Run by Noma-trained chef Yoshihiro Imai, Monk is a unique restaurant situated on the peripheries of Philosophers Path. Its minimalist aesthetic of white walls, wooden tables and smooth surfaces is a gentle nod to Yoshihiro’s time spent training in Denmark. For an interactive dining experience, sit at the counter and enjoy insightful chatter about menu inspiration and produce sourcing. Savour each dish on the seven-course tasting menu – dinner peaks with the wood-fired pizza.

As beige in taste as it is in colouring, tofu gets a pretty tough time. Often too hastily dismissed, a second tasting of tofu is warranted on any trip to Japan. All around the Nanzenji temple you will find countless restaurants in which to sample it and at Nanzenji Junsei is one of the best. They offer different tasting menus and set menus with tofu and seasonal ingredients in traditional interiors with views over the the gardens.

Going for shabu-shabu essentially means cooking your own dinner while dining out. At your request, a hot pot is placed in the middle of the table alongside plates of raw veg, tofu and very thinly sliced meat which you shabu-shabu (swish swish) in the boiling pot much like you would for a fondue. Normally shabu-shabu restaurants in Japan are very casual, but Hyoto Kyoto is more fine dining in a traditional Japanese setting. Order the house special, Dashi-shabu, popularised for its delicious dashi dipping sauce.

Each part of Japan has its own food specialities and in Kyoto there are quite a few to try. Uji city in Kyoto is known for its matcha production and you’ll see matcha-flavoured sweets, cakes and ice creams in most places around Japan; even Kit Kat have matcha flavoured chocolate bars. Visit the Malebranche store in nearby Kitayama, who make a sweet called “okoicha langue de chat, cha no ka” using uji matcha; it’s like a matcha cookie sandwich with white chocolate in the middle. Best to buy two boxes (they are small and so delicious).

This restaurant in popular Gion serves chicken any which way the customer fancies it – in yakitori skewers, hot pots, soups and noodle dishes. The most popular is its oyakodon – a donburi dish which literally translates as “parent and child” – this chicken and egg served over rice knocks the socks off European-style omelettes thanks to the softly sautéed onions cooked in a dashi and soy-sauce broth. English menus are available inside.

Just opposite JR Kyoto Station, into which all bullet trains from Tokyo arrive, is an underground wonderland of small Japanese food stalls arranged around a DJ platform and bar-stool seating areas. With gyoza shacks, tempura, sushi, korroke (Japanese-style croquettes), curry and doughnut stalls, this is an ideal first stop for hungry travellers landing in the city after a long journey. Visitors can order food from a selection of stalls and receive buzzers to alert them when their food is ready to collect. Forget the food halls of your imagination – Japan has yet again levelled up, providing stylish decor, seating and entertainment alongside some of the best of its home-grown dishes.

Lunch at Kyoto Modern Terrace is best kicked off with a walk through the next-door Okazaki Park and gardens, after visiting the Heian Shrine en route to admire the larger-than-life torii gates dotted around the vicinity. The restaurant is located just upstairs from T-Site, a bookstore and lifestyle shop housing a cleverly curated selection of magazines and books, both in English and Japanese. Kyoto Modern Terrace’s menu features Japanese twists on European dishes – make sure to try the miso and kinako tiramisu. This restaurant is best visited at lunchtime or for breakfast, to make the most of nearby attractions.

Kintan has several different locations across the country, and many different restaurants go by the exact same name, so be sure to check the address twice before heading out. The Akasaka branch of this yakiniku (literally “grilled meat”) restaurant is tucked in a stylish basement down a neon-lit alleyway. Prime cuts of meat greet guests immediately at the front door, while solid ventilation means the usual smoky interior of yakitori restaurants is replaced with something clean, stylish and welcoming. Menus are available in English, the staff members are helpful and almost every cut of meat on offer is melt-in-the-mouth tender. Kintan is the ideal option for those dipping a toe into Japanese cuisine, as well as those willing to get stuck in and barbecue their own dinner.