Perhaps my favorite part about Japanese culture is the food. And I would know… I ate my fair share of it.

At the suggestion of an employee at Hana Hostel, I head over to Ippudo (I just looked it up on Trip Advisor and it’s ranked #13 out of 2,700 Kyoto restaurants). It’s known for exceptional ramen.

Everyone eats around a large table; just grab a chair.

I order traditional ramen with a side of dumplings.

And then I order a second side of dumplings. It’s the first time I’ve eaten dumplings that haven’t come from the frozen foods section of Trader Joe’s… I am hooked.

I return another evening to try a different kind of ramen — the noodles and pork are on the side, and I dip them into the sauce bowl. This time I order two sides of dumplings straight away.

Here’s the outside of Ippudo. It can be hard to find specific restaurants in Kyoto since everything is in Japanese, so if you’re planning a trip here and want to seek it out, maybe this photo will help. It’s a block away from a Starbucks (visible two photos down).

As I wrote about last week, we enjoy a nice meal at Hana Hostel one evening. An employee cooks savory pancakes and a meat / noodle dish.

While on a day trip to Nara, my new friends Asadeh & Nino from Germany very kindly treat me to soba noodles. Nino is studying Japanese culture and can speak the language, which makes everything better!

In addition to cold soba noodles, we each try a different dessert and share. I’m not a big fan of the matcha green tea or the jelly-type dish in the middle below, but I like the hazelnut soft serve ice cream on the far right.

We return from Nara late in the evening and get a fancy burger at the Kyoto train station. My eyes spy ‘avocado burger’ on the menu and I’m sold. Plus they have the most delicious sweet potato fries.

Here are two iPhone photos from a sushi lunch with my friend Ayumi…

That sushi is good, but we have the best raw fish of my life at dinner that evening. We head to Asahi Suisan (which I’d read about on the travel blog Adventurous Kate) and, while it’s on a popular street in Gion, I never would’ve found this place on my own. Luckily Ayumi spots the Japanese name and we walk downstairs to the entrance.

That round plate of sushi below is INCREDIBLE. It’s a variety of maybe six different kinds of fish and the quality is better than any sushi I’ve had before.

Ayumi chats with the friendly waiter and orders a few more things, all of which are delicious. I especially enjoy the sushi below left and the crispy fish below right.

Ayumi tells me the translation for the food above right is “turtle legs,” but they are NOT real turtle legs! I open them up and eat the inside, which tastes like seaweed.

We dip the fried whole shrimp below into this matcha green tea salt. I’m in heaven.

The only fish I decline to try are the little guys below left, because I can see their eyes. Ayumi looks up the translation on her phone and it’s ‘white sandbar’ fish.

Another afternoon I visit the Nishiki Market and sample marinated fatty salmon and tuna, served like popsicles. Then I sample both ice cream and mini donuts for dessert.

In a hurry one afternoon, I grab this pasta, shrimp, and avocado dish at the Kyoto train station.

Randomly, they have a Cafe Du Monde at the Kyoto train station. I just looked this up on their website and apparently there are 56 Cafe Du Monde locations in Japan — the only country outside of the U.S. to feature this New Orleans chain.

I call this East meets West — purple potato mont blanc donuts on the left, and caramel Halloween donuts on the right:

Dessert options spotted in a cafe window:

I notice these giraffe bread creations while walking around with Ayumi:

If you’re on the fence about visiting Japan, I hope this food post won you over.