Kleptomaniac Lobster

No, that's not the name of some obscure Japanese rock band; that was the menu item that I ordered during our last dinner adventure in Kyoto ;)  More on that in a sec...

This narrow street is called Pontocho, and is considered by many to be one of the most charming, fascinating streets in all of Asia.  This street is able to exist because Kyoto was spared WWII bombings that other cities received, and so this tiny street much to narrow for cars wasn't demolished, but has been preserved in it's original size.  This is where we went hunting for an interesting restaurant.

This photograph shows what the restaurants lining Pontocho look like from the back.  We're standing on a bridge spanning a very shallow river and can see straight into the lit restaurants and bars.  The area on the opposite side of the river is a region called Gion.  Both Pontocho and Gion are featured in the book Memoirs of a Geisha as the areas where geishas live and work.  Kyoto is now the only place left in Japan with geishas, and they still work in these two areas.  We did see some, (beautiful!) but weren't quick enough with a camera to get any shots.  

We didn't know what we were in for when we chose this restaurant, but it ended up being pretty traditional:  we had to remove our shoes at the door, sat on low cushions instead of chairs, and cooked our own food at a massive dining table designed to seat 12 with a grilling pit and exhaust fans in the middle.  In this picture my sake is in the foreground ;)

We cooked our own food above red-hot ceramic "coals."  I thought I should keep an eye on my Kleptomaniac Lobster (yes, that's exactly how it was listed on the menu).  Our friend (and Rick's research partner) Mike, a professor at University of Pittsburgh, is seated next to me.  He had the boring Bamboo Steamed Chicken.

For some reason, Gemma couldn't resist trying to bite the eyes off of the lobster shell,  I'm still kinda surprised the rowdy Americans weren't asked to leave =:o

I'll leave you with a more serene image of Kyoto--a couple in traditional dress walking hand in hand.  Though you can see traditionally dressed people in Tokyo and Osaka, I found it to be much more common in Kyoto.  One reason is that the city randomly hands out free rides on public transportation to anyone traditionally dressed as an incentive.  Kimono can typically cost $5000 at the low end, so this is quite an investment in beauty and tradition.