つばくろ1959
On October 29, 2016 (Saturday), my mother and I visited the Kamaboko Tempura store at Nishiki Market in Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto. This shop is a famous tempura store with over 50 years of history. Recently, Nishiki Market has become a tourist spot, with customers mostly coming from overseas such as China, Vietnam, America, Europe, and Korea. Originally, the shop was frequented by locals from Kyoto for their daily side dishes. Kyoto locals used to go to the long-established shops in Nishiki Market to buy side dishes for their meals. It was a common practice for Kyoto locals to buy side dishes in the evening at Nishiki Market when they needed them. Nowadays, Nishiki Market is filled with many foreign visitors wandering around the narrow streets, taking photos of the old shops, shopping for cheap items, and enjoying street food. My mother and I have been purchasing red salmon and cod roe from Mokugen in Nishiki Market for a while now, paying 30,000 yen for 8 blocks of red salmon and 8 cod roe. Nishiki Market is known for its high prices and quality products. Going to Nishiki Market to shop for special occasions like New Year's and Obon and spending money on groceries was a special tradition for Kyoto locals. As a true Kyoto resident, I regularly buy vegetables, fish, and Kamaboko Tempura from Nishiki Market. I visit Nishiki Market about twice a month. My mother and I use the red salmon and cod roe from Mokugen as our daily side dishes. Mokugen in Nishiki Market provides a variety of ingredients focusing on dried seafood products. Once you try the red salmon and cod roe from Mokugen, you won't be able to enjoy the fish and dried seafood from other stores in Kyoto. Right across from Mokugen is Marujou Kamaboko Store, which I will introduce next. Marujou Kamaboko Store is a famous Kamaboko Tempura shop in Nishiki Market with a history of over 50 years. Due to the increasing number of foreign visitors wandering around Nishiki Market, Marujou Kamaboko Store offers a wide variety of Kamaboko Tempura for those who want to enjoy street food. Popular items like Cheese Kamaboko Tempura, Shiitake Mushroom Kamaboko Tempura, Lily Root Yuba Roll Kamaboko Tempura, Potato Bacon Kamaboko Tempura, and Onion Bacon Kamaboko Tempura are displayed for 290 yen each. Many foreign visitors ask in broken Japanese, "Which one is delicious?" and the staff recommend, "Potato Bacon Kamaboko Tempura, Lily Root Yuba Roll Kamaboko Tempura, and Onion Bacon Kamaboko Tempura are delicious. We recommend them." Each person usually buys Kamaboko Tempura for about 600 yen and walks around Nishiki Market while eating. Although Marujou Kamaboko Store offers a wide variety of Kamaboko Tempura, my mother and I decided to try the Shiitake Mushroom Kamaboko Tempura and Cheese Kamaboko Tempura first. They were incredibly delicious. After checking the reviews on Tabelog, I found out that Marujou Kamaboko Store has a great reputation. Since I visit Nishiki Market twice a month to buy red salmon and cod roe from Mokugen and have lunch at Ikemasa across from Mokugen, I have decided to also visit Marujou Kamaboko Store on my way back. When I called Marujou Kamaboko Store in advance, they said, "We will have Shiitake Mushroom Kamaboko Tempura, Potato Bacon Kamaboko Tempura, and Onion Bacon Kamaboko Tempura available around 11:30 in the morning." So, my mother and I bought two Shiitake Mushroom Kamaboko Tempura, two Onion Bacon Kamaboko Tempura, and two Potato Bacon Kamaboko Tempura. The total bill was 1740 yen. Based on the prices at this store, the average price ranges from 160 yen to 290 yen.