After visiting the Golden Pavilion, I bought some wagashi (Japanese sweets) at a wagashi shop in front of the bus stop. I chose them from the display case and had them put in a box for me. The color scheme was definitely Kyoto-like, and I had a hard time choosing as I admired the selection.

The strawberry daifuku was delicious.

On a snowy day, I visited Kinkaku-ji and on my way back to the bus stop, I was drawn to the colorful wagashi displayed in the showcase, especially the adorable strawberry daifuku with a strawberry peeking out from the center. I can't remember the exact breakdown, but I bought 4 items for 670 yen. Compared to department stores where wagashi usually cost in the 400 yen range, here they were in the 200 yen range, and they were cute and not too sweet, perfect for a daily snack. I got distracted by all the options and ended up forgetting to buy the strawberry daifuku, so I plan to revisit next time specifically for that.

When I was on my way back from the Bonfire Festival, I suddenly had a craving for Japanese sweets and came across a Japanese confectionery shop called Nichiei-ken. The display case at the front of the shop was filled with a variety of Japanese sweets, and I couldn't resist buying some. While I didn't have time to look at everything, they had items like take-out anmitsu, warabi mochi for 300 yen, fu manju for 140 yen, and summer Japanese sweets. I noticed that they had a wide selection of reasonably priced Japanese sweets that can be enjoyed in everyday life, which was different from the impression I had of Kyoto's high-priced Japanese sweets shops. As a fan of warabi mochi, I decided to buy some. They even had a matcha-flavored version, which was quite unique. I tried it as soon as I got home. It was a simple one with kinako and no kuromitsu. The texture was not very chewy, and the taste was okay. I haven't tried their other items, so I can't make a fair comparison yet. Personally, I really love the warabi mochi from Koshian in Kamakura. I'm always torn between ordering from them or trying something new.

Kyoto indeed has a lot of traditional Japanese sweet shops. This cute little shop is located just across the bus street from the Golden Pavilion. The fresh sweets displayed outside the shop catch your eye. They are only 190 yen each, which is quite a bargain. I bought a cute nerikiri sweet. The shop owner was friendly and very kind. Inside the shop, there were also many types of baked sweets and steamed buns, even though the shop is small. When I tried the sweet at home, hmmm, the taste was just okay for the price.

On 2022/2/11, I visited this restaurant and had a wonderful experience. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was cozy. I highly recommend trying their signature dish. I will definitely be coming back in the future.