Kyoto: Higashiyama and Senbei rice crackers

After visiting the Kyomizudera Temple we walked through the Higashiyama District.

This is one of the city’s best preserved historic districts. It is a great place to wander through narrow langes, with wooden buildings and traditional merchant shops. It feels a little of how Kyoto must have been many years ago.

The shops and restaurants in the area typically open around nine or ten in the morning and close relatively early around five or six in the evening.

The walk through the Higashiyama District between Kiyomizudera and Yasaka Shrine is only about two kilometers long and could be done in half an hour, we spent longer there – first having bento box lunch, then some coffee and stopping along the way in a few shops.

We tried some senbei, a type of Japanese rice crackers. They come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. They are usually cooked by being baked or grilled, traditionally over charcoal. While being prepared they may be brushed with a flavoring sauce, often one made of soy sauce and mirin. They may then be wrapped with a layer of nori (dried seaweed). Yummy!