Kyoto became Boston’s sister city in 1959. As a longtime resident of the latter and a frequent visitor to the former, I know why it’s true today that a Bostonian can still feel more at home in Kyoto than in any other city in Japan. Being centuries older, Kyoto is Boston’s big sister.
It’s not just that both are university towns steeped in tradition. They have a lot more in common than being packed with students. Boston’s downtown, harbor, and Fort Point are undergoing the biggest real estate boom in the city’s history. In Kyoto, artists from around the world are moving in, the Ritz-
Carlton just opened, to be followed this year by Four Seasons, and pop-up brew pubs along with chic, modern Italian restaurants can now be found alongside old-school hole-in-the-wall joints.
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You can swing by Ippodo, a green tea business that is 300 years old, and taste varieties. Down the street: hip, upscale galleries. Am I on Newbury Street? No, it’s Teramachi-dori.
What does this mean on a practical level for a Bostonian in Kyoto? What do you see and do there that can make you feel at home? More than anything else, it’s scale. Most neighborhoods in Kyoto, as is true in Boston, have buildings no more than three or four stories tall. And, as is true here, you can explore most of the city in a few hours. Urban life is concentrated.
Like Boston, Kyoto is a world-class walking city. Its architecture, alleyways, and streets have a deep, old charm that’s reminiscent of Boston’s Financial District, the South End, and the North End. And like Boston, divided from Cambridge by the Charles River, the Kamo River cuts Kyoto in half. On one side, you find many modern buildings, new, fashionable retail stores and the former imperial palace. On the other side, there’s Gion, the ancient “pleasure quarter,” filled with hidden “members only” clubs, delightful bars where you can hear recordings of famous jazz standards, and dark, evocative, cobblestone paths.
Mika Horie
A bridge over the Kamo River, which divides Kyoto.
A lovely thing to do in Kyoto during the warmer months is to stroll along the Kamo river and have a couple of beers in a cafe on the modern side of the city or on the embankment itself. Kamo means “duck” in Japanese: Think of this as your duck tour in Japan.
No matter where you go in Kyoto, the past intersects with the present. There is no Freedom Trail, but what you will discover are very old tea merchants’ homes, noodle shops that date from centuries ago, and a school for geishas-in-training. And alongside each of these are modern Western sites.
Stop in at Gael Irish Pub in Gion, for example, and you’ll feel as if you’re in Dorchester, with burgers, fish and chips, and Guinness on tap. The room is a great mix of expats and locals. And there’s often live music: Irish folk music as performed by Japanese musicians.
Homesick for baseball? It’s the national sport of Japan, and because so many players have achieved fame in the United States, fans here root in big ways. So stop in at Fenway Park Public Bar (located on Kawaramachi Street) and revel in the worship of the home team. Owner Yasuyuki Ohta, known as “Tiger,” likes to tell people that when he first opened the bar in 2005, he knew only two words in English: “Yankees Suck.”
But since it is Japan, why not take in the local scene? On the modern side of the Kamo River, there is Pontocho, a long, narrow alley lined with restaurants, cafes, and bars that have menus just like home. It’s a little touristy, kind of a Faneuil Hall of the Far East, but you can still find a few first-rate businesses that are kokochi-yoi (“relaxing and cozy”).
Throughout Kyoto you will encounter numerous restaurants along Pontocho and in Gion. Most of these cater to tourists, Japanese and foreign, and while they are often OK, you can do better.
Shutterstock/Sergii Rudiuk
Two geishas.
For first-rate udon (thick noodles), the best in town are Okakita and Omen. Okakita has a long line. Omen, near Kyoto’s famous temples, will accept reservations. Both are great for lunch.
Soba (thin buckwheat noodles) are delicious at Daikoku-ya, Gonbei, and Honke Owariya. Honke Owariya is a 540-year-old establishment, beating the Union Oyster House (1826) by a little more than three hundred years. All of the soba places are local hangouts that also greet tourists happily. In the winter, add kamo (duck) as a topping; in summer, add hamo (conger eel).
Yakitori, which is grilled chicken, used to be thought of as a quick meal for harried “salary men” that they ate with cold draft beer, but in the past five years or so, it’s gotten fancy. We’re talking single breed chickens prepared slowly and with great care. Two of the best in all of Japan are Torito and Hitomi. Both take reservations, and book far in advance.
Homesick for something other than sushi or sashimi, yakitori, fried pork (tonkatsu), soba or udon, river eel (unagi), hamo, or fried vegetables (tempura)? Try the local chowder. Or pasta. Or first-rate pizza. Looking for steak tips? Well, skip the tips and try Japanese beef, some of which is so marbled with fat that it’s white. It will set you back some yen.
The good news about the yen is that since 2014, the dollar gained about 20 percent more buying power over it. So despite Japan’s reputation for being expensive, it’s actually cheaper to eat in Kyoto than in Boston. A lunch of noodles will cost you about $16 for two. A dinner of yakitori will run about $50 for two. And that includes drinks, tax, and tip (tax and tip are always included in Japan).
The competition between good restaurants in Kyoto leads to dining that doesn’t have to cost tons of money. And there are no celebrity chefs here, which means that the emphasis is on the plate and not the face. Our big sister has a lot to teach us about eating out.
Digs in Kyoto can also be as or more reasonable than a hotel stay in Boston. If you are part of a loyalty program, use your points to stay at the Grand Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, or Westin (Starwood Hotels). Another way to enjoy Kyoto is to rent a house. We rented a former merchant’s house with two bedrooms in Gion for about $1200 a week.
Above all, it’s the low-key nature of Kyoto that reminds me most of Boston. Because it’s the old capital of Japan, physically untarnished by the war, a bedrock of spirituality, and open to those who want to explore its past and present, Kyoto really is like our big sister. She reminds us of home through a shared heritage.
Shutterstock / YuryZap
A night street in the Gion area, the ancient “pleasure quarter.”
Scott Haas can be reached at scotthaas@comcast.net.