Tuyen's Blog

Posts for Tag: japan

Back in Japan for Presidents Week 2018

Surprised baby girl with a trip to Japan for Presidents Week. We previously went in the summer which was very hot so decided to see what it was like in the winter. So far, pretty cold but not unbearable. Think Tahoe level cold, not Chicago cold.

We flew into Tokyo on a great deal with Japan Airlines so it was an easy decision. Only catch was we had to leave from Los Angeles instead of SFO but even with the cost of the trip down to LAX, it was still a bargain.

Will post more as we get settled. For now, here’s some bullet train action.

Suntory Yamazaki Distillery

We've actually been back in the US for a couple of weeks but I've been too busy to keep up my posts. This one required some time to sit down and digest as it was one of the big highlights of the trip. I've been a fan of Japanese whiskey for a few years now and one of my favorites is Suntory's Yamazaki line. We were fortunate that the Yamazaki distillery was only a short ride from Kyoto so I made the trip solo (no kids allowed, unfortunately). Located near the historic town of Ōyamazaki, the distillery is nestled in a beautiful mountainside landscape. The scenery here alone is worth the visit - as picturesque as any of the parks and gardens we've seen in Japan.

Before I headed to the guided tour, I spent some time touring the Suntory museum. Amazing to see the old labels from the early years. Most impressive was the long lighted gallery of labeled whiskey bottles from many different decades.

As we began the guided tour, what you experience the most are the smells. There was an intense smell of wood and alcohol in the air. Along with the heat and humidity, it's what I imagine the inside of a whiskey barrel feels like. Our tour guide took us through the entire whiskey production process and was super helpful. My only regret was not knowing any Japanese as I'm sure the pre-recorded tour notes did no justice to her animated narration.

You exit the barrel storeroom into a serene and almost magical outdoor landscape. No words to describe this.

We headed back to the museum and entered the first tasting room. Here we learned about how distillers taste whiskey and was given a quick lesson on how to make the perfect whiskey highball.

The final stop for me was to the paid tasting room and then to the whiskey shop. Here, you can taste some of the finest bottles that Suntory has available. Some bottles were only available for tasting at the distillery and are no longer sold at retail. Without a doubt, I had the best whiskey I have ever had - The 17 Year Mizunura. A mixture of smoke, caramel, fruit - in the perfect blend. The bad news, it's no longer for sale and going for over $2K on the secondary market. Still, I was able to buy some bottles only available for sale there. For anyone who is a whiskey fan, make the trip out. You'll have a blast like this guy.

Fushimi Inari Taisha and a coffee oasis

We visited the famous and beautiful golden gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha. Many gates, many shrines, many people!


 It was an unbelievably hot day and when we began to make our way back down, we happen upon this small cafe, Vermillion. Aside from the much needed air conditioning, it served some amazing coffee. I even bought a bag of a special blend of beans they mixed right on the spot for me.

Komeda Coffee and CoCo Curry

Chain restaurants in Japan are a step above their US counterparts. Komeda Coffee is similar to Denny's but with a more limited but higher quality menu. They have "morning service" sets which you get for free when you buy a coffee or other drink. It's a big thick piece of perfectly toasted bread with either some egg salad, a hard boiled egg, or red bean spread. The highlight for me though is the fluffy and light egg salad sandwiches on the same perfect toast.


We also stopped by CoCo Curry. Better than anything I've had in the States. Comes with side dishes like okra with mountain yam and fried garlic. I even got a beef and onion croquette which was excellent.

Kyoto at Night

After dinner we walked through the streets of Kyoto and made our way to the Kamo River. 


There was a summer festival along the river and it was lit up. We even got some dango (dumplings on a stick) which were sticky and yummy.