JAPAN TRAVELOGUE – DAY 7 – KYOTO – ISSEN YOSHOKU

Here at Issen Yoshoku, there are a few hundred of ema (絵馬) on the walls, all on the theme of sex. Ema are small wooden plaques where a wish or prayer is written on

At each table in the establishment is a cute, young kimono clad mannequin, to keep you company

The actual issen yoshoku

♫♫ The Famous Kyoto Style Okonomiyaki! ♫♫

Issen Yoshoku is located in Gion and serves a variation of the popular dish, okonomiyaki. Issen Yoshiku combines a comical interior with a one dish menu. It is a popular destination for locals and tourists. While somewhat kitschy, at Issen Yoshoku you can taste what is said to be the original ‘Western food’ in Japan.

The original ‘Western food’ (洋食, yoshoku) in Japan, at least that eaten by commoners, was defined as something made with wheat flour (merikenko, literally American powder) and/or ‘sauce’, as in the (very Japanese) sauce used on this dish. This dish was called Issen Yoshoku

Note: The interior is hot and heavy with sexual innuendo, however it isn’t sleazy. The owner says that as he grew up in Gion, as a child he saw the entire world of adults, the ‘front and the back’ and while Gion was not and is not a redlight district, after food and drink, sex is often next on the menu, so to speak.

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