In Tokyo, dozens of soba, udon, ramen noodle shops and sushi bars circle the popular Tsukiji fish market. Even early in the morning, the narrow sidewalks are full of locals. Not so in Kyoto.
Toby leads me down one narrow street after another because nothing is open and the restaurant he knows isn’t easy to find. Finally he locates Kiyomy a block from the Shichijo Street entrance of the Wholesale Market. We enter a poorly lit stairwell leading down several flights.
No bigger than a small living room, the windowless, basement restaurant has old wood and glass fronted cabinets lining the back wall behind a counter with half a dozen stools. We take a seat at a red plastic booth that would have been at home in a Route 66 diner. 
