Saga Tofu at Arashiyama, Japan

Recently when I was wrtiting about my hike in Taiwan through the bamboo forest, I compared it to the Arashiyama bamboo forest near Kyoto. To be fair, Arashiyama bamboo forest is very charming, it's just that it is so crowded.

The beginning of the walk down the famous Aryshiyama Bamboo Grove was the worst. It was jam packed with people and I nearly wanted to turn around because I felt like walking in a busy market. It didn't fit in with the tranquility of the bamboo forest when you look upwards. And it wasn't as if I could block out all the noise. As I walked a bit further through the trail, the crowd started to thin out a little. I think I must have walked for about 20 minutes, took a few photos then hurried back out the the main street for lunch.

When I got back to the main street and looked around, it was again full of tourists . And yes, I know I contribute to the issue! Many were looking for places to have lunch just like me. A friend was here not long ago and I recall that she visited a restaurant specialising in tofu. I was thinking at that time, it looked really good. Luckily I found the restaurant easily, it was called Saga Tofu Ine. There was a short queue and I was about fourth or fifth in the queue. That was fine, I could live with it, and waiting outside patiently, watching the buzz go by on the main Arashiyama street.

The thing I like about Japanese restaurants is that more than often, they display samples of the dishes so you can easily see what you would be eating. These replicas are made up really nicely and sometimes they look so real that it's hard to believe they're not!

After a little wait, we were led to our table. It was a lovely setting, by the window and had a little koi pond outside. If they could have made these sliding window and opened up to the outside, this would have been perfect.

The menu was a massive one and was the same as the one displayed outside the restaurant which I had studied ealier on when I was waiting for my table. All the dishes here, from starter, soup, main to dessert were made of tofu. This is what they're famous for. I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to order.

Seeing the samples outside was one thing, but actually seeing you meal - real food - placed in front of you is another thing. The food here was art as much as food. Each of the elements in the meal were carefully plated and garnished. It looked simple, yet that little touch took the humble tofu to another level.

Needless to say, the food here was divine. There seems to be many elements on the tray, but with tofu being a rather light ingredient, the overall portion was just right. This was definitely a great way to round off my visit to Arashiyama.

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Restaurant Information

Saga Tofu Ine

19 Sagatenryūji Tsukurimichichō, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-8384, Japan

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Saga Tofu at Arashiyama, Japan
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