Kyoto is arguably the most rewarding city in Japan to eat in. The local cuisine, Kyō-ryōri, is based on the refinement of Buddhist temple cooking, aristocratic court dishes, and a long coastal-trade tradition that brought sea-bream, konbu and sea-vegetables inland. Its most famous expression is kaiseki, the multi-course seasonal tasting menu that evolved from the tea ceremony and is now served in a handful of ryōtei restaurants at rarefied prices. But the everyday Kyoto table is just as interesting: yudofu (boiled tofu in a kelp broth), obanzai (home-style side dishes), yuba (tofu skin), simmered wagyū, river fish from the Kamo, and the extraordinary pickles (tsukemono) the city has been making for centuries. For approachable eating, Nishiki Market in the centre of town is the obvious starting point; Pontocho Alley beside the Kamo River has a long line of riverfront restaurants and, in summer, open kawadoko platforms suspended over the water. Gion hides the most famous temples of traditional dining, but most of them require advance reservations (often from your hotel) and deep pockets. For something cheaper, the lanes around Kyoto Station and the basement restaurant floors of the big department stores are reliably good and very reasonable.