About food in Japan

Our new service, Dining Experience Planner, launched!

Food Tourism Japan Consulting who organizes English blog "about food in Japan" (http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp) just launched new innovative service called "Dining Experience Planner".  

Dining Experience Planner is newly developed service for non-Japanese people who wish to enjoy having nice meal at nice restaurant(s) in Japan, even if they do not understand Japanese language and if they have no local friend who can give tips to him/her. 

 Especially in Tokyo, there are 98000 restaurants including 240 Michelin star-awarded, with various menu just for "Japanese cuisine" from Sushi or Kaiseki at upscale restaurants to Okonomiyaki, casual Japanese pancake etc etc. 

 Even with guide books and travel related websites, it is not easy to identify an ideal restaurant for your request and requirement.

 

Would it be great if you could get restaurant recommendation personally from a local person who is a professional on the field?

 

Dining Experience Planner will search restaurants as per your requests, on behalf of you book the most suitable one for your situation, and propose it with useful information.

In exchange for small amount of financial cost, Dining Experience Planner by Food Tourism Japan Consulting will help you in following ways.

To make your dining experience in Japan be fantastic and comfortable.

To release you from anxious that you might feel because of language barrier.

To save your time for restaurant searching and booking.

 

For more detail about Dining Experience Planner service, please visit Food Tourism Japan Consulting website.

http://www.food-tourism-japan.com/dining-experience-planner---restaurant-proposal-service.html 

 

We are looking forward to serving you for making your dream come true, fantastic dining experience in Japan

 

Food Tourism Japan Consulting

http://www.food-tourism-japan.com 

Enjoy collections of local specialties across Japan - Japanese Dining Cafe Rin

Japanese Dining Cafe Rin is situated a few minutes from Omotesando (表参道) subway station and is just off from Aoyama street or Route 246, where it is known as a town of the latest fashion.

On the ground floor, RIN Shop & Gallery is accommodated and operated by the same owner (Small and Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation Japan). The shop is a place not to be missed before you enjoy meal at Japanese Dining Cafe Rin on the upper floor. RIN Shop & Gallery introduces selected products from across Japan with Japanese "superior craftsmanship" as well as "exquisite design"; tablewares, stationery, linens, furnitures etc. These products look beautiful and have warm touch from natural materials such as wood or paper. You could feel like bringing everything there to your home

Well after enjoying the shopping at RIN Shop & Gallery, let's go up to the cafe to try a kind of another Japanese craftsmanship. Japanese Dining Cafe Rin is a place to offer Sake, vegetables and other local specialities across Japan at the very-central location of Tokyo. The interior design is modern but wooden beams remind us traditional Japanese style in the space.

If you are interested in Japanese alcohol, Japanese Sake Tasting set is recommendable. You can choose and taste 3 kinds of high quality local Sake for a price of one drink, Yen800. On the list, some sakes are fresh and limited production.

 

 

Fresh vegetable directly from farms across Japan is another speciality of the restaurant. We chose the best way to enjoy them, steamed in "tagine" Morrocan earth pot. 

 

In addition, the restaurant provides wide selections of local specialiies, called Kyodo ryori (郷土料理） or nowadays referred among Japanese people as "B-kyu gourmet" (B級グルメ, collective very casual, secondary grade local specialities, previously taken only by local people). They can be tried even without physically traveling to the regions.

I like that... 

Fujinomiya Yakisoba (富士宮焼きそば) 

from Fujinomiya-city, Shizuoka on the edge of Mt. Fuji

The fried noodle is one of the most famous icon of such B-kyu gourmet plates.

 

How the noodle is different from normal one?

Mainly stronger noodles, produced locally in Fujinomiya city.

Rich flavor of oil because of lard used as ingredient.

 

At the end of meal, finally we almost forgot that we were in Omotesando, Tokyo, where the most fashionable luxury boutiques stand on close by. 

 

Restaurant name: Japanese Dining Cafe Rin

Address: 3-6-26 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Website: 

Japanese Dining Cafe Rin http://rin.smrj.go.jp/shop/diningcafe/

RIN Shop & Gallery  http://rin.smrj.go.jp/english/

Mt. Takao (高尾山), what to eat there? - Tororo Soba (とろろそば)

One day during a short break of rainy season, I had a chance to visit Takao(高尾). After Mt. Takao has been awarded "three-star ***" by the Michelin guide since 2007, it becomes more popular year by year for both Japanese and international tourists. 

