Unlocking Kyoto's secrets

Kyoto Design House has a wide selection of products for gift shoppers.[Photo by Ko Sasaki/for The New York Times]

1:30 pm: Tofu and bamboo

Meditate on the subtlety of flavors during a meal at Syouraian, a restaurant in Arashiyama that showcases tofu, a Kyoto specialty, in various forms. Deep in the woods with views over the Oi River, the tranquil tatami mat dining room is a harmonious backdrop for the beautifully presented dishes, from a silken tofu appetizer adorned with a single dot of bean paste to fried agedashi tofu in broth topped with quivering shavings of dried bonito.

8 pm: Deep-fried dinner

Kushiage, the cooking style of deep-frying food on skewers, is an art form at Kushi Tanaka, a cozy restaurant on a dead-end lane. The chef's 30-plus years of experience are evident as he plucks skewers out of the fryer and presents them to the dozen or so diners squeezed around the wooden U-shaped counter.

A recent 20-piece feast included bites of deep-fried mochi, mackerel, shiitake, kabocha, tender ginkgo nuts and an oozy quail egg wrapped in bacon. The set menu takes the guesswork out of ordering and costs 3,800 yen per person.

11 pm: Less-strange brew

Though craft beer is slowly gaining a foothold in Japan, it's still a relative rarity in Kyoto. To taste some ji-biru, or domestic microbrews, walk a few blocks west to Bungalow, a 10-tap craft beer bar that opened in 2012. There's comfortable seating upstairs, but service is better at the streetside standing bar.

A wider selection is found at Wachi, a fourth-floor izakaya that recently had Iwate Kura Oyster Stout on tap and a fridge stocked with bottles from Kiuchi Brewery, Baird Brewing Co and other Japanese craft breweries.

SUNDAY

8 am: Torii tunnel

Get up early for a peaceful trek to the top of Mount Inari on trails that snake through thousands of vermilion torii, the traditional gates that usually mark the entrance to Shinto shrines. Starting from Fushimi Inari Taisha, a shrine at the base of the mountain dedicated to the Shinto kami (spirit) of rice and prosperity, ascend the path passing under torii spaced so closely together that it sometimes feels like walking through a tunnel. To scale the summit and return down the winding wooded trails, allow two to three hours.

Noon: Suntory time

Head southwest of Kyoto to pay homage to the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery, the birthplace of Japanese whiskey. Free hour-long tours explain the distillation process, from malting to mashing to fermentation, and culminate with a sampling of Yamazaki single-malt whiskey with soda. Afterward, browse the bottles that line the shelves of the on-site "whiskey library" and visit the tasting counter, which pours samples of top-notch blends and single malts, as well as limited-edition whiskeys available only at the distillery.