Osechi in Kyoto

Hello, I'll spend shogatsu in Kyoto and I have a quite specific question I can't solve by myself even if I've been there many times.
I've never tried osechi food and I'm very interested in having this experience, but I don't know if it'll be possible to buy that in Kyoto, and where. My japanese friends told me that usually you make osechi by yourself OR you book your osechi meals months in advance and then they deliver them at your house. Is there a way to get osechi food in Kyoto without having to reserve it, or reserving it just a few days in advance? I'll be there from december 25th, so I have about one week before shogatsu in case.
Ah, maybe is better if I point that I'd prefere to have osechi food I can eat at home (I'll be renting my usual room where I've been many times) because having it in restaurants it's probably too expensive for me...
Thank you for any suggestion

Hi!(^-^)/
Maybe individual dishes for Osechi are sold at any supermarkets and food-markets in that season.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osechi
And if you want, you need to get a bento-box called juubako.

I'm jealous of your shogatsu in Kyoto!(��_��)o

Thank you. The best would be to find a complete osechi course for 2 or 3 days, but as my japanese friends tell me, that can be difficult if you don't reserve that...

It is true that most "osechi" sets are booked a few months to a few weeks ahead, to be delivered on Dec. 31st. However, I am not quite fond of booking that much in ahead, and I have found that (at least in Tokyo) some department stores make a limited number of them available for sale on Dec. 30 and 31st, to take home on the same day. I have bought "osechi" that way for the past few years... I look out for department stores' fliers (that come in as inserts into newspapers, so you might want to ask your local friends to look out for them), when I find a set I want, I queue up at the specified entrance to the basement of that department store before it opens. There are quite some people who do this besides myself, and it gets into rush-hour traffic-like when the store opens!

But then again, maybe the culture in Kyoto might be different, people might pride themselves for "preparing in advance" - be it you cook yourself or book far in advance - that this "quick and convenient" way might not be available. Ask your friend in Kyoto if they have seen those advertised :)

Thank you;
unfortunately I don't have friends or penpal right in Kyoto now, so I can't have hints from locals unless someone notices my post here.
Anyway, most department stores are in the shijo area, so I'm gonna check there when I'll be in Kyoto in case.

Yes, osechi is not a restaurant cuisine - it's something you eat at home, even if you've bought it at a restaurant or department store.

I'd suggest simply buying osechi at Daimaru, Isetan or some other department store. If worse comes to worse you can find something in a supermarket or convenience store, but it shouldn't come to that.