Food

Nishiki market.

Ramen in a curtained cubicle.

Just as well. We hadn't quite got the technique perfected on day one.

Slurping is allowed!

The first of many kaiseki -

a traditional multi course dinner and sometimes breakfast.

Beautifully presented in numerous bowls and dishes.

Japanese Buddhist cuisine inside the grounds of

Tenryu-ji temple.

A bowl of sesame seeds to grind while waiting for

our meal at Katsukura restaurant.

Tea and dessert with moss garden.

Views to eat by.

My 60th birthday breakfast.

And 60th birthday dinner at Tempura Endo Yasaka.

We sat at the counter and watched as a single chef began

to batter and fry morsels of prawn, mountain vegetables and seafood, 

passing them to our plates with tongs and instructions about accompaniments.

At first there were just four of us in the room, 

but as more people gathered, sixteen in all, 

he continued to cook and serve in the correct order to each of us.

It was a complicated orchestration of food, but he never faltered.

Eventually he had help with serving the food at the far end of the counter.

A wonderful end to two fantastic weeks

of new sights, tastes and experiences.