Stay at eph Kyoto Hotel

I totally love staying at Kyoto eph Hotel. Everything about this four-storey high, quaint boutique hotel hits the sweet spot. If you ask me which hotel to recommend to stay in Kyoto, I will say eph, for sure.

Located only five minutes away from Kyoto train station, it is very convenient to go anywhere from this hotel. The biggest charm on this hotel’s location is that it is located at a lovely alley, facing a row of low-rise residential buildings, with a few restaurants in between these houses. The area is serene and full of that local neighbourhood vibe. I enjoy so much just walking from the station to the hotel, away from the crowd, feeling the unique atmosphere of Kyoto.

It feels so uplifting to go out of my room and look out of the balcony to feel the wind and admire landscape of Kyoto’s residential area. What a great way to start the day!

The service is so good, where the front counter staff is friendly and incredibly helpful. They can loan to us adapters, microwave safe plates, etc if requested. And I got to give compliments to the team here for helping us to retrieve our bag left on Shinkansen. With their big help, we manage to get the bag back within a few hours. This is amazingly fast and impressive.

There is also a nice lovely stylish lounge with free-flow tea or coffee for us to enjoy.

The spacious hotel room is another huge plus point of this hotel. It is so well equipped with everything, from all the needed toiletries, hair dyer, fridge, microwave to washing machine. So I can buy any food from the convenience store to store in fridge for later or heat up in the microwave to enjoy. And I can easily put my clothes into washing machine for washing and just go to sleep. All these make my time here so much more enjoyable.

I also love the Japanese style stone murals at the side of the room. It adds the Japanese artistic vibe to the room.

Thoughts: My number one choice for hotel

5-6 Higashikujo Nishisannocho, Minami Ward, Kyoto, 601-8003, Japan

Hotel Regina Restaurant 樹海 - Good Sumptuous Meal

After a tour at 5th Station, Hato Bus Tour arranges a lunch at the restaurant in Hotel Regina for us. Actually, I don't expect much since the lunch is part of the package. But I am so surprised by how impressive the meal looks and how good the taste of the food is. It exceeds my expectations by a lot. This is like a full Kaiseki meal, where we get to enjoy Japanese food prepared in various ways.

The service at the restaurant is excellent, and they even make the effort to roll up the blinds at the restaurant's windows to wave goodbye to us when we are moving off in the bus.

I totally enjoy my time here!

Fresh Tuna, Ama Ebi, Shiso Leaf and Purple Shiso Leaves and Wasabi served on a beautiful bowl made out of crushed ice. Looks so beautiful and tastes equally beautiful.

Lots of culinary treasures hidden within this cute looking Hisago (Gourd) Lunch Box

Japanese pickles and simmered baby sardines with sansho pepper to go with the rice. I like both since they add the excitement to the taste.

Steamed egg custard packed with goodies, such as enoki mushroom, shiitake mushroom, crab cake and chicken. This is so smooth in texture and full of umami.

Grilled yellowtail with teriyaki sauce, bayberry and ginger root. Nice fish dish.

Fried shrimp, aka tempura prawn, with almond, soy beans and lotus root, is paired with green pepper, red grated radish, chilli and dashi soup interesting simulating taste.

Jellyfish is tasty and crunchy. Rolled omelette, fish cake, scallop, smoked duck, salmon rolled by minced fish are all very nice, Fried chicken, leaf wrapping rice and bean cake are interesting in taste.

Softly boiled herring is very tasty. Colourful Koya tofu has a nice soft, slightly bouncy texture. And there are red leaf shaped wheat bran and silk sheath for the variety.

Last served is refreshing seasonal fruits which I actually like the orange despite being someone who is not into oranges. The sherbet is creamy and fruity 👍

Thoughts: Sumptuous, Good Food

5239-1 Funatsu, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi 401-0301, Japan

Hanagoyomi - Great Start to my Gastronomic Journey in Japan

Reaching at Japan at around 9pm plus means that we (my sister and me) just need a quick dinner at any obvious choice and then retreat to our rooms to unpack, unwind and get ready for tomorrow.

So Hanagoyomi is the obvious choice since the restaurant is right beside the check-in counter of Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo. With a sense of adventure venturing into the unknown, we step into this elegant restaurant full of zen vibes.

And I am so pleasantly surprised by how good the food here is. The taste is light yet full of flavours, exactly how I like it. A nice dinner here makes me so hopeful of what’s to come during my food adventures in Japan. This is a very good start.

The service during dinner is so outstanding. She is so polite, professional and goes the extra mile to follow us to the lift to bid us farewell. I feel so pampered by this special gesture.

Claypot Rice with Seafood is a must-try. I love the contrast of textures between wok hei and starchy rice soaked with thickened broth and egg drop. This is full of light briny sweetness. First trying Japanese rice dish in this form and I love it.

The Tamago served is so jiggy and fluffy. The best part is that the taste is light yet full of subtle flavours. I'm so surprised by its taste that a seeningly simple tamago can actually taste different from all the ones I had in Singapore.

Good sashimi where the maguro has no hint of fishy smell, which is an indication that it is fresh.

Japanese Sake Cake is moist, light, fluffy with the light hint of bitter sweetness of sake. Lovely dessert.

And the morning buffet here is awesome, with good variety from shabu shabu, western style breakfast, Japanese traditional breakfast and various small dishes, like smoked duck, tamago, tempura prawn, etc.

I especially love pouring Grated Yam onto Japanese Koshihikari starchy rice, topped with a dab of Hanayogomi’s specialty shiso sauce and then wrapped in seaweed paper. The result is umami with different textures from the crispy seaweed, sticky and slippery grated yam to smooth fluffy rice.

The shabu shabu is great too since there is such a huge variety of fresh vegetables and mushrooms available for choosing. And some are not found anywhere in Singapore’s supermarkets. And the shabu shabu sauces provided are also unique and delicious.

This restaurant is definitely a must-visit if staying in the hotel or nearby.

Thoughts: Very Nice Restaurant with a very Good Spread for Breakfast Buffet

Japan, 〒103-0028 Tokyo, Chuo City, Yaesu, 1 Chome−3−22 15階

Stay at Tokyo Ryumeikan Hotel

I really enjoy my stay at Tokyo Ryumeikan Hotel!

One huge plus point of this place is that the location is only five minutes walk from the Tokyo Central Station. So it’s the best of both worlds where it is so convenient to get to the station for both trains and Shinkansen while the streets right outside the hotel is quite peaceful with some passerby every now and then. In other words, it is quiet but safe.

Scenery from the 15th floor

All the staff here are so polite, thus making the experience here great. Toiletries are all provided. There are 2 laundry room available for washing of clothes.

And it is a joy to dine in the hotel’s restaurant. All in all, a good choice for stay in Tokyo.

Japan, 〒103-0028 Tokyo, Chuo City, Yaesu, 1 Chome−3−22 15階