Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide: Affordable Dining in Traditional Townhouse Spaces

by Judith Clancy, Ben Simmons (Photographer)

Ebook updated for 2020! Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide . Over 100 all new must-visit restaurants + revisions throughout. (Print edition is unchanged.) Machiya , or townhouses, are traditional wooden dwellings in Kyoto that evoke the elegance and culture of Japan's old capital with their architectural details, beautiful gardens, and intimate rooms. Many have been converted into restaurants to create unforgettable dining experiences. Enjoying healthy food in a historic, traditional Kyoto environment is a rare pleasure. Here are some 130 restaurant listings (food, decor, hours, addresses, prices, maps, and index) and a photographic guide to machiya architecture, culture, and aesthetics. Judith Clancy has lived in Japan since 1970 and is the author of Exploring Kyoto . Ben Simmons is a Japan-based photographer.

Genres: Travel, Japan

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2011

Reviews

[Powersamurai · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent restaurant guide to Kyoto's more up-market restaurants. Options for those on a budget are hidden in between, too. The history of machiya-style buildings in Kyoto is well detailed, and many facts are included in the write-ups for each restaurant.

Every resident of Kansai, at least - and local residents who visit Kyoto regularly, for that fact - should buy this and Clancy's Exploring Kyoto. Both are indispensable guides that work well together. Having done a lot of work dealing with Kyoto recently, I appreciate Clancy's work and grasp of Kyoto, its culture and its history even more. If you want to do your friends and family a favour, buy them Kyoto the City of Zen. Her prose is excellent. And yes, I will be raving about that when I'm done reading it.

Definitely a book to have with you, whether you live in Japan or are travelling through. Highly recommended.