Sunday, July 20th: A German-style Beer Hall and Pontocho Alley

After lounging at the pool for an hour or so, it was time to for dinner! I thought the view from our room was so interesting with the clouds above and the mountains in the distance, I had to take a picture. We had decided to look for an Italian restaurant that Shuji recommended on our own- we were certain we basically knew where it was given the address.

Well, as I've mentioned before, Kyoto addresses are quite difficult to decipher, and after wandering around in the heat (yes, even at eight at night, it was still easily in the 90s and very hot), we realized it just wasn't where we thought it would be. We looked for it for about a solid half hour, but had a back up plan in place.


We had passed the Asahi Beer Hall during our search for the Italian place, and so when we couldn't find it, we went right back to it and this made for a very happy Stefan. Not only, as we were informed by the authentically German-dressed waiter, was it half price beer night, but the sausages were excellent.

After being all day and night in the heat, a big old super dry Asahi beer (or two) was just the thing! And yes, I even drank BEER! And it was good. Probably everyone knows this but me, but sausages and beer are really a good combination. And I had to learn that in Kyoto.

We were certain that we could find The Saint James Club in Pontocho Alley, though. This would be Shuji's favorite bar, and it is nestled in a tiny alleyway just parallel to the Kamo River. This alley has been an entertainment area since 1670 and it is still a hot spot today.

As we walked from dinner to the alley, we could look down onto the bank of the river where people were sitting, enjoying the breeze and watching a lady dance with fire.






And then there we were- Pontocho Alley! We started to walk down the narrow street, crowded with old ochaya-style buildings (tea houses). Stefan wasn't sure if we would find it among all the many little spots with their tiny signs as the only indication of what lay inside.

But we did find it!

It was upstairs on the second floor, and when we opened the door, we saw a tiny little dark paneled bar with only twelve seats. It had a very British feel, and we both liked it so much! We were lucky to get a seat at the bar, as by the time we had ordered our drinks, it was completely full.


It felt like a hidden speakeasy from New York in the twenties and both Stefan and I said that my Dad would have just loved it!

Yesterday, we had decided to walk all the way home from Gion after our Kaiseki dinner. But tonight, we hopped in a cab- I guess that was enough walking for one weekend!