Kamakura and Uji dining

I'll be leaving in less than 2 weeks for a 3 week trip to Japan. Most of the areas I'm familiar with, however, our trips to Kamakura and Uji will be new for me. We have our hotels and know what we want to see, but we are unsure where to eat. A big part of our trip is eating tasty Japanese food and since we have so little time at these places that we can't afford to pick a bad place.

If someone has been to these cities and was please with their meal-please let me know where you ate. TIA.

I have been stayed in Uji a couple of times at my in-laws' home. It is a quaint town with great little neighborhoods. There are a great little cake shop/green tea product shop (Itoqamon) which you can Google. If you want to have Fucha Ryori Kaiseki (the vegetarian feast by monks), there is the Obaku-san temple. You can call there ahead of time and have the lunch/dinner served by the temple workers. Also, there is a restaurant in front of the temple that serves Fucha Ryori.

You can take the train to Kyoto (about 20 minutes ride) and have a great variety. One of the best Okonomiyaki I had was in a restaurant (Yoshino) on one of the floors above Kyoto Station. There are also 7 great Ramen stores in the 10th floor at the station, which you can try on different times.

Anyway, have fun.

I would have never thought of this option and what a neat expereince it would be. I did think I should eat foods with green tea in it-like soba, ice cream, yokan.

You said your in-laws live there...can you find out if there is a good place to eat sweetfish? I read it is a favorite of the area.

We ate at a gorgeous restaurant hanging over the river between the big red bridge & what I think is the main bridge (where the huge stone lantern is). It was on the same side as Byodouin Temple. We could see the cormorants in their cages on the opposite side of the river to the restaurant.
Turn left before you cross the bridge & the restaurant is not far along.

Tom, would you happen to mean the Aiso dinning hall? I have heard that it is good and we are staying at Aiso for 2 days. I read where the roykan is nothing to write home about, but the food is good :) I will try to eat there at least once for dinner and breakfast.

Tess give me a few days & I'll e-mail the people who took me there to find the name.

Actually any of the shops mentioned in the following are good.

http://kyotofoodie.com/wagashi-ayugashi-waka-ayu-sweetfish-confection/

For a ryokan stay in Uji, I have visited the following
http://www.ukifune-en.co.jp/english/index.html
The food over there is superb and have enjoyed their communal hot tub. It is by the river and you can enjoy the views from their restaurant. However, I think you have to call ahead and make reservations for dinner if you are not staying there.

Good luck.