Sukiyaki Jyuniten Kyoto, in Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan: We are happy to share the news that our friends at the SALT GROUP have announced the opening of Sukiyaki Jyuniten Kyoto – a new restaurant in Kyoto, Japan, serving Japanese experiences in an elegant and traditional style.

The Japanese name for Sukiyaki Jyuniten Kyoto is すき焼き十二天 京都.  The shop is is situated in Kyoto’s Maruyama Park, not far from Yasaka Shrine, and close to Maruyama Park Concert Hall.

They are open from lunch (11 AM) through dinner (10 PM), seven days a week.

The grand opening for the new Kyoto location of Sukiyaki Jyuniten was announced on October 1, 2025.

While the Sukiyaki Jyuniten name may be a new addition to fine dining in Kyoto, Sukiyaki Jyuniten operates two, “older sister” sukiyaki restaurants in Tokyo (in Marunouchi and Hiroo respectively); each offering high grade Wagyu beef in the sukiyaki tradition and several other styles.

For visitors, Sukiyaki Jyuniten Kyoto offers the opportunity to go beyond sushi and ramen, and to become familiar with some other aspects of authentic Japanese cuisine. Dishes like sukiyaki, and other “hot pot” varieties, include the experience of cooking together at the table.

The name combines the highest beef marbling grade ’12’ with the protective deities ‘Jūniten,’ reflecting our respect for the finest Wagyu. Guests can enjoy A5 Wagyu through various preparations such as sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, oil-yaki, and steak, in refined spaces designed with natural materials.
— Sukiyaki Jyuniten Kyoto

For dishes like shabu-shabu, the name roughly translates to “swish swish;” an onomatopoeia that follows from the back-and-forth motion as the meat is cooked in the hot broth.

Before I became a full-time resident of Japan (when I was making my first visits) I discovered these cook-at-the-table Japanese restaurants.  My first experience with shabu-shabu was both delicious and an education; having a beautiful array of meat and vegetables brought to my table was new for me, and I had to be shown how to cook it.

When I returned home, I wanted to bring the experience with me. Back in America, I took my friends to restaurants like Nabe (in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset), and introduced them to this Japanese-style of cooking together at the table.

The ingredients at Sukiyaki Jyuniten Kyoto are of the highest quality, and the presentation and setting are as classic as Kyoto itself; a beautiful, traditional Japanese experience.

The Sukiyaki Jyuniten collection of restaurants is part of the SALT GROUP family; a Tokyo-based Japanese company, providing food and hospitality throughout Tokyo, with additional offerings in Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kawasaki, Chiba, and international locations including London, UK.

While Kyoto’s Sukiyaki Jyuniten may be out of reach for some Osaka visitors, SALT GROUP also operates some excellent spots within the borders of Osaka City.

Until you can make it to Kyoto, you might check out local SALT GROUP restaurants like the sorappa DINING and THE COSMOPOLITAN GRILL BAR TERRACE – both in the Umeda area of Kita-ku.

To see more, check out the SALT GROUP profile on Instagram.

It’s a hot time to be in Osaka right now, and not just because summer is here.  The X Games Japan in Osaka is another win for our city.

With record-level tourism and the Osaka World EXPO, Osaka is getting a lot of attention both within Japan and internationally.  As X Games Japan arrives in Osaka, the wins just keep coming.

X Games Japan will be held in Osaka City on Saturday, June 22 – Sunday, June 23, 2025.  The location is the Kyocera Dome in Nishi-ku, Osaka, just a short walk from Dome-mae Station, or from the Taisho Station just across Shirinashi River from the dome.

While the Kyocera Dome is typically the home of the local Osaka Buffaloes baseball team, for two days in June, the dome will host “the best of cool” as X Games Japan brings skateboarding, BMX, and Moto X to the heart of Osaka City.

“It’s awesome that a big contest has come to Osaka! Up until now, contests have mostly been held in Tokyo or Yokohama, so I’m happy that it’s coming to Osaka too!”
— Choppy’s Skateboard Shop, Osaka

Having the X Games in Osaka is a strong signal about the rise of skateboarding in Japan, as well as the significance of Osaka’s notoriety; the people of Osaka are proud to welcome the X Games.

Looking at the schedule for Saturday and Sunday, there are twelve separate competitions, six each day beginning at 9:45 AM.

On Saturday, X Games Osaka will feature Women’s skateboarding on both the vert ramp and the street course, BMX in the park course (as well as a best trick competition), Men’s vert skateboarding, and the Moto X Best Trick.

On Sunday, the event will run BMX street and flatland competitions, Women’s skateboarding in the skatepark, and Men’s vert, street, and skatepark events in skateboarding.

To watch the event, you can buy tickets to Osaka X Games online at Eplus.  And of course, X Games can be seen online at YouTube and on Roku.

The history of X Games has its roots in the first “Extreme Games” all the way back in 1995.  Since then, X Games has become an international phenomenon, drawing participants from all over the world.

For the X Games in Osaka City, skaters and riders are coming from countries as far away as Spain, the United States, Australia, France, and Brazil.  There will be a lot of world-class talent in Osaka for this event.

And of course the event features a lot of local “Nihon-jin” talent as well.

There are close to thirty Japanese athletes at the X Games 2025 in Osaka, from all across the country.  Yohei Uchino is coming from Tokyo to compete in BMX, biker Rim Nakamura will take the shinkansen from Kyoto to the Osaka X Games, and Cocona Hiraki is coming all the way from Tomakomai, Hokkaido to represent dosanko girls in women’s skateboarding.  There are athletes from Kanagawa, Chiba, Niigata, Yokohama, and…

There are several local Osaka-jin in the X Games in Osaka as well.  Moto Shibata is repping Osaka as a skateboarder.  Momiji Nishiya will compete in the women’s skateboarding competition.  And bad boy Taka Higashino will take to the air for Moto X.  All the athletes are important, and are guaranteed to put on a great show – but of course we want to get loud for Osaka’s finest.

Go Osaka! Fight, fight, fight!

Osaka has a great scene for skateboarders. Osaka City has all of the usual street spots offered by a big city – with famous hang-outs for skaters like Triangle Park in Chuo-ku. There are also several skateparks in Osaka; indoor spots like the Snowline Board Park in Hozumi, Minimini Skatepark in Onosato, and what looks like a killer indoor park at iS Ollies Skatepark in Kita-ku in Osaka City; and also some serious outdoor, concrete parks in Osaka, like Haraike Skateboard Park in Sakai. Rain or shine, Osaka gives you plenty of opportunity to ride.

X Games Osaka is another example of skateboarding thriving in Japan.  Of course, everyone remembers Yuto Horigome’s win in skateboarding in the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Japan’s athletes are increasingly high-profile examples in the sport, including many very talented Japanese girl skaters.  The Japanese are really proving their talent on skateboards (and in the snow as well – Japanese snowboarders rip).

“That’s how minor skateboarding is in Japan. And yet, Japan is now on the podium at contests all over the world!”
— Choppy’s

For more X Games, look for another big competition back in America at the X Games in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 27 – June 29.  And then, for winter sports, X Games Aspen will go off in Aspen, Colorado on January 23 – January 25, 2026 in the USA.

PHOTOS: Used with permission, with credit to X Games