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Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide: Affordable Dining in Traditional Townhouse Spaces by [Judith Clancy, Ben Simmons]

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Judith Clancy

Ben Simmons

Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide: Affordable Dining in Traditional Townhouse Spaces Kindle Edition

by Judith Clancy (Author), Ben Simmons (Photographer) Format: Kindle Edition

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344 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Stone Bridge Press
Publication date

September 18, 2012
File size

21647 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great collection of affordable restaurants in Kyoto machiya (traditional townhouses).... Judith's descriptions of the restaurants are great, the maps are very useful and her general introduction to machiya would make a good primer for anyone unfamiliar with these charming buildings."―Inside Kyoto blog

"Opens our eyes to the beauty of details.... In these days of digital tablet guides, it's heartwarming to find publishers still dedicated to producing books that have texture and spatial depth, the warmth that only paper, with its shadows and grain, can transmit."―Japan Times

"Judith Clancy has done a great job of making her expertise available to the visitor to Kyoto with this travel guide, in a small edition to fit easily into a bag or backpack."―Vegetable Japan blog

"Planning a trip to Kyoto anytime soon? Then you must acquire a copy of the Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide for some must visit dining. Not a chance of visiting Kyoto in your lifetime? Get it anyway! The first half of this book written by resident of 42 years Judith Clancy provides a fascinating history of Kyoto’s traditional townhouse properties now retrofitted to local dining destinations."―Gastro Traveling blog

"A great collection of affordable restaurants in Kyoto machiya (traditional townhouses).... Judith's descriptions of the restaurants are great, the maps are very useful and her general introduction to machiya would make a good primer for anyone unfamiliar with these charming buildings."—Inside Kyoto blog

"Opens our eyes to the beauty of details.... In these days of digital tablet guides, it's heartwarming to find publishers still dedicated to producing books that have texture and spatial depth, the warmth that only paper, with its shadows and grain, can transmit."—Japan Times

"Judith Clancy has done a great job of making her expertise available to the visitor to Kyoto with this travel guide, in a small edition to fit easily into a bag or backpack."—Vegetable Japan blog

"Planning a trip to Kyoto anytime soon? Then you must acquire a copy of the Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide for some must visit dining. Not a chance of visiting Kyoto in your lifetime? Get it anyway! The first half of this book written by resident of 42 years Judith Clancy provides a fascinating history of Kyoto’s traditional townhouse properties now retrofitted to local dining destinations."—Gastro Traveling blog

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Judith Clancy has lived in Kyoto since 1970. She has written about the many traditions of Kyoto, including music, tea ceremony, and ikebana, and has acted as guide and interpreter for various groups and workshops. She is author of Exploring Kyoto: On Foot in the Ancient Capital.

Ben Simmons grew up in Columbus, Georgia, and completed a Masters program in Fine Arts at the University of Florida. Simmons is a longtime resident of Japan, and a correspondent for SIPA Press, a leading agency headquartered in Paris. His photographs appear worldwide in numerous books and magazines, and have been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Museum of Taiwan, and the United Nations. His work is in the collections of the Library of Congress and the King of Thailand.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0095XHIVW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press (September 18, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 18, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 21647 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #854,321 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #50 in Kyoto Travel Guides
- #170 in Japanese Travel
- #298 in Dining Travel Reference

Customer Reviews:
11 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		59%
4 star		16%
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2 star		25%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Brad Black

Great guide for Kyoto dining

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013

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This is a very comprehensive guide to dining in Kyoto. It describes a range of dining options which I found very helpful. Unless you're fluent in Japanese, the book provides more than adequate directions and photos of the outsides of the restaurants....making it easy to find them......highly recommend this book and Ms. Clancy's book on walking tours in Kyoto....both must haves for visitors to Kyoto.....

One person found this helpful

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RLS

Don't use a book use your nose.

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2016

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a wast of time and little money. Plenty of wonderful restaurants out there.

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Diana W.

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2014

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Used it frequently. I'm in Kyoto at least twice a year and find this helpful.

