In the Kyoto Imperial Palace garden, there is a restaurant where anyone can take a break without having to eat. After seeing the weeping cherry blossoms in the garden, my wife got hooked on the dashimaki-dog, while I had the dashimaki-omurice. Both came with coffee. The dashimaki-omurice had a tasty hayashi sauce flavor, although the dashimaki taste was a bit subdued. It was a delicious dish. The dashimaki-dog was also tasty, with a Kyoto-style dashimaki egg. The Kyoto Imperial Palace garden was peaceful with the cherry blossoms in full bloom, allowing us to enjoy a leisurely time.

Today's walk around the city was quite a long distance, so I took breaks inside the Imperial Palace grounds. I was feeling really exhausted, so I rested for a while at this rest area. In the evening, the café reopened and I had a hot coffee to wake myself up. It was really comforting to have a cup when I was tired.

I went to the Fushikojirakusaijo in the Kyoto Imperial Palace for lunch today. Next to the tennis court, you can hear refreshing voices. It seems like a place for Kyoto citizens to relax. Inside the rest area, there was a spacious space. They were selling udon and curry inside. After placing my order and waiting, the dishes were brought to me. Dashi-flavored egg omurice with a mini salad set. The omurice was beautifully plated. The egg was soft and fluffy. I mixed the ketchup rice and egg with the hayashi sauce and it was quite delicious (^-^). It was just the right size portion. The dishes came out quickly, making it a perfect lunch option.

I took a break and relaxed at Kyoto Imperial Palace during a special visit. The building had a wooden design with tables and chairs all matching the wood theme, creating a spacious environment. The Kansai-style kitsune udon was just right in terms of taste and portion, very delicious. The various things I saw during the special visit were very valuable.

It is almost time to lift the state of emergency in the capital region, but now is not the time to let your guard down. I will tighten my focus and continue working from home today. It was early December 2015. I decided to avoid traveling during the New Year holidays and instead head back to my hometown of Hiroshima a little early. I planned to take the Shinkansen and enjoy a trip with stops in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Himeji to coincide with the Kobe Luminarie. I stayed overnight in Kyoto on the first day. I left my luggage at a hotel inside the station and explored the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which I hadn't visited since my school trip. First, I had a slightly late breakfast. I found a place in a rest area where I could have a light meal. I ordered Kitsune Udon. The soft, chewy noodles with a flavorful kelp broth were just perfect. And that's how my meal went.

Since it was raining, I had lunch here. I ordered the Kujo green onion udon set for 980 yen. It came with udon topped with Kujo green onion tempura and inari sushi. I didn't expect much, but it was surprisingly delicious. This place might be a hidden gem.

On the second day of my stay in Kyoto in July 2017, after checking out of the "Seikarou" ryokan, I visited Kodai-ji Temple, Nanzen-ji Temple, and then made my way to Kyoto Imperial Palace. My main purpose was to visit the Imperial Palace and the Sento Imperial Palace for which I had made a reservation in advance. After finishing the tour of the Imperial Palace, I proceeded to the Sento Imperial Palace. However, halfway through the tour, heavy rain suddenly started pouring down and I ended up getting completely soaked. I rushed to the Fushimi-jo Rest House within the Imperial Garden to take shelter from the rain. Since the rain showed no signs of stopping, I decided to have a light meal there. They had various menu options like udon, soba, and curry, but this time I ordered the shrimp pilaf. It had been a long time since I last had it. The shrimp pilaf was served with a side salad and cost 550 yen. After a short wait, the shrimp pilaf was ready. I dug in right away. The shrimp pilaf had a nostalgic, summery flavor that reminded me of eating it after swimming. It was very delicious, with plenty of plump shrimp giving it a satisfying texture. Thank you for the meal!

