I had various dishes at the long-established eel restaurant in Kyoto's Nishiki Market, Toyo, which has been renovated and now has a second floor dining area. While takeout is delicious, nothing beats freshly grilled eel cooked over charcoal. Starting with the liver, everything was exquisite, from the grilled ayu fish with salt, grilled eel without sauce, eel rolls, Hachiman rolls, to the eel rice bowl. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite!

I visited in May 2022. The location is at Nishiki Market. There are two Notoya shops, but this is the west shop. The menu is mostly the same. It was a Golden Week without restrictions for the first time in three years, and Nishiki Market was crowded. Notoya sells dishes like grilled ayu fish, but their softshell turtle soup is also famous. And it's only 300 yen. I ordered the softshell turtle soup for 300 yen. I drank it in front of the shop. It was very rich and delicious. It will make you feel energized. If you come to Nishiki Market, I highly recommend trying the softshell turtle soup.

I continued my food journey and had grilled salted ayu at a fish shop. They warmed it up before I ate it. It cost 500 yen per fish. I took a big bite from head to tail, enjoying the abundance of eggs and the mildness of river fish. The plump flesh and salty skin were delicious. Thank you for the meal.

(Shishiodoshi) Kon!! I managed to write it well. Strolling around Nishiki Market in Kyoto. Recently, unique gourmet foods like shrimp tempura skewers have been gaining popularity. Amidst this, I discovered a truly Nishiki Market-like gourmet find. There is a place called "Notoyo" where you can eat delicious eel dishes. If you go upstairs, you can enjoy an eel rice bowl at a restaurant called "Notoyo". Eel skewers, looking deliciously tempting, were being sold at the storefront. - Eel liver (one skewer) 500 yen When I told the staff that I would eat it right away, they promptly removed the liver from the skewer, placed it in a container for easy consumption, and skewered it with a toothpick. The eel liver had a perfect balance of firmness and tenderness, with a hint of warmth remaining. The seasoning was gentle, unlike what you would find in supermarkets, and there was no unpleasant smell or taste, indicating its freshness. Truly a specialty eel shop. Thank you for the meal.

I tried sparrow for the first time. It seemed like it was the last day to eat whole grilled natural ayu, and the waitress, an older lady, was really pushing it. She said, "Nobody eats sparrows! Everyone eats ayu!" with a wry smile. She was asking everyone if they were Chinese or Japanese, which might make some people uncomfortable. It was a very aggressive kind of service. Despite her recommendation, I decided to try the sparrow out of curiosity. It was skewered and covered in sauce. The taste was mostly the sauce, with very little meat. You have to eat it with the bones, and the texture was more tough and wet than crispy. It felt like eating the tip of a chicken wing with the bones. I didn't really notice any strong flavors. It was a very unique experience. Thank you for the meal.

"200 yen for a child-size ayu fish."

Let's enjoy the final day of exploring Kyoto by visiting the famous "Nishiki Market" known as the kitchen of Kyoto. We will make a pit stop at Toyosan, a shop that specializes in river fish such as eel and sweetfish. This shop also offers grilled items like duck and quail. We will purchase a rare delicacy, grilled sparrow skewers [500 yen per skewer]. The sparrow looks dry and slightly grotesque, but we will still eat it. The intense grilling and strong sauce overpower the natural flavors, but the unique taste of the organs is interesting. This unique food choice adds value to our food tour, even though it may not be the most enjoyable. As we continue exploring Nishiki Market, we contemplate whether our choices are leading us to heaven or hell. The journey continues...

