw the sign on the door that said "Yamagishi Tai sho ken" I got all excited.  

Yamagishi san is the inventor of tsukemen and his shop Taishoken in Ikebukuro is most famous as the birthplace of this noodle dish.  

I had read that Yamagishi san had retired but his name (and presumably his recipe) lives on as one of his apprentices took over the business.  

It's a good thing that we passed by this ramen shop in mid afternoon -- the place was almost empty.  A few hours later and the lines would be snaking out the door.

I head to the ticket machine and buy our meal stubs.

The waiter by the door shows me the button to press for beer so I am able to get an ice cold mug of Asahi draft.

There are three  types of tsukemen that are recommended.  I opt for the seafood "rich taste" dipping noodle set.

To call it a "seafood" dipping noodle is really not all that true.  The base is still made of very rich pork broth and the chashu slices are still present in the bowl.  That small mound of brown stuff on top of the seaweed is what gives this sauce a very distinct  taste -- it's actually powdered dried fish.  Reminds me of how tinapa is used but without the smoky taste.
Mix in this fish powder  with the dipping sauce and it imparts a decidedly dashi  flavour.
Yamagishi Tai-sho-ken's tsukemen is easily, hands down, the winner over Rokurinsha.  The flavour is better and deeper -- more savoury. Although both tsukemen were a bit on the salty side, Yamagishi had an underlying complexity which the other one did not have.
I guess the original is always the better one.

Jay opted instead for the regular dipping set with a  soy based broth.  It's soupier and seemed lighter.  It also seemed closer to the traditional ramen in soup -- perhaps this is what ramen purists would prefer.  I also noted that because the sauce is more watery, you can actually drink it -- something you cannot do with the heavier "seafood" sauce.
In addition to this, Jay also ordered a side dish of gyoza which he pronounced as excellent.

This is how I enjoyed Yamagishi Tai-sho-ken's tsukemen.  Unlike Rokurinsha, no aprons are available. Since it's so messy to bring the noodles from the dipping sauce to my mouth, I had to practically put my lips to the bowl.  At least I kept my beige shirt free of tsukemen stains.
No one would know I had a huge bowl of tsukemen in the middle of the afternoon.

Ramen Face off in Kyoto Station! Part 2 Hakata Ikkousha

As I had made up my mind to try and eat from as many ramen restaurants in Kyoto Station's Ramen Koji or Ramen Alley, I wondered where my next ramen bowl would come from.

This striking poster for Hakata Ikkousha caught my eye.  Was that what it seemed to be?  A huge gigantic slice of chashu spread out on top of a ramen bowl?  The mother of all chashu! 

I knew immediately that I would have to try this place.

If you go during regular dining hours, there's sure to be a queue at any ramen place in Ramen Koji. Hakata Ikkousha is no exception.  It took about twenty minutes before we got seated.

The queues though are efficiently managed and there are signs in English on how to order your food before you stand in line.

 These vending machines are conveniently placed in front of each ramen restaurant in Ramen Koji.  Place your money in the slot, push the button for your order and the meal stub comes out -- you give this to the girl at the door,  then take your place in the queue.

While standing in line, I can't help but peer in and silently will these diners to hurry up and slurp their ramen as fast as they can.  

At last!   Our ramen bowls are placed before us just a few minutes after we are seated.  This is Hakata Ikkousha's  number one best selling bowl --  Ajitama with scallions ramen.  What I had originally thought was a gigantic chashu slice turns out to be four thin chashu slices, artfully arranged to look like one big piece.

Their second best selling bowl is topped with just green onions and an ajitama egg.  Like the Kitakata ramen, the chashu covers the entire bowl, you can't even see the noodles that are hidden underneath.

Unlike Kitakata ramen, which has a light, almost clear pork broth, Hakata style ramen uses tonkotsu broth -- a  dense and heavy broth that comes from boiling pork bones for days on end -- marrow, sinews, collagen all melt after together.  The result is a milky, creamy and  rich soup base.

The tonkotsu broth at Hakata Ikkousha has a strong garlic taste -- this would be my only quarrel with this ramen as I am not a big garlic fan -- it's my aswang or vampire tendencies coming to the fore.

There are even extra garlic cloves on the table just in case you want to make your ramen even more garlicky.  Count Dracula would hate this place.

 In addition to the ramen, we order a side dish of karaage and fried rice.  Like the chashu slices, the karaage is super sized and comes with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.   It's very tasty but I can only manage one piece.

No time for lingering and discussing the fine points of  Hakata Ikkousha ramen.   More people are queued for food outside so it's slurp, eat and run!  The Ramen Face Off will be continued …


Note : Thanks to my son Gani for photos 3 and 6.

Ramen Face Off in Kyoto Station! Part 1 Kitakata Bannai Koboshi

We spent Christmas in Kyoto and stayed at Hotel Granvia at the Kyoto Station.  Aside from being so convenient for access to Japan's excellent train system, I have a hidden agenda why I always prefer to stay in this area.

On the 10th floor of Kyoto Station is Ramen Alley or Ramen Koji -- one floor dedicated to the business of ramen and ramen alone.  And these are not just ordinary ramen restaurants -- there are just eight stores but they represent some of the best regional ramen that you can find in Japan.  Much like Ramen Street in the basement of Tokyo Station, Ramen Koji in Kyoto Station has a sampling of the best of the best.

On this trip, I made it a point to try and eat from as many of the ramen restaurants as I could.  Hot ramen was also perfect for the 5C Kyoto weather.  My first stop for ramen was a familiar name. Kitakata Bannai, a ramen favourite has a branch near our head office in Shiodome.

Like all the ramen shops in Ramen Koji, stores are small with counter seating and a few tables.  Thankfully, the queue at Kitakata Bannai is not as long when we drop by for dinner.

 Bannai is a ramen chain in Japan that has its roots in Kitakata.  Ramen from this area uses a very light broth -- unlike the milky tonkotsu base you find in other ramen bowls.
The light broth is pork based but you get a hint of niboshi or dried sardines, which adds to the depth of flavour of the soup.
Ramen restaurants are always very affordable but Bannai is even more so.  We each order the small set which costs just 880 yen each.

The set comes with a bowl of grilled chashu slices over a small portion of rice.  The pork belly slices are soft and you can see the glistening, melt-in-your-mouth portion of fat.  A teriyaki type of sauce helps ensure that you eat each and every grain of that hot sticky Japanese rice.

I love ajitama eggs!  These are soft boiled eggs that have been marinated in a mirin and soy sauce mixture for a couple of days.  When halved, the yolks are formed but slightly runny and just the ideal side dish to a hot bowl of ramen.

Now for the main event -- the ramen.  One distinguishing feature of Kitakata ramen, aside from the lighter almost clear broth, is the way the chashu is presented.
The pork belly is sliced so that you get both fat and meat and even a thin strip of skin in each slice. While the slices are quite hefty, they are also very tender.
Another distinguishing feature is  that the chashu slices cover the whole bowl -- such that you see nothing but pork and broth, all the noodles are hidden underneath -- as you can see from this photo from the menu.

Since we ordered the 880 yen "small" set, the ramen had just 5 slices of chashu.  I ate each and every piece  -- soft meat,  softer fat and slight bit of still crisp skin.  Then I wondered how I would have tackled the "large" set where the chashu slices cover the whole the bowl.

But, I must remember that I am no longer as young as I used to be and a bowl of ramen covered with chashu slices may just be the death of pork in the road! 

Note : I was so busy eating the ramen that I didn't take enough photos.  Credit for photos 5, 6 and 8 go to my son, Gani who is just as hungry for ramen as I am.