— A Day I Stood on Tiptoe | YUMEVOJA
Visit date: March 6, 2025
A list of “good places to eat in Kyoto”
given to me by the owner of a somen shop in Kyoto.
That day, I visited several places in succession,
and eventually made my way to
Kagizen Yoshifusa.
“You should try Kagizen’s kuzukiri at least once,”
I was told.
Located on Gion’s main street,
the exterior carried a sense of quiet luxury
that felt slightly difficult to enter.
In contrast to the crowded street outside,
the interior was surprisingly calm,
and I was guided to a seat immediately, even without a reservation.
Perhaps kuzukiri does not draw much interest
from visitors from abroad.
All the guests were Japanese.
Many had an air of quiet refinement,
and I clearly remember
feeling the need to carry myself
in a way that suited the space.
Chopsticks designed
to gently hold the delicate kuzukiri.
The taste was, certainly, wonderful.
And yet, rather than a place I would return to often,
it may be somewhere
to speak of quietly as
“a place I have once been.”
To begin with,
kuzukiri and tokoroten
have never been particular favorites of mine.
Even so—
the atmosphere of that day alone
remains vividly with me.
After leaving the shop,
I remember quietly stepping into
a small museum dedicated to Kagizen’s legacy.
The small museum “ZENBI,”
gathering items connected to Kagizen.
The gentle sweetness
continued on
into a still and silent time.