I stopped by "Genki Sushi" after enjoying the autumn scenery in Kyoto, reminiscent of my middle school field trip to Ginkaku-ji. This restaurant, established in the early Showa period, is located right next to the Philosopher's Path. After pondering over the menu, I decided to try the "nishin soba" instead of the tofu hot pot set that also caught my eye. I wonder if I've ever had nishin soba before... probably my first time. Nishin (herring) is prepared in a sweet soy-based sauce. Nishin soba is said to have originated in the Meiji era. It's a dish where herring, which supported the common people, can be felt in the Reiwa era.

When I went to Kyoto on a business trip, I used my free time to go sightseeing! I was in a hurry and feeling hungry, so I decided to visit this place along the way. I tried the Kyoto specialty of herring soba, which was delicious. The soba noodles were soft. There were many foreigners at the restaurant. The staff were very fluent in English. The restaurant had a nostalgic atmosphere, like a Showa-era diner.

I took a quick photo at the entrance of the Sejuku Teahouse on the right side of the Ginkaku-ji Temple grounds, planning to eat some "kake udon." However, I ended up ordering "zaru soba" and had to rush to finish it before heading down to the main gate. I had actually pre-ordered the "kake soba" around 13:25, and after taking some photos around the coin parking lot and exterior of the restaurant, I wandered around looking for a place to eat before stumbling upon this udon shop. I wasn't expecting much from the "zaru soba" since I hadn't found any delicious soba in Kyoto before, but I was pleasantly surprised by the taste this time. Although it wasn't exactly to my liking, I was satisfied with the meal. The "yudofu" that my wife ordered was particularly delicious. I think my child had the "tempura udon," but they had already finished eating by the time I returned. More importantly, the proprietress here was a lovely lady who spoke charming Kyoto dialect and seemed to effortlessly handle a foreign language, possibly English. Her excellent customer service made the experience even more enjoyable.

We had the recommended "Ginkakuji Udon" for lunch at a restaurant recommended by the guide. After we entered, more and more people came in and it became full! It was a weekday but we were lucky to have our meal at the right time.

Average taste

It was delicious. Just the right amount of spiciness.

This is a dining establishment on the way to Ginkaku-ji Temple after getting off the bus. I enjoyed delicious udon noodles here.

I visited this place about 10 years ago, and I had their "Chinese noodles" back then, but I don't remember the taste anymore. Since it's close to where I work, I decided to visit after a long time. The display case at the storefront looked quite old-fashioned. In the past, every Western-style restaurant in town used to have an A lunch or B lunch. Some places even had a C lunch, but here I found something called "A lunch" in the display case. I love the old-fashioned atmosphere of the restaurant. I ordered the "A lunch" and waited while looking around the store. It didn't take long for the food to come out, and it looked great visually. The price of 1,050 yen seemed reasonable, but there were some issues with the taste. Firstly, the hamburger was tough and couldn't be cut with chopsticks. I wondered how it was made. Secondly, the fish fry had a fishy taste and was unpleasant even with a lot of sauce. I understand that frozen food may not be the best, but this was too much. I remember seeing that the restaurant was established in 1927, and it was a shame that such a nice atmosphere was ruined by the disappointing food.

Headed to the restaurant "Genkiku Shokudo" located in front of the path to Ginkaku-ji. The atmosphere is like a casual diner, but looking at the showcase outside, the prices seem a bit high, giving off a touristy vibe. The menu also had English and Chinese translations for overseas tourists. I decided to go with the regular "Udon set meal" for ¥900 and entered the restaurant. There were about 10 tables in the small restaurant, and the staff consisted of a friendly older man in the kitchen and a woman wearing a hat attending to customers. I saw an article from the Kyoto Newspaper on the wall, and the woman informed me that the restaurant has been around for over 80 years. It seems that many students from Kyoto University used to come here, as there were nostalgic stories written on the wall. After about 15 minutes, my meal arrived, which included mountain vegetable udon, a plate of fried dishes, and rice. The udon had a slightly sweet broth due to the mountain vegetables, but the noodles were a bit overcooked. The side dish plate had sausage, croquette, hamburger, and macaroni salad, all of which were decent. The rice was a bit too watery and lacked the warmth of home-cooked meals you would expect from a casual diner. Overall, the food seemed a bit lackluster and could use some improvement. I later realized they also had a daily special for ¥700, which might have been a better choice. In general, the cost performance was slightly low, with decent service and atmosphere, but the food quality could be better. Showing respect for the many years of supporting students, I would rate it 3.5 stars (62/100).

I was brought here by an acquaintance during my student days. He used to live in this area between this restaurant and Ginkaku-ji Temple. It's a bit unusual. I think I visited about three times. The reason for that will be explained later. It was a restaurant with various dishes displayed in glass cases. I remember eating ramen. The noodles were straight. And there was also a set with fried food. "Is Harakiku good?" "Yes." "You've always said that." This conversation took place with an acquaintance who graduated from Higashiyama High School, which is one year older than me, at Dai-gin. This place has a history of over 90 years. I'm glad I got to know about it.