A lot of people say Tokyo isn't for tourists, but I think what they're saying is that Tokyo isn't for California tourists. Fast-paced, tightly-timed Tokyo brings out the best of my northeastern instincts, but it must be a nightmare after a life of SoCal leisure. I loved Tokyo, but after four fast-paced days, I could handle a change. And what a change Kyoto turned out to be.
I stepped out of Kyoto Station to a sweltering sun. I hauled my suitcase through a dry, heavy heat, feeling like I was being fried alive on the single block walk between the station and my hotel.
Starving but reluctant to walk much farther, I picked one of two adjacent ramen shops, the one without the line. There was a reason everyone formed a sweaty line for the other one. Shinpuku Saiten's Shoyu Ramen is very heavy on the shoyu. The bowls are the color of mud, though the pork broth interspered with leaner chashu is still savory beneath the salty soy.
A side of Fried Rice costs nearly nothing. Equally heavy on the shoyu, but actually quite good. I was chugging water after so much soy and salt, but at least I was staying hydrated in the heat.
I might have enjoyed Shinpuku Saiten more if I hadn't just had a brilliant bowl at Uchi. I'd heard so much about the food in Kyoto, and this meal fell a little short of satisfying.
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