JAPAN Day 16

Nov 5 - Andy again!

Words: Sebastian + Images: Araceli

Today, we are blessed with Andy's presence once again. We had agreed to meet at the hotel lobby around 11:00 AM. At 10:30 we are at Stumptown Coffee for our morning ritual. One hot Americano, one espresso, please. As we wait in line, Andy appears out of thin air, as he does. Shades of blue and brown, as elegant as always. He grabs a coffee as well and off we go.
Today, we visit the Sugimoto Residence. One of Kyoto's oldest standing Machiya, the residence belonged to a wealthy kimono merchant. The estate housed his family, garden, shrine, guest rooms, kitchen, and storage rooms. And the most important room of all rooms: the pickle room. The wooden beams are low, I duck regularly throughout the house. Not all rooms are open for visit, we get to see the kitchen, however, and the kamado ceramic stoves. We all slide awkwardly into tiny wooden slippers to tour the small garden. Shuffling slowly, we laugh at our own silliness. Quietly of course. We end up spending a good amount of time in the residence, chatting, watching and trying to feel the past rhythm of its inhabitants.

We walk around the neighborhood, window-shopping mostly and enjoying our last afternoon in town before leaving. It's a good opportunity for a few last-minute purchases on our way to lunch. We bring Andy to one of our Coups de Coeur Matoy Gyoza. It's the perfect place to chat and eat delicious dumplings at the same time. Add a couple of beers and you have a perfect leisurely lunch.

The day ended on a sweet note, back to Tea and Sake Tasuki. They specialize in Kakigori and it is, impressive: light, airy, and sweet. But what stole the show for us were the modern Yokan confections. A sort of Japanese Pate de Fruits. We tried fig & red wine, yuzu & apricot...
With this, we bid farewell to Andy. Not really. We never say goodbye, we say see you soon. We get ready for bed, tomorrow we wake up early for one of the trip's highlights.