One person found this helpful

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John Huston

Enjoy memorable and attractively priced meals in Japan's imperial capital

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2013

If you stay in Kyoto for at least a few days, "Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide" will be a good book to have within ready reach. As the title suggests, all the restaurants are located in machiya, which is a traditional townhouse featuring sturdy wooden beams and lofty rafters highlighted as part of the decor. The book handily arranges these restaurants by district (with maps) and by type of cuisine (several varieties of Western and Asian), so it is pretty easy to find one if you happen to be in any given neighborhood. Most of these places offer reasonably priced lunch menus while dinner prices tend to be higher. In addition to providing meal suggestions, the writer Judith Clancy (a resident of the city for the past four decades) has added a lot of interesting and informative details about her adopted home, about the machiya style of architecture, and about each of the individual restaurants. I found the best way to make use of this book was to decide my general itinerary before going out, then see if I could find any machiya restaurants in my anticipated sightseeing area for the day. If I could find any, I would take the book along with me. Or, even better, you could use your iPhone, iPad or whatever you happen to have to take a picture of the pertinent pages so you won't need to carry the whole book with you each time. The district maps show the names and pinpoint the locations for all places within each area; street and restaurant names are all in conveniently romanized spelling. The main thing is to do your homework a day ahead, so you will have an idea of where you'll be and which machiya restaurants will be most conveniently accessible. If you plan to return to Kyoto sometime in the future, don't forget to bring this book with you for a re-run. Even if you happen to be living there, it would take quite a long time to cover a large number of the places described. But since the book is a very economical paperback, I personally think it is well worth having if only to enjoy the experience of a few memorable meals in an ambiance you'll not readily find anywhere else. Oh, and the directions, addresses (in Japanese in case you need to ask someone to point the way) and contact details are given for each establishment, plus recommended specialties of the house and a general idea of the price range.

9 people found this helpful

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John E. Goodman

A superlative resource for hungry people in Kyoto

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2013

This handy paperback makes it easy for anyone in Kyoto to find perfect places for great meals, from the simple to the exquisite. The results of years of exploration and evaluation by long-term Kyoto resident Judith Clancy are distilled and helpfully presented so that even first-time visitors can satisfy their appetite for delicious meals as well as unusual aesthetic and cultural experiences. This book goes far beyond merely listing restaurant data and a brief description of what's available to eat. It provides a sumptuous level of detail on the history of each of more than 140 restaurants, a 35-page illustrated introduction to the origin and development of machiya culture, and a wealth of practical information for tourists visiting Japan's ancient capital. For example, restaurant addresses in Japanese, handy for showing taxi drivers where to go, are included in addition to detailed and easy-to-use maps for walking. A small photo of each restaurant's entrance aids identification. The combination of maps and photos, and indexes by cuisine as well as by name, makes it easy to find what one wants across various areas of the city. Although economical midday meals are the main focus, information on evening hours and prices are also typically provided. In short, this is a splendid handbook, an ideal guide to a wide range of restaurants where staffs are dedicated to the satisfaction of hungry and adventurous guests.

7 people found this helpful

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T. Allen

Kyoto's culinary and architectural treasures revealed

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2013

Most people think Japan is impossibly expensive, but Clancy offers ways to see the best of Kyoto--a city she loves deeply and deeply understands--on a reasonable budget and limited time frame. These machiya townhouses are both reasonably priced places to eat, and rich in traditional architecture and spirit. Not-to-be-missed, and odds are you'd never find them without this great guide to some hidden cultural and culinary treasures. The writing is evocative, expressive and concise; the photos perfectly capture the spirit of place. Get it and go to gorgeous, delicious Kyoto.

9 people found this helpful

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Furzehill

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

Not quite up to date

ikasumi

Decent Reference on Machiya but Lacking in Restaurant Information

Reviewed in Japan on January 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

I live in Japan and bought this book in anticipation of a vacation in Kyoto. I was looking forward to finding some good restaurants, but finally was disappointed with this book. While it is reasonable for learning about machiya, for me it failed as a restaurant guide because there was insufficient practical information about each establishment including menu specifics and suitability for families. There is more emphasis on architecture and decor than on food - fine if that is what you are looking for but the buyer should beware.

Crucially, the restaurant entries do not include smoking policy. If you are a non-smoker living in Japan, you will most likely have experience with fine food and lovely decor being utterly ruined by noxious tobacco air. Completely non-smoking establishments are still in the minority, but they are on the rise and many at least now have non-smoking sections. Also some restaurants offer private rooms, which can be an option for avoiding the smoke. Such information would be very useful; otherwise one has to call around asking each one about their policy. I found just a couple of entries that happened to mention the places being smoke-free. This is an unforgivable disservice to readers.

Also, the book has a generous selection of photographs but note that they are reproduced in rather low contrast black & white.

I wanted to like this book but ended up not taking it with me to Kyoto at all, and will likely re-sell it.

2 people found this helpful

藤宗信子

レストラン,行ってみました！

Reviewed in Japan on August 5, 2014

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京都の古い町屋が改装され、昔の面影を残しながら、新しい形の町屋レストランになっている。町屋に愛情を持つ著者の思いが前半に
ちりばめられ、日本人、外国人を問わず、町屋の知識を多々得ることが出来る。町屋を楽しみながら、戴く食事も多彩で、値段も手ごろ！
そして美味しい！！京都歩きをいっそう楽しくしてくれる一冊である。

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