Wonder if we were in Kyoto the same time last November .
We will be staying 5 nights at RC Kyoto this time .

Agree with you about the season , nice & enough cool for us too . Spring had a few unexpected hot days which made walking rather unpleasant .

We are using this guy to drive us as we can then make as many detours we want and he knows the ins & outs , restaurants included . The Toyota Alphard gives us a better view of the areas we pass through whether alleys or other terrain ( to view foliage ) .

Getting us to Nemu ( really like the onsen , spa , pool .. ) again & to KIX will be a breeze ( considering the latest disaster ) .

Sadly I’m having concierge issues at the RC Kyoto too.

The concierge is bordering on being rude, over some very simple dietary requirements. They can’t seem to understand the difference been a vegan and a vegetarian, this wasn’t an issue for the Four Seasons Kyoto or the peninsula Tokyo.

they're also forgetting requests for activities. What’s the best way to contact the GM?

If by vegetarian you mean you also do not eat seafood, I rather do not see the point of tempura. It is basically a counterpart to sushi, with the best restaurants using the same quality of ingredients. There are of course many vegetables, but those are an accompaniment to the seafood highlights - not the other way around. You of course may still want to experience it, but I would caution against paying the full omakase dinner price to only eat vegetables fried in tempura batter.

If you are lucky enough to be there during the season for wild mountain vegetables, or when othere vegetables such as lotus root are at their best, that is really something special however. It’s just a shame to also miss out on the main seafood highlights.

Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of a hotel concierge is perfectly appropriate to this thread. Discussing the extended details of a vegetarian and/or vegan and/or other cuisine menus at top restaurants in Kyoto is not. DiningBuzz threads for Japan seem more appropriate for where this discussion seems to be headed. Thanks.

Totally agree, however did you have the GM contact in case things don’t improve with the concierge?

I do, but I wouldn’t just give that out unless I saw good reason. I don’t yet see good reason. I’m sorry. It feels more like cultural difference with restaurants not catering to dietary issues less than a concierge service fail thus far.

Indeed. In Japan the concept of vegetarianism is not even well understood, and it is not something that most serious restaurants care much about accommodating. I think the above list actually looks like a rather good start. The restaurants at FS, R-C etc. should also be well equipped to handle this request.

Frankly, I do not see a point in fretting about this at all, because a vegetarian diet precludes eating the speciality dishes at virtually all of the top restaurants in Japan anyway.

On the contrary, I think the concierge who suggested the above options actually did very well. Japan is not New York or Southern California, so if one is expecting restaurants to bend over backwards to accommodate a vegetarian diet, that comes across as ridiculous to the chefs in the first place. The hotel restaurants will be more accommodating, and my advice would be to do some research by oneself in advance to find out how to find the best vegetarian options in Japan.

Locals who do not eat meat usually are doing so purely for dietary reasons, and not for ethical or religious reasons. Hence, many ostensibly meatless dishes will still be prepared with stock or other ingredients that are non-vegetarian. Most locals do not see the difference or care. Considering language barriers and cultural differences, I do not think it is fair to criticize concierge in this matter. Their job is primarily to make reservations and to offer suggestions to guests regarding sightseeing, shopping or other needs. They are not dieticians who are well versed in Western dietary lifestyle choices. Self research is the way to go.

I’ll leave it with this comment as this has been fully discussed re concierge performance. There is no concierge performance issue here. Further discussion about food belongs in the relevant fora such as Dining Buzz. There may well be information here on FT about vegetarian dining in Japan.

Hi Mike,

I’m think you’re missing the point here. I haven’t asked any restaurants to bend over backwards, I haven’t asked anyone to adjust their menu at all.

The problem is the RC has been very unhelpful in communicatiating with restaurants that will serve vegetarian/vegan menus. That list was from the FS on my previous stay, the RC provided some other options that were much less interesting.

The RC explicitly told me bluntly that they won’t be able to accommodate me in their Tempura restaurant as a vegetarian. However the restaurant reservation team at the RC corrected the concierge and offered a vegan menu without me even mentioning it. I had previously had this menu when I was in Kyoto in December.

The RC concierge has ignored emails are requests for other activities and is bordering on rude. i have emailed quite a few other concierges in Japan and have never been spoken to in a similar manner.

I think it’s fair to expect a RC concierge to know what a vegetarian and vegan is. If some of Hoshinoyas Ryokans know what it is why can’t the RC.
To put this in context I’ve asked for one Shojin Ryori reservation and the tempura restaurant at the hotel.
So resturants that are very friendly.

These are fair points. However, I would not assume concierge is being rude. Often in Japan translation can come across as brusque when that is not intended. It is possible that the concierge has not communicated as clearly as they should have, but I highly doubt that the concierge of Ritz-Carlton Kyoto is intentionally being rude.

I would suggest contacting management instead of concierge, and also again to do your own research or have someone else do it for you.

Of course, one can have vegetarian tempura. However to locals that is quite like going out to a teppanyaki restaurant and wanting a vegetarian menu, or going to a sushi restaurant and not expecting to eat fish. Tempura is a seafood cuisine that also includes vegetables in between the featured items.