Obanzai: Home Cooking Born of Kyoto Daily Life

Obanzai is Kyoto home cooking in which seasonal local vegetables, dried goods, and tofu are carefully simmered in dashi. Written with characters meaning everyday side dish, it refers, like the everyday bancha tea, to ordinary daily fare. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and short on fresh fish, Kyoto developed the wisdom of using familiar ingredients down to the last bit. Its character lies in simple techniques of simmering, dressing, and stewing that draw out the richness of the stock.

Highlights

• Colorful small dishes built around seasonal Kyoto vegetables
• Gentle yet deep flavors drawn from kelp and bonito stock
• A spirit of thrift that wastes no ingredient lives in every plate

Enjoying the Seasons

Obanzai mirrors the turning of the seasons. Young bamboo in spring, Kamo eggplant in summer, mushrooms in autumn, and radish or turnip in winter each take the lead. Choosing dishes by the season is the real delight, and some plates can be met only at that time of year.

Access and Basic Information

• Area: many pubs and small restaurants serving obanzai gather around Pontocho, Kiyamachi, and Kawaramachi.
• Access: within walking distance of Hankyu Kyoto Kawaramachi Station or Keihan Sanjo Station. Many shops line the Kamogawa.
• Budget guide: evening pubs run roughly from the two thousand yen range, while some shops offer a lunch obanzai set from around fifteen hundred yen.
• Format: the standard is an assortment of several small dishes. Lunch is often a set meal, and dinner a style of choosing dishes one by one.

Practical Travel Notes

• Popular shops fill up at night, so a reservation is reassuring. At shops where you pick from large bowls lined along the counter, even a solo traveler can drop in easily.
• The lunch obanzai set is affordable, an unpretentious introduction to Kyoto home flavors. Starting at lunch is a good option.
• From May to September, you can sometimes enjoy obanzai on a kawadoko riverside platform at shops along the Kamogawa.
• Ordering several dishes in small portions to compare flavors is the trick. Many dishes are lightly salty, pairing well with white rice or sake.
• The cobblestone alleys of Pontocho are full of atmosphere. A post meal walk along the Kamogawa lets you soak up a Kyoto evening.

A Quick Tip

The trick is to enjoy the differences from dish to dish. Order a little of whatever catches your eye and take a peek at the everyday table of Kyoto. Starting with an affordable lunch set is an easy, relaxed way in.