Kyoto Hanami pt. 1: 日月庵 Nichi Getsu An and Organic Sakura Ice Cream

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Kyoto Hanami pt. 1: 日月庵 Nichi Getsu An and Organic Sakura Ice Cream

Kyoto Hanami pt. 1: 日月庵 Nichi Getsu An and Organic Sakura Ice Cream

I love Kyoto. Seriously. Love it.

I spent last weekend in Kyoto with Nick and a friend from Okayama prefecture. Kyoto is about 4 hours from Hamamatsu or from Okayama by local train, so it was nice for us to meet in the middle in Japan’s most famous place for hanami (cherry blossom viewing). It was my second time to visit Kyoto, but the first time to visit in the spring. Initially, it rained on Saturday morning during my travel but once we arrived, the clouds started to lift and the sun came out for the rest of the weekend. The weather was warm during the day, and cool at night. Rain or shine, Kyoto was crowded with hanami-goers. Every bus, every temple, and every shrine was jam-packed with sakura (cherry blossoms), people, and matsuri vendors. I obviously did not get my fill of Sakura soft cream in Kawazu, and ended up eating it another three times last weekend. Still not enough! I wish I could eat it everyday!

But before our hanami festivities began, after four hours of long morning travel, it was only right to start our day off with a kaiseki lunch set at 日月庵 (Nichi Getsu An). I briefly touched on this restaurant before in my previous Kyoto blog, where I dubbed their tsumetai soba set as “one of the best meals I have ever had”. Now, I would like to devote an entire post to this little gem. It can be found on the path leading to Kiyomizu-dera.

Address: 〒605-0862 京都府京都市東山区清水２丁目２３２−２
Address (in Romaji): 2chome, 232-2 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan 605-0862
Telephone: 075-561-0077
Google Map: Link

Operating Hours: 10:30 AM ~ 9:00 PM (they stop taking orders at 8:00 PM)

Nichi Getsu An offers a variety of traditional Japanese foods. There are several choices of set menus which start at 2,100 yen to 3,150 yen, as well as some deluxe kaiseki sets from 4,200 yen to 8,400 yen. The three of us chose a lunch set for 3,150 yen which contained… well, many many things! I’ll let the photos talk to your taste buds now…

a cup of green tea

Goma Dofu (sesame tofu)

Soba with duck

Sashimi

Grilled salmon… this fish was especially delicious!

chawan mushi

rice with pickled plum

dessert

And the only thing that may have been slightly better than this meal was the dessert which followed afterwards:

I’ve had my share of sakura soft serve ice cream from various matsuri vendors, but this is by far the best one. It is advertised as 手作りさくらアイス (lit. handmade sakura soft serve ice cream), but the English signs read:
“Spring has came. Home made ice cream. Sweet! Happy!” and
“Cherry blossoms, Yes, Organic ice creams!!”

If you have a chance to enjoy a hanami matsuri, please try to find this vendor! You won’t regret it!