Sakuragawa — Restaurant in Kyoto

I had the traditional Kaiseki dinner at Sakuragawa. It is also a Michelin starred restaurant. There was only a total of 10 bar seats and one table for 4. I had the hotel made the reservation for me a couple of months ago. There was a group of 9 local high school teachers plus me sitting at the bar. The teacher next to me got me a shot of Sake. One of the chefs hung my jacket when I came in, and was waiting behind me and had my jacket in his hands while I was paying. After I told him I came from California and just spent three days in Tokyo, he said that Keanu Reeves was in Tokyo yesterday. He also got a Food Encyclopedia out trying to explain every dish I had so I'd know what I was eating. Everything was very tasty and all of the dishes were in hand-made traditional ceramics or lacquer ware. It almost took three hours to finish the meal. Quite...

The hotel made a reservation for us. We went for lunch, and it was one of the best meals i had the entire trip!

This is the first time I tried Kaiseki, and i gotta say that i'm totally impressed. The restaurant can only hold up to 10 people at time. We were seated at the counter where the chefs were cooking.

Each dish was delicately made right in front of us. Even thought we don't speak Japanese at all, the chef was so thoughtful and brought out a book to show the type of fish we were having.

There were a total of 8 dishes, including a dessert. Saying they were delicious, don't even do them justice. I was totally blown away and fell in love with everything they served.

Our course costed about 8,000 yen/pax for lunch, i think it's more expensive for dinner, perhaps up to 20,000 yen/pax if i remember correctly.

Love it here! The location isn't...

A highly unique, premium, and memorable dining experience. The staff, except for the service lady (who was super kind), did not speak English very well. Nevertheless, that did not stop any of them from being very friendly and humorous. The Kaiseki course menu changes over seasons, which means they would always choose the freshest ingredients for the time. I was truly astonished by the pure mastery over each and every dish. Every course was cooked and platted perfectly. Aside from the obvious act of eating, I found myself spending a decent amount time simply admiring the dishes. Moreover, all the cooking happened in front of me in a brilliant and unforgettable display. However, I would like to point out that this once in a lifetime dining experience does come with a...