I’m big in Japan: Ending another day in Kyoto (2005 May 16)

Neglected to mention we picked up some soft-serve green tea ice cream (600¥) on the way down from Kiyomizu-dera. Wish someone, anyone in our area sold this; tastes so good… Back on topic then; we picked up some water (400¥) on the way to the Craft Center. Bought some souvenirs for ourselves and others (15,554¥), screens, prints, and some postcards. Dropped off the stuff at our hotel and headed to Teramachi-dōri to find something to eat.

We settled in on what we called the “crab place”; there were two restaurants with the same name Kani Dōraku in the strip. The larger one is more recognizable by the giant mechanical crab above the entryway. We opted for the smaller branch a bit further down figuring it might be less crowded. We were seated in our own private tatami room and given the menus.

We both had the same set menu which was a seven course crab feast (7980¥); unfortunately, the complete menu eludes our memories. What we can remember was crab shumai, a crab chawanmushi, some crab sushi, an entire half crab in shell, a crab based soup, and some green tea ice cream to finish. The whole meal was incredible; I’m a long time crab fanatic. This was crab nirvana for me; every dish was fresh and expertly prepared. I can’t speak for the experience in the larger restaurant, but having the private room and personal service added the proper flourish to the meal.

Can’t remember too much more about the night; we wandered around walking off our fabulous dinner and eventually headed to the hotel for some sleep.