General tips about Mt. Takao: 

The mountain whose height is 599 meters is one of the best place for hiking and for full-day excursion from central Tokyo. The journey time from central Tokyo (Shinjuku station) to Mt. Takao hiking gateway (Takaosanguchi station on Keio line) is only about 1hour by train and it costs less than Yen 1000 for return. From Shinjuku and other stations en route, Keio railway company provides "Round-trip Discount Ticket" combined with cable or lift ride(s) on Mt. Takao. 

For more information about Keio Mt. Takao Round-trip discount ticket,

please visit their official site in English.

http://www.keio.co.jp/english/riding/discount.html

To climb up Mt. Takao, there are several hiking courses recommended by the region's tourist site. The easiest and the most desirable trail for beginner is No. 1 (1号路) depicted in bright red colour on the hiking map. To make your hiking activity easier, it offers an option to take a ride either on Cable car or Lift to the middle of the route. The course is not too tough to reach on the peak so it is taken even by primary school children as a school field trip. At least it requires an appropriate appearance such as sports shoes, trousers.

For more detail about Mt. Takao hiking, please visit its official site linked from below.

Mt. Takao Official Site: http://www.takaotozan.co.jp/index.htm

Where and what to eat?: 

Anyway for food lovers, before or after the mountain hiking, maybe you need to fill your stomach with tasty food, as usual.

From today, I will post three spots around Mt. Takao for food lovers.

The first one is Takahashiya (高橋屋), a soba noodle restaurant accommodated in a traditional style building. It is located between Takaosanguchi railway station to Cable and Lift stations. It is on the corner before the starting point of No.1 (１号路) hiking course. It must be easy to find among restaurants and souvenir shops lined up on both sides of the main street, because a tall persimmon tree with over 50 years age appears from the roof of the restaurant.  

Inside of the cozy casual Japanese restaurant is decorated with wooden folk arts. Let's enjoy looking at them while you wait for your noodle bowl.

 

In Mt. Takao area, soba (そば, 蕎麦) noodle with tororo (とろろ, Japanese yam) sauce is local speciality. Both ingredients, soba buckwheat and Japanese yam (a kind of potato) are from mountains. 

Tororo sauce is served separately in a small bowl with a fresh quail egg.

Mix up well the sauce, egg and also seasonal condiments.

Then pour the sauce into your noodle bowl. Now it is ready!

Side dish ordered, "persimmon leaves" tempura.

This is the first time for me to taste persimmon leaf...

It does not have strong flavour but a bit salty.

Maybe it is good as snack with beer,

if the occasion is after hiking. 

Before or after taking a walk on the mountain, please be relaxed with a nice bowl of soba noodle, surrounded by Japanese folk wooden decoration at Takahashiya.

Related post: Mt. Takao (高尾山), what to eat there? - Japanese traditional sweets at Yukido (有喜堂)

Restaurant name: Takahashiya (高橋屋)

Address: 2209 Takao-Machi, Hachioji-city, Tokyo

Official site in Japanese: http://www.takahasiya.com

 

大きな地図で見る

 

Accommodation close by the posted site: 

京王プラザホテル八王子

八王子スカイホテル

Nihonbashi Kinoshige (日本橋 紀ノ重） - fish on parade from Tsukiji Market

Kinoshige (紀ノ重) is originally an established whole-seller with four-century history in Tokyo and based in Tsukiji Market. Is it great if we have a chance to taste seafood products carefully selected by the discerning professional Kinoshige buyers with their strong connections in the fishery? In Nihonbashi, Japan's financial centre, there is a Japanese restaurant or Izakaya (居酒屋) with Kinoshige brand.

The restaurant, Nihonbashi Kinoshige (日本橋　紀ノ重) is accommodated in the new building, COREDO Muromachi (室町) opened in 2010. The building is in a prime location, just in front of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Tokyo one of the most luxury hotel in the cosmopolitan, a block away from Bank of Japan or a few steps from Mitsukoshi (三越) department flagship store.

On the contrary to the financial district atmosphere surrounding location, inside of Nihonbashi Kinoshige, it is purposely decorated like "Tsukiji Market" site with Fish market sign boards hang on top and raw seafood displayed towards dining tables. The tables and chairs are unusual as a restaurant and look like wooden box stacked up. What a fun dining experience in a fish market atmoshere!

The menu list can be described fresh seasonal fish and seafood "on parade". Yes, they know the best way to taste each kind of seafood offered, sashimi, ryoshi-yaki (漁師焼, fishery style grill with sauce), genshi-yaki (原始焼, "primitive" style" grill), himono (干物, dried), nimono (煮物, well-cooked in pot) etc. We can never get tired of tasting seafood there. 

