In this issue, we dive deep into the city’s cuisine, from the origins of kaiseki cooking in a centuries-old tea house to the Western-inspired dishes in a retro kissaten coffee shop; from the seasonal hand-crafted jōgashi sweets to the homestyle obanzai meals based on traditional Kyoto ingredients. We meet with local chefs like Yoshihiro Imai, whose wood-fired cooking embraces the Japanese concept of shime through a mastery of pizza, and Masayo Funakoshi, whose background in contemporary art and fascination with Japanese history inspires the dining experience at her invite-only restaurant. Outside of the kitchen, we get to know the producers cultivating kyo-yasai, the special heritage vegetables grown in rural towns just outside the city, and artisans like Takuya Tsutsumi, the fourth-generation lacquer maker applying ancient techniques to wooden skateboards and bikes. In Issue 10, we pull back the curtain to explore Kyoto’s roots, the unique cuisine and social culture at its heart, and how modern Kyotoites interact with the city’s legacy.