During July we have the biggest festival, Gion Matsuri.
Gion Matsuri has another name, 'hamo matsuri' as we have a lot of hamo (fish) dishes during the festival. Hamo is pike conger, a long fish, looks like an eel. But the taste is quite diferrent from eels. I like the eel dishes, but I love hamo dishes much better. Hamo has a sophisticated taste, not greasy.
Here are some hamo lovers and hamo dishes.
Sini is making her favourite hamo-zushi 

Sansho peppers can be a good accent for hamo-zushi
Bianca is happy with her 'hamo no teriyaki';grilled hamo fish
Yuba-roll of hamo
7.09.2009
Gion Matsuri : Hamo Matsuri
Posted by
Emi Hirayama
at
22:36
7.07.2009
Tanabata : the star-lit night
Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com
Tanabata, the Star Festival is celebrated on July 7th, which is from one of the ancient Chinese legends originally--on the Milky Way the two stars have the once-a-year rendezvour on July 7th, but if it rains that night, they won't be able to meet. Wising for the star-lit night.......
Here are some vegetarian summer dishes.
They will make you cool! 
top- cold soba (buck wheat) with dipping sauce, condiments and nagaimo-yam (potato)
bottom-left goma(sesame)d(t)ofu
bottom-right summer vegetable agar jelly
center- kimpira gobou (burdock-root & carrot light-fried dish) 
Perrine is trying 'sasagaki gobou':
burdock root shaving cut 
Summer sweet
kuzu-manju
Fergus is good at making kuzu-manju ↑
Karlie is fascinated with kuzu manju
Posted by
Emi Hirayama
at
0:46
7.01.2009
Kamo-nasu : A Kyoto summer treat
Uzuki showcase in July
Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com
flower: kikyou
Kamo-nasu no Agedashi : Deep-fried Kamo-nasu with hot (broth) soup
Garnish- grated daikon raddish & cucumber and myoga (ginger bud)
Kamo-nasu is the Kyoto eggplant (aubergine).
During the summer Kyoto people enjoy this special eggplant very much.
Its shape is chubby and perfectly round, looks like a ball, 10-15cms in diameter.
It is quite heavy with its thick flesh, the big ones can weigh up to 800g! Its texture is fresh and smooth. The skin color is dark purple and feels velvety.
In summer it is very hot, here in Kyoto and Kamo-nasu grows well in the sun. While eggplants can help to reduce the temperature of the body; they keep us cool! Deep-fried Kamo-nasu is not greasy as it doesn't absorb much oil because of its high dense. They are healthy, tasty and please us with the noble color and the dignified shape.
Dengaku; fried Kamo-nasu dressed with Kyoto miso (soybean paste) and Agedashi;
deep-fried Kamo-nasu with hot broth (soup) are both popular summer dishes.
Mizu youkan; summer red bean jelly
Posted by
Emi Hirayama
at
0:02
6.30.2009
Nagoshi no Harae : Summer purification
Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com
Since the old time, on the last day of the first half of the year (the last day of June) we have a purification ceremony at shrines in Kyoto.
This is called ’Nagoshi no Harae’ (summer purification).
We visit the shrine to purify every bad thing in the first half of the year and to pray for happiness and good health during the rest half of the year.
Also on the last day of June we have a sweet called ‘minazuki’ , which is Japanese old name for June.
In the old lunar calendar June is the mid-summer. Those days people could hardly get ice in the summer-time.
In stead of ice, they had the sweet, ‘minazuki’ which feels ice, asking for coolness.
Chi-no-wa at Okazaki Shrine, my favourite shrine, here is really quiet 
We pass through this big ring and pray.
Minazuki is the triangle-shaped cake, which expresses a piece of ice, with red beans for topping as people believed red beans protect us from evils like diseases.
Minazuki - kuzu(plant root) & mochi rice flour cake with sweet red beans 
Mizu-youkan a la Nagoshi no Harae 
ingredients - red bean paste, sugar and agar powder
Posted by
Emi Hirayama
at
0:30
6.26.2009
Thank you so much ⅲ
I thank you, all the attendants so much this first half of the year.
I had a very enjoyable time with them each class.
Here are some photos from among the attendants.
So sorry I couldn't put all the attendants.
I'm looking forward to having a cooking session with you, too!
Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com
A seven year-old girl, Olivia is having her 'chirashi-zushi' elegantly. 

A 5 year-old boy, Alex who is the youngest chef in my class, is cracking eggs very well! 
Ginny, Bruce and James
Nancy, Ron and Maria
Barbara and Aimee
Isabel, Javi and Marta
Nicole and Noah
Michelle and Brian
Jeremy, Bridget, Byron,
Justin and Sophie
Jo-Anne and Brendan
Jean and Betty
Jennifer and Roz
Posted by
Emi Hirayama
at
19:26
Thank you so much ⅱ
I thank you, all the attendants so much this first half of the year.
I had a very good time with them.
Here are just some photos from among the attendants.
Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com
Ragnhild and Yumi
Tim and Tim
Renae and Catherine
Elizabeth & Lillian
and Meagan
Petra & Jerome
and Steph
Jean and Graham
Sinead and Jean
Camila
She loves 'shojin-ryori'- Japanese vegetarian cuisine; temple foods very much 
Frederic, Stephane,
Guy-Antoine and Sophie
Posted by
Emi Hirayama
at
11:30
6.25.2009
Thank you so much ⅰ
I thank you, all the attendants so much this first half of the year.
Here are just some photos from among the attendants.
I'm looking forward to having a cooking session with you!!
Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com
Navid
Ella and Jan


Amy and Annie are making basic broth; dashi
Elaine is cutting yuba(soy-milk skin)
Emily and Brian
Susan and Nicole

Laura, Caroline and Alex 
Ryan is good at 'usu-zukuri'(thin-slicing of sashimi)
← Cecilia & Paul
↑
Camile & Justin, who are good at cooking, with their mom and dad
Posted by
Emi Hirayama
at
22:58