Kyoto, 05.05.24

Something different than temples please! We heard rumours of a fantastic place somewhere North of Kyoto. A foodie place too! Worthwhile to investigate. A bit of travel involved trains, trams and buses. No problem. Omihachiman was the destination and of particular interest was the headquarters of confectionary maker La Collina famous for its Baumkuchen cake. The company built a kind of fairy tale building or buildings really called the 'Hill' designed by the famous Japanese architect Fujimori. It is a striking sight the building all covered in grass with all sorts of odd shapes and curves. Nothing is straight, the walls going around central courtyards and the ceilings all wavy covered with chocolate sprinkles.

 

Cafe and Ceiling

The company is well known for its Baumkuchen a German cake brought to Japan by a young baker Karl Juchheim. He showcased the Baumkuchen during an exhibition show in Hiroshima after the war and it proved to be very successful. He opened a bakery not long after and the Japanese embraced the sweet which became even more popular in Japan than Germany. The Japanese associated the many layers of the cake with prosperity whereby it became a symbolic wedding or anniversary gift. 

La Collina

It was indeed quite a sight this La Collina building. In fact several buildings. In the first were high end shops selling Baumkuchen and other sweets manufactured by the company. But then it opened to a kind of huge courtyard with a covered walkway all around and to the side more buildings selling more cakes and souvenirs. A frenzy of consumption. 

We strolled at leisurely pace all around and took in the sights and the weirdness of the place. There was a section where old motorbikes were exhibited, all rusty and used, and next to it was a Fiat Bambina and an old bus out of which they sold ice-cream. What fun it all was. 

The Bus

Once inside we went upstairs to the cafe and ordered two desserts and coffee. Desserts were a sort of sandwich with chestnut puree. Delicious it was too. Time to take the bus back to Omihachiman and from there towards Kyoto. We had a stopover at Otsu which is on the shores of Lake Biwa. The largest lake in Japan and one of the three oldest in the world! 

Lake Biwa

The train station was rather far from the lake up the hill. It was a lovely sunny day so we just walked all the downhill to get to the harbour. A large boat just came in. The Michigan. What a sight and we thought why not do a little cruise. We sat outside on the third floor and just enjoyed the scenery. Inside they had a kind of karaoke going and lots of the young Japanese just stayed in there forgetting all about the outside. The cruise was only for about an hour and we were back in Otsu. 

The Michigan

We discovered that a tramline right at the harbour connected Otsu with Kyoto. Saved us walking all the way back up. Got off at a station not far from the restaurant where we had the reservation and could walk along the river to get there. 

It was a tiny restaurant of eight seats around a bar. Husband and wife were running the place. There was no menu just a set sushi meal. It arrived in a kind of bento box all covered. Some miso soup was on the side, a salad, pickles and edame beans. And then we opened the tray which revealed a selection of tiny sushi each one topped with a bit of fish or vegetable. It was a beautiful sight.

The Bento Box

The challenge was the sushi with the baby squid on top. Cannot leave it here in front of the chef. I picked it up with my chopsticks and the squid slid off! I chased it around with the chopsticks and just swallowed it quickly. It was more of a sliding, slithering sensation rather than a taste. A glug of beer washed it down! All the other sushi were good not to say that the squid was not good, just not what we are used to.

The Squid

 

From the restaurant we had another long walk back to the hotel. Picked up an ice-cream on the way too.