On the second day of my trip, I stayed at a traditional inn in Kyoto to leisurely visit temples I had never been to before. I checked out of "Harukamuro" at the foot of the Kamogawa River in Gojo, Kyoto at 9 a.m. and visited "Kodai-ji Temple," the temple of Nene, the legal wife of Hideyoshi, and "Nanzen-ji Temple," where the Biwako Sosui water bridge is located, enjoying matcha tea and sweets at each place and experiencing the elegance of Kyoto. Next, I drove 4km west and arrived at "Kyoto Imperial Palace" at exactly 12 p.m. I have walked around this vast park before, but this time, I decided to enter the "Kyoto Imperial Palace" and "Sento Gosho" for the first time. The visit to "Sento Gosho" is limited to 50 people per session, with 5 sessions per day, and I was able to make a reservation online for the 1:30 p.m. session. Before that, I visited the "Kyoto Imperial Palace." The "Kyoto Imperial Palace" is the place where successive emperors resided and conducted ceremonies and official duties from the 14th century to the second year of Meiji (1869). It is currently managed by the Imperial Household Agency as national property. I spent 40 minutes visiting the Oshagari, Shishinden, Oike Garden, and Omote-Goten, and was overwhelmed by the solemn and majestic buildings that were completely different from the castles and samurai residences of the warrior society. At 1:10 p.m., we gathered at the north gate of "Sento Gosho." Sento Gosho is the former imperial residence of the retired emperor (Joko-in) and was completed in the early Edo period in 1630 but was destroyed along with the Kyoto Imperial Palace in a large fire in 1854, leaving two tea rooms and a grand garden extending north and south. The "Omiya Gosho" on the premises was newly built in 1863. With 50 visitors following the guide and listening to explanations at various places, we spent 60 minutes touring the place, but towards the end, as we passed the South Pond, suddenly the sky in the west became overcast and heavy rain poured down with thunder. Even though we had an umbrella to share between two people, it was of no use in the heavy rain, and my friend and I were completely soaked, with our shoes in a sorry state. Everyone hurried to the visitor rest area, but the rain showed no signs of stopping, so we reluctantly left Sento Gosho and started our journey back! We needed to change clothes as we would catch a cold if we stayed like this. We parked the car on the south side of Kyoto Imperial Garden and walked 1km in the pouring rain towards it. We found the "Kyoto Imperial Palace Tomiokoji Rest Area," where a group of baseball and soccer teams were taking shelter under the eaves! We also went inside and found a cafeteria. Actually, we had decided to have lunch at a nearby soba restaurant, but it was already 2:30 p.m., we were hungry, and we were wet and cold, so we decided to have lunch here. We sat at a 4-person table in the center and ordered: Kitsune Udon for 560 yen (tax included) and Chirimen Sansho (50g) for 390 yen (tax included). While wiping our wet bodies with a small towel we had brought for sweating, the food arrived in just 5 minutes, and we dug in. The udon noodles in kombu broth with a thick texture, a large triangular piece of sweetened tofu soaked in the soup, and diagonally sliced green onions made for a very comforting taste, especially for our wet bodies, which felt very grateful and delicious in the rain! Since we had run out of rice accompaniments, we bought the last piece of "Chirimen Sansho" being sold next to the cash register. It had blue sansho berries in it, giving it a good flavor, and the moist and soft chirimen-jako was a perfect match for freshly cooked hot rice, no side dishes needed. Just when we thought the rain had subsided a bit, it started pouring again. We waited a little longer and then decided to head back to the parking lot.

I had meat sauce spaghetti at a rest area located in the southeast corner of the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds. It is located on the right side after entering the grounds from the intersection of Marutamachi Street and Tomikoji Entrance. It is adjacent to the tennis court. I used it to pass the time until my reserved visit to the Sento Imperial Palace garden, which required advance reservation with the Imperial Household Agency. The atmosphere was not exactly "Showa era-like," but more like a student cafeteria, with a spacious layout and seating. I ordered the meat sauce spaghetti from the various menu options available. The pasta, about 1.6-1.8mm in diameter, was around 120-150g, a bit on the generous side. The meat sauce, which seemed like retort, was also more than enough for one person. The taste was like a typical home-cooked meal, with a comforting and reliable flavor. It was good that there were no disappointments. [Side note] After that, I visited the Sento Imperial Palace garden. I noticed a difference in how people from Kanto and Kansai regions describe size using examples. Kanto residents refer to the Tokyo Dome, while Kansai residents mention the Koshien Stadium.