The coldest waters mean the sweetest crab meat, and the Sea of Japan reaches its coldest point at the beginning of the year. The crabs are loaded with miso and the meat is delicate and full of umami flavor even after boiling. Until mid-March we invite you to enjoy the altogether different texture of grilled crab as well.

Combining the nourishment stored by a hibernating bear, the warmth of giant radish, and white miso, said to be favored by the kami, we are thankful to be able to serve this rare hotpot. With winter in its latter half and the first butterbur sprouts appearing in the mountains, we can sense that preparations for spring are underway.

The Kunisaki Peninsula juts into the Seto Inland Sea off the northeast corner of Kyushu. Ridges and valleys radiate like tentacles from Mt. Futago at the center and aerial images look like a blot of ink with rivulets wicked into the crevices of thick paper. The land is rich in spiritual history and densely populated with stone effigies ranging from magnificently large and carved into cliff walls to small and clustered along slopes deep in the mountains. The local residents of sparsely inhabited villages carefully tend these many ancient sights.
Read more ＞

Windows and doors are opened for a deep year-end cleaning, the rooms and halls as chilly as the late December day. The Irori room smells fresh with the scent of new tatami, green and grassy, a pristine start for the New Year. Outside, the garden pathways are carpeted in amber pine needles. A Camellia reaches bud-laden branches toward the window offering a few wide-eyed blossoms; their petals flush crimson like cold cheeks in winter.
Read more ＞

“Daiko-daki” is a winter tradition in Kyoto. Come December, you will find temples throughout Kyoto serving piping hot daikon radishes, a food long touted for its health benefits. Let’s breeze through the cold winter by eating hot daikon! At Kyoto Wakuden we await you with such hot dishes as simmered round daikon served with other Kyoto vegetables, and steamed tilefish with grated Japanese turnip.
Read more ＞

Kyoto truly comes to life in November. Nature paints a vibrant canvas, with beautiful autumn trees bursting into color and falling into a carpet of crimson that covers the whole city. This month’s Kyoto Wakuden course features ebi-imo (literally, shrimp potato), a variety of taro, from Nishiitamochi in Tondabayashi. We also offer a crab course and the season’s last taste of matsutake mushrooms. We look forward to welcoming you.
Read more ＞