Complimentary starter - Squid spicy sauce, cooked with candle fire in front of us

Assorted very fresh sashimi plate 

Left: Octopus and vegetable in vinegar

Right: Salmon rolls (bottom) and

"non-fish dish" (top) fried roll with cheese and sake-kasu（酒粕, sake lees)

Of course Nihonbashi Kinoshige offer nice and wide selections of Japanese sake including ones from Tohoku (as long as stocks available). They must be excellent match with fish and seafood dishes proviede at the restaurant. 

My favourite sake from Fukushima, "Hiroki", not sure if it still has more stock...

and orange liqueur 

***** Update 3rd May 2012 ******

The restaurant is no longer called "Kinoshige" but is "Suminoe". The concept is altered a bit. But it is still under the same operator and the atmosphere and seafood focusing food menu are similar. Hence our recommendation for the restaurant remains. New English website is here.http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g753342/lang/en/
Thanks!

Restaurant name: Nihonbashi Kinoshige

Address: 2nd floor, COREDO Muromachi, 2-2-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g753342/lang/en/

 

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Nostalgic dining car - Nippon Shokudo (日本食堂) at Tokyo Station (東京駅)

From the end of April to the first week of May, it is one of the biggest holiday seasons in Japan, called "Golden Week". Along with four bank holidays, the 29th of April Day of Showa (previously known as Showa Emperor's birthday), the 3rd through to 5th of May Constitution Memorial Day, Green Day, Children's Day consecutively and weekends around, some people take a long holiday week and go out for vacation, outdoor activities or sightseeing. This year it is a bit different especially in Tohoku region where the best season of Sakura, cherry blossoms, falls in the Golden Week of May. Because of the natural disaster damage, less people visited cherry blossom spots in Tohoku, while many people across Japan rushed to the Pacific coast side for volunteer activities at damaged area. 

JR Tokyo Station, which is a base for departing to provinces, is still crowded with tourists during this week. Before or After the trip to outside Tokyo, why not take Yoshoku (洋食) lunch or dinner in a nostalgic dining car style restaurant? 

Nippon Shokudo (日本食堂) has been an icon brand of dining car in its florescence 60's to 70's. The good-old-days dining car atmosphere is re-created as a restaurant inside JR Tokyo Station where it has been a base of Japan journey even today.

The food provided at the nostalgic restaurant is also included in the atmosphere. The restaurant's speciality are dishes with "demi-glace sauce" which has been taken over and developed from the original version served for 70 years as a part of Nippon Shokudo's history. It also offers NIPPON SHOKUDO special course which includes French cuisine dishes, as main and dessert, same with ones at popular overnight express trains, "Cassiopeia"(カシオペア号) and "Hokuto-shichisei" (北斗七星号)  both running between Ueno Tokyo and Sapporo, Hokkaido.  Even without moving physically, we could feel as if we were travelling on board for a while at the restaurant.

I had Nippon Shokudo's speciality Hayashi-rice (ハヤシライス),

stew with Japanese sirloin beef well cooked in demi-glace sauce.

It is an excellent Yoshoku (洋食) plate

Taking advantage of the location, inside of Tokyo Station, it opens from 7a.m. in the morning and provides special breakfast menu, "Omelette with demi-glace sauce". It must be a good morning break... I will try it some day.

 

Restaurant name: Nippon Shokudo (日本食堂)

Location: Gransta Dining, North Court, First floor of inside Tokyo station

Restaurant operator's site (in Japanese): 

http://www.nre.co.jp/shop/db/detail_00430/

大きな地図で見る

Takahashi in Tsukiji Market (高はし, 築地市場）

Takahashi (高はし) is the second restaurant we dined on our Tsukiji Market visit, following Sushi Dai (寿司大) as my previous post. This is also a popular restaurant in Tsukiji Market with guests who do not hesitate to make a queue line for have meal there. It is more a casual dining compared with Sushi Dai and it can be a typical restaurant for the market workers after their hard working from very early morning. As same with the Sushi restaurant, Takahashi also has a counter table to serve around 10 diners at a time. We had been again lucky on the day and were seated as soon as we arrived without waiting.  

The restaurant's speciality "Super Anago-don" (スーパー穴子丼, superior conger eel rice bowl) is often featured by mass-media. But it is too much for us who already had sushi course in the same morning even though we had one hour walking tour at Tsukiji Market whole-sale area...

We ordered some fish dishes to taste their fresh high quality specialities with Japanese sake.

Seasonal and assortment Sashimi plates selected by chef 

At Takahashi, it is a pitty if someone finishs his/her meal only with sashimi plate.

They also serve very good cooked and grilled fish dishes. 

Well-cooked conger eel is so soft and sweeeeeet.

Today's grilled fish, trout is so big enough to share by 4 people...