There is a dining area on the second floor, while the first floor offers a variety of river fish dishes such as eel bento, various kinds of pickled fish, grilled dishes, and simmered dishes that are irresistible to fish lovers. Nowadays, due to the large number of tourists, there are also many skewered items available for those who want to eat while walking around. They handle a lot of fish from Lake Biwa, making you want to try a variety of them. Today, I ate delicious grilled eel on the second floor, two skewers of it, and grilled eel liver. The grilled eel is grilled directly with charcoal, not repeatedly grilled with sauce at the restaurant, so it is lightly grilled. They provide sauce, so the best way to eat it at home is to warm it up and then grill it with the sauce. Today, I tried eating it as it is. It is grilled locally but is soft and can be eaten deliciously even when cold. The sauce is not too sweet, with a strong soy sauce flavor. The skin is well grilled and very delicious. The grilled eel liver was for takeout, so I had them wrap it without the skewer. When I opened it, the pieces were very large and seemed to be grilled over direct flame, giving it a very fragrant taste. It was so substantial that I split it into two servings. If I had a place nearby where I could buy such grilled eel liver for only 500 yen per piece, I would definitely come back often.

I decided to try food walking at Nishiki Market because I wanted to try the river fish here after researching in advance. In Okinawa, there are not many mountains or rivers, so we don't have the habit of eating river fish at all, and I have never tried it. So, I bought Ayu. Also, I have never tried Sparrow, which I occasionally see in Kyoto, and I was curious, so I bought it. The Sparrow was seasoned like simmered food, a little sweet. I couldn't really tell the original taste, and it had little meat and many bones. It was like dried fish, more like a snack. The Ayu that I came for was warmed up after purchase. River fish skewered on a stick. Just looking at it made me excited. The meat was tender and juicy, and you could eat the bones as well. And the salt seasoning was just right. This was delicious. I realized how tasty river fish can be. I would like to try another one next time. Thank you for the meal.

Let's enjoy cherry blossoms on a spring trip to Kyoto♪ We had a hearty lunch and enjoyed some sweets during our break, so we decided to have a light dinner in the evening. We bought some side dishes at Nishiki Market and wine at Daimaru, and had a drink at the hotel. As a snack, we had "Yahatamaki" and "Hire" (eel fin). Eel in Kansai is prepared differently from Kanto, which is quite interesting. The Yahatamaki, which is eel wrapped in burdock, was a bit pricey but very delicious♪ However, Nishiki Market was packed with tourists and it was exhausting. I want to go back again, but I want to avoid the crowds.

The temple is generally known as "Rokkakudo" and is located at the summit of Mt. Shuon. I walked through Nishiki Market from end to end to attend the special unveiling of the hidden Buddha statue for the 1300th anniversary of the founding of the Saigoku Sanjusan-sho pilgrimage. Along the way, I found some "sparrow" and "quail" snacks, which I bought as souvenirs for my uncle who had recently returned from a memorial service in Chiba. I had previously searched for sparrows at a yakitori restaurant in Sannomiya, but couldn't find any! I was surprised to find them here, so I bought them immediately to avoid missing out. I later found out that they were from Vietnam. I also bought some eel liver (^_^)v in a hurry, and realized later that the shop was actually an eel shop. When I delivered the snacks to my uncle the next day, he was pleasantly surprised and delighted, enjoying them with his evening drink. (One month later, my uncle returned from Chiba and surprised me by bringing back sparrows he had bought at Nishiki Market after getting off the Shinkansen in Kyoto.)

Wandering around the market is fun. Nishiki Market in Kyoto runs parallel to Shijo Street, so I often pass by on my way to the hotel or a bar. It's quite enjoyable to stroll around without any specific purpose. When walking through the market, I noticed a shop with skewers of eel liver displayed in front. The skewers have a generous amount of liver pierced on them. The price is 480 yen, but is that enough for one person? I asked the shopkeeper, and she confirmed that it is indeed enough for one person. Counting, there are 11 livers pierced on the skewer. Does that mean it's the liver of 11 eels? Isn't this a great deal? I couldn't resist and bought the eel liver skewer for 480 yen. They removed the liver from the skewer and put it in a container for me to take home. It's cold, but delicious. The sweet and salty taste is not overpowering and there's no unpleasant smell. It's easy to eat while walking. I don't remember ever eating so much eel liver in one go. What a treat!

