May 2021

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Uji kintoki, one of the most popular of the many matcha sweets, is shaved ice made with a syrup of beautiful green matcha, water, and sugar, topped with elegant ogura bean paste.

"Uji" comes from Uji tea, the finest tea in Japan. Kintoki, on the other hand, comes from the name of Sakata Kintoki, the model for the fairy tale Kintaro, and refers to the red beans and sweet bean paste. 

Also known as the "king" of shaved ice, Uji kintoki is highly regarded as a gem of summer throughout the ages and is sold not only in restaurants, where it is sometimes arranged as a parfait with a gorgeous arrangement of shiratama, ice cream, and matcha jelly but also in cups and bars

The origin of this dish is not known in detail, but it was eaten in the Edo period and was once a summer tradition that only the Tokugawa Shogun family, including Ieyasu Tokugawa, who had a sweet tooth, and court nobles could enjoy.

On a hot summer day, why not try the beautiful green color of Uji kintoki, which is reflected in the white of the ice? We have the perfect tableware for you to eat Uji kintoki at home. We hope you will give it a try.

Otera Kohachiro Shoten's Kanamari
https://www.shokunin.com/en/otera/kanamari.html
Appi Urushi Studio's Flat Bowl
https://www.shokunin.com/en/appi/bowl.html
Appi Urushi Studio's Spoon
https://www.shokunin.com/en/appi/spoon.html

References:
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/ujikintoki_kyoto.html 
https://kw-note.com/food/ujikintoki/#midashi-3 
https://hyoto.jp/blog/%E5%A4%8F%E3%81%AE%E9%80%B8%E5%93%81%E3%80%81%E5%AE%87%E6%B2%BB%E9%87%91%E6%99%82/ 
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20160619/k00/00e/040/142000c

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Rokuyosha, a coffee shop on Kawaramachi Street, a five-minute walk from Sanjo Keihan Station in Kyoto, is one of the oldest and most famous coffee shops in Kyoto.

The interior of Rokuyosha, popular for its amber-colored space and retro atmosphere with a sense of history, is a salon-like structure that is distinctly different from the modern style. Walls and floors are decorated in dark glossy wood, and under warm lighting, beige leather sofas and small square tables are placed in a well-balanced combination in various directions.

Rokuyosha has different faces in the morning and at night. Its first-floor store, Coffee Shop Rokuyosha, offers a wide variety of morning dishes such as thick slices of toast and sweets such as doughnuts, not to mention Rokuyousha's delicious home-roasted coffee, served in a casual, sunny atmosphere to welcome the morning in Kyoto with freshness and elegance. The basement store, Coffee & Bar, has a moody, adult, attractive space lined with whiskey bottles and becomes a bar at night.

Why don't you spend some time in a nice coffee shop like Rokuyosha? When you visit Kyoto, be sure to take the various useful and beautiful walking and coffee-related goods we carry with you.

Rokuyosha
https://goo.gl/maps/yLk9f6R7uEobwWUg7
SyuRo's Long Wallet and Coin Purse
https://www.shokunin.com/en/syuro/leather.html
m+'s Rotolo Suede
https://www.shokunin.com/en/mpiu/rotolo_suede.html
Nitomi's Tie-Dye Book Cover
https://www.shokunin.com/en/nitomi/book.html
MokuNeji's Coffee Mill
https://www.shokunin.com/en/mokuneji/coffeemill.html

References:
https://rokuyosha-coffee.com/
https://macaro-ni.jp/30069
https://travel-noted.jp/posts/13413
https://www.travelbook.co.jp/topic/48981

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Just as the sound of a wind bell draws in the coolness, when we see a hand-woven basket made of natural materials, we feel a sense of freshness, as if a breeze is somehow passing through. "Ikago" is made of rush grass, the same material as tatami mats. Its cool texture and its soft, natural curves created by human hands have an unpretentious beauty.

Sunami Toru Shoten has been manufacturing mats as a family business in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, the original production area of rush grass, and the figured mat's birthplace. Today, the history of this industry has been continued by switching to the production of baskets made of rush grass, called "yami-kago," which were used for shopping in the black market after the war.

Each basket is handmade by Mr. Ryuki Sunami, the fifth generation of the family, who is the only one in Japan who makes baskets by hand, using a loom inherited from his grandmother, weaving the ropes of bamboo grass like a piece of cloth, manually shaping it into a basket, and attaching a handle.

You can wear it with your everyday clothes or yukata in the coming season or use it as a small shopping basket since the bottom is made a little wider. You can also change the look and feel of the bag with your favorite patterned pouch or azuma bukuro.

The initial faint light green color of Ikago gradually changes over time to a shallow brown. The more time you spend with it, the more it will become familiar in your hands, and the more memories it will hold for you in the future.

Sunami Toru Shoten's Ikago
https://www.shokunin.com/en/sunami/ikago.html
Marukawa Shoten's Azuma Bukuro
https://www.shokunin.com/en/marukawa/azuma.html