The brand spanking new hotel called The Thousand in Kyoto is a high design treat. Open, artful, tasteful, and gorgeous. We arrived via Shinkansen from Tokyo and walked the few hundred feet to the hotel. We had some tea.
Green Tea at The Thousand Tea Room
Yoshi meets the progeny
Kubota Ramen
Our first order of business was meeting Yoshi (@kemono4shikazu) who NPS met last time around in Kyoto. Yoshi is a delightful person. He took us to Kubota Ramen, a great way to start out a visit to Kyoto.
We stopped by Saredo coffee on the way back to check in.
As it was cocktail hour, we stopped in at the incomparable Bees Knees bar. Great cocktails and super people. We had some Japanese renditions of classics (CR#2, Last Word, Aperol Spritz), and then it was
off to dinner.
We wandered into Steak and Wine Ginjiro for a very touristy meal of Kobe beef and bad wine. These kinds of restaurants pervade Nishi-kiyacho Ally and can probably be safely skipped. The food was good nonetheless.
Our attempt to visit the French bar was thwarted by crowds of tourists so we had some ice cream and refactored our plan. Next we went to Nokishita711 for some gin. Simply put, Nokishita711 is a very strange place. NPS is not so sure whether that is good or bad. A “root of all evil” cocktail was interesting indeed. But the whole scene is just a little too too.
Nokishita711
Um, a cocktail?
And then for the last few cocktails and shots of the evening, it was back to Bees Knees. We had a few with the owner. Too many shots later, we somehow managed to make it home.
We bow to the owner of Bees Knees
Sazaracs
Sleeping in late was mandatory after the raging party at Bees Knees. It was all those extra shots all around that did it.
The good news is that there is no more perfect food to cure a hangover than ramen. In Japan, evemn commercial ramen is great.
Get a fried chicken dinner at Sugar Hill. Delicious.
The gym at The Thousand is pretty standard issue for a hotel. Seems bigger because of mirrors. Up early to work out is good.
Breakfast on day two Kyoto was at Kawa Cafe, a French/Japanese fusion place right on the river. Highly recommended (though it is rather strange that a cafe can’t make a macchiato!).
A quasi-hipster hotel in Kyoto? Why not. Due to refactoring dates we decided to stay at the Screen during our first night in Kyoto. We were not disappointed.
The Screen Kyoto
We arrived by Shinkansen.
Shinkansen view on the mountain side
Lobby design is a strong point at the Screen. In fact, design plays a major role everywhere on the property.
Room 202 is a special category room with a nice layout.
Sadly the shower has a shower curtain. Alas.
For dinner, NPS decided to dine on some Italian pizza at Pizza Salvatore which has outstanding pies made the Italian way. Pizza has cheese. Cheese is good (as are truffles and prosciutto). The staff yells “Buona sera” when you walk in.
On our way back home, we stopped by a local bar for some Shochu. Yoshi and his bandmate were fun company indeed. Drink Local!
Shochu? Why yes please,
Our new friend Yoshi (also our server)
The next day, we visited Fushimi Inari. Japanese shrines are incredible, and this one is top of the heap.
Fushimi Inari
We also had some outstanding ramen near the Nishiki Market.