Kyoto Sake Bar, Cafe and Hostel – JAM

Kyoto Sake Bar, Cafe and Hostel - JAM

Greetings From Kyoto

Kyoto photographer Kosuke Okuda and I teamed up to do an article for the Russian travel magazine Afisha Mir (Афиша-Мир). I just got a PDF of the article — hot off the server!

In the article I introduced the long history of Aritsugu which was founded in 1560. Aritsugu is one of the most famous makers of traditional Japanese knives and they are found in good kitchens all over Japan. We focused on the special eel bone cutting ‘honegiri’ knife that is used for the traditional Kyoto summer delicacy of ‘hamo’ pike eel. The knife is over 40 cm long, weighs more that 500 gm and costs more than $1,000 USD!

I wrote it, but I can’t read it!!

Kyoto photographer Kosuke Okuda and I teamed up to do an article for the Russian travel magazine Afisha Mir (Афиша-Мир). I just got a PDF of the article — hot off the server!

In the article I introduced the long history of Aritsugu which was founded in 1560. Aritsugu is one of the most famous makers of traditional Japanese knives and they are found in good kitchens all over Japan. We focused on the special eel bone cutting ‘honegiri’ knife that is used for the traditional Kyoto summer delicacy of ‘hamo’ pike eel. The knife is over 40 cm long, weighs more that 500 gm and costs more than $1,000 USD!

I wrote it, but I can’t read it!!

Kyoto photographer Kosuke Okuda and I teamed up to do an article for the Russian travel magazine Afisha Mir (Афиша-Мир). I just got a PDF of the article — hot off the server!

In the article I introduced the long history of Aritsugu which was founded in 1560. Aritsugu is one of the most famous makers of traditional Japanese knives and they are found in good kitchens all over Japan. We focused on the special eel bone cutting ‘honegiri’ knife that is used for the traditional Kyoto summer delicacy of ‘hamo’ pike eel. The knife is over 40 cm long, weighs more that 500 gm and costs more than $1,000 USD!

I wrote it, but I can’t read it!!

Kyoto photographer Kosuke Okuda and I teamed up to do an article for the Russian travel magazine Afisha Mir (Афиша-Мир). I just got a PDF of the article — hot off the server!

In the article I introduced the long history of Aritsugu which was founded in 1560. Aritsugu is one of the most famous makers of traditional Japanese knives and they are found in good kitchens all over Japan. We focused on the special eel bone cutting ‘honegiri’ knife that is used for the traditional Kyoto summer delicacy of ‘hamo’ pike eel. The knife is over 40 cm long, weighs more that 500 gm and costs more than $1,000 USD!

I wrote it, but I can’t read it!!

Fellow Kyoto-ologist, Nemo, from +alpha Japan and I dropped in at one of my new favorite haunts in Kyoto – JAM Sake Bar, which is on the first floor of JAM Hostel. JAM is great because it offers a casual, international atmosphere with a pretty good line-up of sake, and, very reasonable pricing. As this is a budget place, there is nothing ‘Kyoto’ about it. It could be anywhere on earth, not just Japan.

Nemo and I had a hard time finding some sake that we liked. Finally the owner, knowing my tastes, found a bottle of ‘namazake’ (unpasteurized sake), from Matsumoto Sake Brewery in Fushimi, Kyoto’s sake brewing district. This one was right on. Fresh, fruity and being undiluted and unfiltered, it packed the desired punch.

JAM opened in the spring of 2012 and is located near the intersection of Shijo and Kawabata streets. This is near the Shijo Bridge, over the Kamo River. Mr and Ms Ikeda, the owners and very nice people and I have been getting to know them. They are very friendly and open-minded people – a trait that is often lacking in old and rigid Kyoto.

Kyoto Sake Bar, Cafe and Hostel - JAM
Nemo – Cooool dude.
Kyoto Sake Bar, Cafe and Hostel - JAM
Matsumoto Brewery – Muroka Nama Genshu
Kyoto Sake Bar, Cafe and Hostel - JAM
JAM Co-owner Aiko, just back from NYC.

Kyoto Sake Bar, Cafe and Hostel – JAM
JAM website
tel 075-201-3374
Kyoto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Kawabata Shijo-sagaru Tokiwa-cho 170 (京都市東山区川端四条上ル常磐町 170)