And it all started because ChatGPT suggested we try kappo cuisine in Kyoto when I was making it
At the time, I wrote it down in my notes without giving it much thought. I assumed Kappo was a Japanese dish. Only closer to our Kyoto trip did I finally Google it properly. Kappo cuisine, it turns out, isn’t a dish at all. It’s a style of Japanese dining that sits somewhere between omakase and kaiseki. And apparnetly, Kyoto one of the best places to experience kappo cuisine, thanks to the city’s long tradition of seasonal ingredients and chef-driven restaurants. Sitting close to the chef allows guests to watch the cooking process, interact directly, and experienc the rhythm of the kitchen in a way that feels both personal and relaxed.
Even after learning all that, I still wasn’t particularly interested so I left it without thinking much of it.
But once we were actually in Kyoto, curiosity got the better of me. I Googled restaurants serving kappo cuisine in Kyoto, found one that looked promising, and casually suggested it to Fafa. He seemed far more enthusiastic than I expected.
“But it’s expensive,” I warned him.
“We can eat Yoshinoya and Mos Burger for the next few days,” he replied.
Good enough solution. An hour later, we were there.
Kappo Cuisine in Kappo Sakamoto
We were greeted by a young woman whom I assumed was the same person who had confirmed our booking earlier. We had arrived a little early so she went to check with the chef. A moment later, we were invited inside.
The restaurant was small and intimate: three tables and a counter-style seating area. The middle table was already occupied by a Japanese couple, so we took the table by the window.
“How romantic,” I told Fafa. “You romanticise anything,” he replied. Which, to be fair, is the story of our relationship.
And there we were, sitting beside the river in Kyoto, about to experience our first kappo cuisine dinner.
The chef eventually came out to greet us, and the staff asked if we would like drinks. I said sake, but asked for recommendations. Soon the sake arrived, followed by the first dish, plum rice.
By the second course, we had already started chatting with the cheerful couple sitting next to us. They were clearly a little tipsy and very merry.
She was Japanese and had worked at Adobe in the United States. They now live in Tokyo, but every year around Christmas, they drive down to Kyoto for Christmas Eve dinner at this exact restaurant. They’ve been doing it for years. When she told us that, something about it warmed my heart. In that moment, I could almost see our future — coming back to the same restaurant, the same table, in the same season, years from now.
It also reassured me that the kappo cuisine in this place must be good. And it was.
The food was excellent, but the company made the evening even better.
At some point, we learned that the chef had been a professional rugby player before becoming a chef. We chatted about Melbourne, and he shared stories of his previous visit there.
Meanwhile, Fafa kept eyeing the turtle soup, which the couple told us was the star of the menu. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it, it sat a little higher on the price scale of the set menu.
Maybe next time, Fa?
Walking back to our hotel through light drifting snow, sake still warming us, it felt like the perfect Kyoto evening. One of the most romantic dinners I can remember. A reminder that some of the best travel experiences begin with simple curiosity. All because curiosity won — and we said yes to kappo cuisine in Kyoto.
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