Blog
Blog
-
Lidth’s jay in Amami Oshima Island
Despite being about the same size as the UK, Japan is home to 15 endemic bird species. Of these, four species, including the Lidth's jay, can be observed on Amami Oshima Island, south of Honshu, and is designated a World Heritage Site. The Lidth's jay became a protected species in 1921 after being overhunted since the end of the 19th century when its beautiful feathers were used to make women's hats. In recent years, its population has recovered and it has been removed from the Red List of Threatened Wildlife and can now be seen close to people's homes. It has…
- Birds
-
Door-to-door suitcase delivery
One of the most difficult aspects of travelling to Japan is moving with suitcases.The Shinkansen is a convenient way to travel between cities, but carrying large suitcases can be very difficult. If the sum of the three sides of the case (length, width and height) is 160 cm or less, it can be carried on board, but if it exceeds 160 cm, you will need to book a special seat. However, these seats are very limited in number and often cause problems when luggage is placed without permission.In addition, buses in Kyoto are always crowded and there is always trouble…
- notice
-
Goosander on the Kamogawa river
In January, the Kamogawa River is teeming with ducks. The most remarkable of these is the Goosander. These ducks are slimmer than common ducks such as mallards and teal, making them look one size bigger. The Goosander is called kawaaisa ‘川秋沙’ in Japanese and uses the autumn kanji ‘秋’. It flies to the Kamogawa River between October and November and returns north in early spring, although some individuals may remain until June. In the past, they were found mainly in large rivers, particularly those with strong currents, and were so few in number that they were included on Kyoto Prefecture's list of near-threatened…
- Birds
-
Otowaya 音羽屋
There are numerous wagashi shops in Kyoto. Wagashi is the general term for traditional Japanese confectionery, and there are many different types, such as mochi (rice cakes), yokan (japanese sweet bean jelly). Daifuku, a type of wagashi made from red bean paste wrapped in a rice cake, is particularly popular as a common Japanese confectionery. A variety of ingredients are used in daifuku, with popular varieties including mame daifuku made from red peas or soya beans, and ichigo daifuku with strawberries in the bean paste. A must-try when visiting Kyoto is Otowaya's yomogian-mochi. Yomogian-mochi are daifuku rice cakes with mugwort kneaded into…
- Japanese dessert
-
Okonomiyaki Katsu お好み焼き克
The first restaurant featured in this blog is Okonomiyaki Katsu.For a while, I worked as a clerk at Ritsumeikan University, and this is a restaurant I often frequented. It's a very small restaurant with two tables sitting on tatami mats and four seats at the counter. The owner's wife explains the menu and how to eat in English, so the restaurant is packed with foreign tourists at lunchtime.The most popular dishes are okonomiyaki and yakisoba, cooked on teppan. Okonomiyaki is a kind of pancake made from wheat dough dissolved in water and cooked on a teppan with the ingredients of…
- restaurant
-
How to find a good restaurant in Kyoto
One of the most frequent requests we receive from customers is for good restaurants.Kyoto is Japan's fifth-largest city in terms of the number of restaurants, with over 8,000. One of the city's attractions is that you can sample not only Japanese cuisine, but also a variety of cuisines from different countries.Many tourists refer to word-of-mouth reviews on Google. However, there is nothing less reliable than word of mouth on Google. Your taste preferences will vary depending on the country or region you come from, and will also depend to a large extent on your physical state that day. What's more,…
- restaurant
-
Why was it named Tonton Nobu?
I am Nobu, owner of Tonton Nobu.I have renewed my website and decided to start a blog. Now, I am often asked about the name of our guesthouse.You can probably guess that Nobu comes from my name, Nobuyuki, but what is Tonton? I am often asked. Because of the sound of Tonton, it is often mistaken for a pork cutlet shop in Japan.Tonton is French for uncle. Therefore, Tonton Nobu means Uncle Nobu's inn. Before starting the guesthouse, I was a researcher at university, and I did research in French-speaking African countries such as Senegal and Gabon. The children I…
- notice