Complimentary small starter dish, also well-cooked vegerables,

a typical home-made food

 

Menu is changed day by day, season by season, depending on what they sourced from the fish market. All available dishes are on the information board at the restaurant, in Japanese language only though. At least what is sure...whatever you order, no dish will disappoint you at Takahashi. 

My post related:

Tsukiji Market

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/tsukiji-market.html

RestaurSushi Dai, Tsukiji Market (寿司大 築地市場)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/05/sushi-dai-in-tsukiji-market.html

Related links: Tsukiji Market plan in Japanese

http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/youkoso/medemiru/medemiru.htm

*Buildings with light orange colour, where restaurants are mainly located

 

Restaurant name: Takahashi (高はし)

Address: the 8th building, Tsukiji Market, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 

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Sushi Dai in Tsukiji Market (寿司大 築地市場)

In addition to visit of Tsukiji Market (築地市場) wholesale area, we got a chance to dine at restaurants in the market site. In Tsukiji Market where the trades is mainly made for wholesale professionals, restaurants on site welcome not only market workers but also general visitors as their dining guests. That is why some restaurants have a long queue lines in front of them. 

Among restaurants stand in a row and those are located on the ground floor of 10 buildings close to a car parking, a few hundreds meters away from the main gate, we selected Sushi Dai, one of the most popular restaurants in Tsukiji Market. For the restaurant Sushi Dai, it has NOT been rare that diners have to wait for a few hours to get a seat in the 12-seat counter Sushi restaurant. However when we visited the restaurant on a weekday of the last week on April 2011, only 4 people were waiting before us!! Finally we were seated after about 20 minutes waiting. What lucky we are !! In other words, it means, after the big earthquake on March 2011, Tsukiji Market restaurants also got negative impact on their business because of decreased number of both international and domestic tourists. Anyway, at least we got an advantage of the situation and  we were happy financially to contribute to the restaurant's business.

The restaurant offer two sets menu; "Omakase course" (おまかせ, "trust chef" or chef's selections) and Jyou (上, literally meaning "Superior" but the restaurant humbly express in English as "Standard" course) On the entrance door, it hangs an information plate in English as well. 

 

To embrace the opportunity, of course, we ordered "Omakase couse" which includes 10 pieces of chef's selection "nigiri sushi" (握りずし, hand-shaped sushi with raw fish on top of rice)  plus one piece of sushi as your favourite, as well as, "maki sushi" (巻きずし, rolled sushi), rolled egg, abd miso soup. The chef are enough kind to consult and listen to what you want and you don't or can't eat  then adjust the menu for your request based on Omakase course, before the meal starts. So please feel ease and just look forward to what will have for next an hour at the sushi counter. 

Seating on one of the twelve high chairs at the Sushi restaurant, the scene is exactly for a typical Sushi restaurant; some fresh seafood in a refrigerated case is just in front of us and behind the case, chefs are making Sushi with the hands and serving them to clients with smile as soon as they are made. 

Several examples what we had there as seasonal Omakase course. (Just keep in mind that sushi items are changed by season and by fishery supplying situation.)

Hokkigai (ホッキ貝, surf clam),

it was "alive" when it served in front of me

Uni (ウニ, sea urchin)

Maguro (マグロ, tuna) duke (づけ, dipped in soy sauce)

Shiroebi (白海老, white shrimps)

Aji (鯵, horse mackerel)

Kohada (コハダ, spotted shad)

I have never seen one twisted like this

Kinmedai (金目鯛, alfonsino)

kobu-jime (昆布締め, fish stored and flavoured with kobu, dried kelp),

ordered as my favorite request

As an additional dish with supplement,

we had grilled Anago (穴子, conger eel),

one piece seasoned with salt and another with soy sauce 

Rolled egg is sweet and soft and

something that cannot be missed

Related links: 

My post related - Tsukiji Market

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/tsukiji-market.html

Tsukiji Market plan in Japanese

http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/youkoso/medemiru/medemiru.htm

*Buildings with light orange colour, where restaurants are mainly located

Restaurant name: Sushi Dai (寿司大)

Address: the 6th building, Tsukiji Market, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Website in Japanese: http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/22_sushidai/index.htm#03

大きな地図で見る

Sanchoku Inshokugai, Yurakucho (産直飲食街 有楽町)

In Japan, we can often see very casual local restaurants on "underpass" of railways. Such places are called "gado shita (ガード下)" in Japanese, which means "beneath girder". "Gado shita" around Yurakucho station along the railway of JR Yamanote line is one of the most typical and popular ones. 

