From the Gion Festival to the mountain bonfires at the close of Obon (Gozan no Okuribi), this summer was different from previous years in Kyoto. Even so, seasons change and so do our tastes. Nariai-yaki, a seasonal specialty at Wakuden, symbolizes this shift by bringing together hamo (pike conger eel), star of summer’s Gion Festival, and matsutake mushrooms, autumn’s gem.