Temari-zushi is a piece of Japan’s culinary culture that lives and breathes in Kyoto. These cute, colourful balls of sushi, made small so that geiko and maiko can consume them in one bite, are charming to behold. The owner-chef and her daughter call them ‘tsumami-zushi’, or snack sushi. Lined up in little Styrofoam boxes, they’re as eye-catching as Japanese sweets. The offerings are so inventive—wakatakeni in spring, for example, and pickled sliced turnips in winter.