Kyoto Support » Topic: Sake Bars in Kyoto: Nihonshu Bar Asakura, Jizake Bar Zen, Sake Bar Yoramu

Kyoto Support » Topic: Sake Bars in Kyoto: Nihonshu Bar Asakura, Jizake Bar Zen, Sake Bar Yoramu http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/sake-bars-in-kyoto Sad to say, but this lovely old town requires some support. en-US Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:19:14 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/search.php Ligger on "Sake Bars in Kyoto: Nihonshu Bar Asakura, Jizake Bar Zen, Sake Bar Yoramu" http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/sake-bars-in-kyoto#post-233 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:06:41 +0000 Ligger 233@http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/ I took a friend to Asakura and we sampled three different cold sakes. The friendly owner suggested some special tofu and we tried it. Wow, what an excellent combination of flavors. The bar was very softly lit and not smokey. We went over to Yorum's place after that and... no space in the place. That write up in the NY Times and all the other hype have ruined the local intimacy. Yorum was not too sweet about giving us the heave ho either. Now to try your third recommendation, if I can only track it down. Gion is such confusing maze for me. peko on "Sake Bars in Kyoto: Nihonshu Bar Asakura, Jizake Bar Zen, Sake Bar Yoramu" http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/sake-bars-in-kyoto#post-194 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:41:17 +0000 peko 194@http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/ I know of three (premium) sake bars in Kyoto. Last night I went out with Miwa and some new friends from London with the intent of drinking some good sake. We went to a sake bar, Yoramu, that I had heard good things about but had not visited yet. It was so disappointing that we left before ordering and went to Asakura. Asakura 日本酒BARあさくら (full name: Nihonshu Bar Asakura) ENGLISH SPOKEN! FRIENDLY OWNER! EXCELLENT SAKE SELECTION! The owner speaks English very well and lavishes attention on foreign customer to assure that they have a wonderful sake experience in Kyoto. Asakura has a broad and varied collection of premium sake, including very rare aged sake. (We had 21 and 23 year old aged sake -- sake is usually drunk fresh, within 6 months to a year.) location: Asakura is just south of the Kiyamachi Street and Oike Street intersection in the Kiyamachi neighborhood near the Kamo River. Walking south from the intersection, take the first street left. Up the little lane you will notice a large red wooden sculpture of a sake carafe (tokkuri) -- this landmark is NOT Asakura. Walk just past the red tokkuri and on the right will be the steps of nondescript building. Take this flight of stairs to the second floor. Asakura is on the right, immediately at the top of the stairs. hours: 7:00 pm - 2:00 am (Closed Tuesday and 'sometimes' on Sunday and Monday. Call first to be sure.) Asakura only seats 11 people, so you might want to call about seating too. website: <a href="http://ameblo.jp/sakebar/" rel="nofollow">http://ameblo.jp/sakebar/</a> (no English) tel: 075-212-4417 address: Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Kiyamachi Oike-sagaru, Hitosujime Higashi-iru, Daikyu Building 2F (京都市中京区木屋町御池下がる一筋目東入る大久ビル2F) Jizake Bar Zen 地酒BAR 膳 Jizake (Local Sake) Bar Zen Excellent jizake (local sake) selection. Jizake literally means local sake or regional sake, but you can think of it as artisan or craft sake too. Jizake Bar Zen is located in exclusive Gion nightlife district and is run by an interesting character nick-named Punch. Previously Punch was a truck driver and has a 'punch perm' like yakuza often sport in Japan. location: Turn left at north of Gion Kaikan on Higashioji street, go straight from there. The Grand Building is on the right hand side, next to (west side of) Kanki Shrine. hours: (approx) 6 pm - 12 mid-night, or later. Closed 'sometimes'. website: <a href="http://www9.plala.or.jp/zizakebar/" rel="nofollow">http://www9.plala.or.jp/zizakebar/</a> (no English) map: <a href="http://www9.plala.or.jp/zizakebar/sub-1.html" rel="nofollow">http://www9.plala.or.jp/zizakebar/sub-1.html</a> (no English) Punch's Punch Perm (blog article) <a href="http://zizake-wataribune-50-1950.blog.eonet.jp/default/2009/07/post-4d28.html" rel="nofollow">http://zizake-wataribune-50-1950.blog.eonet.jp/default/2009/07/post-4d28.html</a> tel: 075-531-2507 (no English) address: Kyoto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Gion-cho, Kitagawa 347-55, Gion Grand Building 1F (京都市東山区祇園町北側347-55 ぎおんグランドビル 1F) Sake Bar Yoramu 酒バーよらむ The owner is an Israeli resident of Kyoto who loves sake. In 2000 he has made his 'ideal' bar, where you can try several good quality sake by small portions with just right kind and amount of food. Eight people can sit at the counter and there is a small table for 2 or 3 people. Yoramu only serves 'junmai' sake, or pure rice sake without added brewers alcohol. (This is the only kind of sake that should be made in my opinion.) This same space is a soba noodle restaurant during the daytime, run by a different person. location: "Sake Bar YORAMU is on Nijo-dori, south of the Imperial Palace Park (Gosho). The cross street is Higashinotoin-dori, which is two streets east of Karasuma. The closest subway stop is KARASUMA-OIKE (#1 exit). Turn left upon emerging from the subway exit, and keep going past the first cross street (Oshikoji). Turn right at the next street, which is Nijo-dori. Go past the first cross street, and Sake Bar YORAMU will be the third building on your right. Slightly further but also less than a ten-minute walk away is the subway's MARUTAMACHI station." (source: Yoramu website) hours: 6 pm - 12 mid-night. Closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesdays. website: <a href="http://www.sakebar-yoramu.com/index_eng.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.sakebar-yoramu.com/index_eng.html</a> map: <a href="http://www.sakebar-yoramu.com/access_eng.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.sakebar-yoramu.com/access_eng.html</a> tel: 075-213-1512 address: Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Nijo-dori, Higashinotoin-sagaru, Minamigawa (京都市中京区二条通東洞院東入る南側) Our experience at Yoramu: Yoramu is quite small and only seats 8 or 9 people at the counter which was full when we arrived. We were offered a little table and told the clear the magazines, a fan and so on off ourselves. We had to hunt around for some little stools -- all self-service. Then, Yoramu told us that he was busy and that we should wait a bit before ordering. THEN, he noticed that the door hadn't closed after we came in and asked us to go and close it! DUDE! No way! Yoramu only serves premium sake so it is not going to be cheap. That kind of service is unacceptable -- anywhere, least of all Kyoto, Japan. I would love to recommend and support a fellow foreigner running a business in Kyoto, but with this kind of service, I would have to say to give Yoramu a miss. Too bad.