The cultural heart of Japan

There is a lot of history here.

but it is also the Kansai region

and that means good food.

Enter Nishiki Ichiba

A 5 block long shopping street.

known as Kyoto's kitchen

and for a good reason.

Long time Kansai resident Kevin Riley and I

are here to sample the goods.

Many shops have been operating for centuries

with the first shop reported to have opened in 1710

It's a street food paradise with a huge variety

Let's get to it

Let's see what Kevin has found.

First, he has to break through the pack

It's best to arrive before noon if you don't want to fight the crowds

He's found something unique at this UNAGI shop

A real Kyoto speciality

Hello, you speak English?

A little

Can you tell us what this is?

Eel liver!

Unagi no kimo

ok, I'll have one Unagi no Kimo, then.

Unagi no Kimo

is packed with vitamins, iron and calcium.

It's a healthy affordable snack.

and very Kyoto, too.

There are several UNAGI shops in Nishiki Ichiba

serving eel liver.

On the other side of the market,

I met some visitors from UK,

who are viewers of ONLYinJAPAN

They recommended this shop

It has Tonyu donuts.

Tonyu is soy milk.

Very healthy, right?

There is a choice of flavors

10 for 300yen

Buy more, and save!

I went for the 10 pack

So these are Tofu donuts, they put brown sugar and Kinako on it. Looks really good.

Let's give it a try.

It's fresh, it's hot, it came right out of the oil

You can see the syrup dripping.

For volume and taste, this is a real bargain

This can't be healthy. It's too good.

Back to Kevin.

He followed his nose to a traditional Matcha Green Tea shop

Matcha is ground green tea leaves

And they do it right in this shop.

Kyoto's Uji Matcha is considered one of the best in Japan

What does Kevin have there?

Matcha Warabi Mochi

A Kyoto flavored snack

Slightly sweet.

Look at that freshly ground macha powder on that mochi

yum

Usually we eat Warabi Mochi with a different kind of powder on it,

this one has got the Matcha

Different taste, but tastes like Warabi Mochi

with a bit of Matcha taste

Great summer dish, cools you down.

This is Hamo, a kind of eel.

Ike-Hamo is fresh Japanese conger eel.

It's popular in Kyoto

Not so much elsewhere because there are so many little bones in them.

Real hassle to prepare

These eel are said to give the eater more power

because they can live in real tough conditions.

It's been lightly boiled, and chilled.

Packed to take away.

but the shop let me sit in the back to sample it.

400yen is a low price to pay for a Kyoto delicacy.

It really doesn't have that much flavor, though.

best to eat with one of the sauces.

Wasabi.

The verdict?

That was good.

At one end of the market was this place selling something very curious looking.

Looks like a bunch of alien babies.

in a sweet red sauce.

They are baby octopi...and they look, well, I guess delicious.

There is a whole colony of octopi to choose from.

and inside the head, there is a surprise.

I don't know.

I just feel bad.

Tako Tamago.

An excellent snack for the adventurous.

for 250 yen.

It's good.

There is an egg inside.

It's chewy.

It reminds me of the Tako in Takoyaki.

What's strange about this is that you're eating the whole body.

and gives you an image of that you're eating a creature from the deep.

I have no idea how they got the little egg in the head.

but it's good.

better not ask too many questions, though.

Just have fun with it.

It's an octopus on a stick.

How crazy is that?

Not far away from Nishiki Ichiba Market,

is Higashiyama's Kiyomizu 3 chome area.

It's close to Kiyomizu-dera temple.

A lovely street and area to stroll around.

Many tourists dress up in a Kimono, to liven up their experience.

but we're here for the food.

This shop is famous for Uji-macha tea.

Delicious and icecream.

It's also the first to serve it in a pet bottle

for people on the go.

We ordered the Matcha Soft icecream cone.

Wow that looks so good.

What better way to end a street food binge, than with ice cream.

It's a middle of summer. Getting hot here.

It's really good.

You don't always need a reservation at a fancy restaurant to try Kyoto's best.

When visiting, try it all!

On the streets of Kyoto.