Japanese kaiseki restaurant Wagokoro Izumi is a five minute walk from the subway Shijo station. Walk the Bukkoji-dori street to the east and you will get there in no time. You will know the restaurant from their dark green noren fabric dividers that have the Japanese text “和ごころ泉”(Wagokoro Izumi) written in white on them. The chef of Wagokoro Izumi trained for 13 years in the famous kaiseki restaurant Sakurada. Thanks to the chef’s work, Wagokoro Izumi has gotten two Michelin stars two years in a row. Inside the restaurant they have a Japanese style private room with a view to the inner garden, counter seats and table seating resembling those of a high grade ryokan(Japanese inn). The scrolls on the walls and the tablewares used in the restaurant change according to the seasons, the whole restaurant thus reflecting the four seasons of Japan. The specialty of Wagokoro Izumi is their hassun platter that is almost a work of art in itself. The hassun platter brings out the deeply seasonal essence of Wagokoro Izumi by skillfully using vegetables in season and bringing out the seasonal Kyoto traditions in the dishes. When brought in front of you, the hassun platter is sure to raise shouts of joy from around you with its beauty. The hassun platters are literally masterpieces. Wagokoro Izumi is a kaiseki restaurant in downtown Kyoto that you have to try if you visit Kyoto! *Wagokoro Izumi is reservation-only and they only take reservations through a concierge.