One of the staff with the fish tray. And some dork behind him.

The way to my heart is through deep fried cheese. Make a note of this.

You know how you sometimes eat food so good it nearly makes you cry? The duck here is one example of this.

What are YOU looking at? Shortly after this, Steve ate this fish's eyeball.

Feels kind of strange to eat a whole animal. But I did it and it was good.

Hand rolls!

I think it's time for some Funky SODA.

Sushi boat.

All done!

The entrance to seafood deliciousness.

I’m going to make a big call and say that I think this restaurant is in my top 5 places to eat in Japan. It’s just a shame it’s not in Tokyo.

This place is an izakaya that specialises in seafood. Which is my kind of place. It’s full of Japanese people laughing, drinking, eating and generally having a good time. As a side note, the staff are great. They are fun, jokey and loud (but not in an annoying way). The kind of guys you can imagine going for a beer with.

The seafood is really fresh, and I love how they being over a tray full of today’s fresh fish for you to select your sashimi. We just got the platter which was the day’s selection of seafood (it changes each time) which was fresh and delicious.

It helps to go there with a Japanese speaker as the menu is all in Japanese. If you don’t have one on hand, maybe just point to dishes on the other tables that look good. Or you could just point to something on the menu and hope for the best. Which is something I’ve done in the past and has generally been fairly successful.

All up, including food and drinks, it costs on average about ¥4500 per person, which isn’t too bad considering you get an amazing feed, a whole lotta drinks and a really good experience. I’ll be visiting Anji again and again everytime I go to Kyoto. I suggest you do the same.

(These photos are taken with my little busted up point and shoot camera because in my rush to leave Tokyo after the earthquake, I left my SLR at home. But I had to blog about this place. Bad photos or not.)

Anji’s details:

Nearest station: Karasuma-Oike
Address: Rokkaku-dōri Nakagyō-ku Karasuma Higashi iru, Hoshinoko Rokkaku Bldg, 2F
Telephone: 075-231-5375
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 5pm-2am, closed Sunday
English menu: No