On November 22, 2015, I was disappointed by the autumn leaves and had to give up on visiting the "Mikaeri Amida" due to the long queues. Climbing up the main gate of Nanzenji Temple, I enjoyed the breathtaking view and admired the Buddha statues. As a bonus, I discovered that my friend is afraid of heights. We were exhausted, so we had Yudofu at "Nanzenji Junsei" for lunch, which we had wisely reserved in advance. Then, we went to Nishiki Market to buy souvenirs and Osechi dishes, and finished off at Kyoto Station. However, I was shocked by the crowded streets near the entrance of Nishiki Market. Tourists were packed like sushi, walking unsteadily. It was chaotic and overwhelming. Foreign tourists with selfie sticks and huge backpacks were causing a nuisance. My friend and I got separated in the chaos. The market vendors seemed agitated and aggressive. It was impossible to compare prices and tastes of different shops. The trend at the market seemed to be "standing gourmet", with items like rolled omelet, eel, and conger eel being sold on skewers. Eating while walking in places like Tsukiji, Chinatown, and Kamakura should be avoided during busy times. While searching for river fish and quail meat, I stumbled upon smoked quail legs for 70 yen each, reminiscent of "Gulliver's Travels". The meat texture was like ham, and it was delicious. If you plan to buy it as a souvenir, remember to ask for it to be packed in a bag. After finishing our shopping, we regrouped at Daimaru and headed to Kyoto Station, which was also extremely crowded. Buying pork buns and bento boxes was a nightmare. I wonder how my Kyoto trip in May 2016 will turn out.

This time, I visited Notoyo, a long-established restaurant famous for its river fish dishes, in Nishiki Market while on a business trip to Kyoto. Among the various river fish dishes available, I purchased the smoked natural duck for 500 yen. The strong texture and umami flavor unique to domestic duck meat were delightful. The moderate smokiness added to the overall taste. If I had to point out something, it would be that the removal of the duck meat's sinew could have improved the texture even more. Nevertheless, I was very satisfied with the cost performance. Next time, I would love to try their famous eel dish. Thank you for the delicious meal.

I visited Nishiki Market in Kyoto again because I had a great time there last year. It's become more touristy now, but where else can you find such a variety of Kyoto ingredients in one place? This time, I stopped by "Notoyo," a shop specializing in river fish dishes and side dishes, mainly using fish from Lake Biwa. They had about 40 different types of fish lined up, including eel, carp, sweetfish, crucian carp, etc. They were grilling freshly caught mountain trout one after another over charcoal. There was also eel available. The staff recommended trying the mountain trout, saying, "It's soft and delicious." I hesitated because I usually only eat eel and sweetfish. But they insisted that now is the best time to eat sweetfish and encouraged me to try it. I reluctantly took a bite starting from the head, and to my surprise, it was delicious with no fishy taste and a soft texture. The American eel next to me was also yummy! Nishiki Market is always a food festival.

Located along the Kinshicho market, this restaurant has a traditional atmosphere. The first floor is for sales, while on the second floor, you can enjoy authentic eel dishes. The prices are a bit high, but considering the quality and taste of the eel, it may actually seem reasonable. I ordered the grilled eel on rice bowl, which was packed with eel all over. The eel was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, with plenty of eel oil. Definitely worth a visit!

Merry Christmas! I was strolling around Nishiki Market. As a chicken lover, I had to have chicken for Christmas! The one with silver foil, right? Roast chicken legs. I found it and had to get it! I got a quail leg instead, so small!! One costs 70 yen! I only bought one for 300 yen for 5, but this mini size is so cute, just like imagining roast chicken legs! And it's wrapped in silver foil, which is nice! It was smoked and the flavor was strong! This alone is enough to go with alcohol. It seems to be a fish shop, but their sister store serves eel dishes too. Enjoyed the Christmas chicken! Next time, I'll try something different.

Eating and walking at Nishiki Market in Kyoto. The second stop was a fish store specializing in river fish. I wonder if they have a lot of fish from Lake Biwa? I found this: a small sweetfish with eggs. It was grilled with salt for 250 yen each. The mother selling them said to eat everything from the head. Since they were small, they were easy to eat, and just as they were freshly grilled, I bought one. I took a bite and it was just right, with a good bitterness. Noto Kyoto, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, Nishikikojidoriyanagibahigashiirihigashiuyacho 173.