Local restaurants of "gado shita" are likely to be so casual to welcome you by simple tables on four metal pipe legs and/or yellow plastic square box used for deliverling beer bottles but hear for accommodating you as a chair. Tables and chairs are placed close each other. It is a lively place where working class middle or aging men are repeatedly gathering everynight after their hard work. That is a typical type of gado shita restaurants. As you can imagine, it is rarely appreciated by ladies. For last a few years, such images of gado shita restaurants have been diminished by several newly developped streets in central Tokyo. That keeps live atmosphere of "gado shita" as well as clean and open-minded hospitality.   

 

Yurakucho Sanchoku Inshokugai (有楽町　産直飲食街), opened on November 2010, is one of these new types of gado shita restaurants. 

Just a five-minute walk from JR Yurakucho station. Its exterior decorated with naked light bubles and retro style signboards remind us a good old days in 60's or 70's.

 

By the way, "sanchoku" is abbreviation of "sanchi chokuso" (産地直送) that means "sent directly from produced area" and at the same time it implies "fresh foods". Inshokugai (飲食街) is equals to "eat and drink street".  So "Sanchoku Inshokugai" (産直飲食街) sounds tasty, isn't it?

As the name shown, food and drink served at Sanchoku Inshokugai are directly from four food production regions in Japan. The restaurant is devided into four area of food stands,each introducing one of regions; Shizuoka (静岡) for seafood, Kumamoto (熊本) for horse meat, Iwate (岩手) for pork, Nagano (長野) for chicken dishes. 

All these area are known for rich nature montains, fishing ground or good soil as well as their local specialty foods, "kyodo ryori" (郷土料理).

We visited the last part of the gado shita restaurant, Shinshu Shinkei (信州神鶏), where chicken plates from Nagano are provided. It was a bit early time so was not crowded at the beginning. It is cozy and warm place surrounded by wooden furniture, floor and walls. Some flyers and bus time table(imitation copy) on the walls make the place as if it were situated in countryside of Nagano, rather than very central of Tokyo. We felt that we were in a scene of a film in 70's...

 

What we ordered are...

"Fresh chicken" sashimi (刺身) plate

Yes, they are NOT fish but fresh chicken meat.

It is rare to be found in Tokyo...

The taste is bland never be strong.

 

Left: Tsukune (つくね, minched meat balls) with egg yolk, the best dish I had here.

Right: Chicken wing sticks and "shitake" mushrooms

 

 
Left: fresh vegetable plate at "sanchoku" restaurant is must-have item.

Right: fruites liquor are also made in Nagano, apple and yuzu citrus.

 

 

It is an good opportunity to discover fresh food and local specialties of different regions and to be relaxed in an atmosphere of a good-old-day in Japan.

 

Restaurant name: Yurakucho Sanchoku Inshokudai (有楽町 産直飲食街)

                            Shinshu Shinkei (信州神鶏)

Address: 2-1-11 International Arcade, Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

 

大きな地図で見る

TABLE FOR TWO - Haisai Kitchen Daikanyama (はいさいキッチン 代官山)

TABLE FOR TWO is a program started in Japan and to support children in developing countries through having a meal at a developed country like Japan or US. A part of our payment for a meal, Yen 20 at restaurants accredited by the non-profit organization TABLE FOR TWO will be donated and spent to provide a school meal in Africa. The amount Yen 20 or 25 cents is almost equal to the cost for a school meal in Africa according to TABLE FOR TWO.  In other words beyond geographic location and time, a meal is shared between a person in the developed country and a child in a developing country through the action of TABLE FOR TWO. We can support children with hunger or malnutrition, while we enjoy our food. Great isn't it?

I visited Haisai Kitchen (はいさいキッチン) a restaurant participating in TABLE FOR TWO project. The restaurant is located in the mid of commercial area of Daikanyama, surrounded by the lastest fashion boutiques. "Haisai" is a greeting word in dialect of Okinawa region, meaning "hello, how are you?". Yes the restaurant's speciality is local food from Okinawa but with some of French taste, due to the chef's past professional experiences for 10 years as a French cook in Tokyo.

Okinawa is the most south region of Japan, known for the most beautiful (could be, in the world) sea and unique culture. The food in Okinawa is also different from ones in the mainland of Japan. I hope to have another chance to introduce them a bit more in my blog in future, not so far from now....

At Haisai Kitchen, I ordered plates with typical ingredients from Okinawa. 

 

Shisa salad (not Caesar salad, just in case...)

"Shisa"(シーサー), the name from a pair of "guardian lions" from Okinawa's mythology.

The plate is filled with several local ingredients from the region;

goya (ゴーヤ, bitter gourd)

Umi-budo (海ぶどう sea grapes, a kind of sea plant look like grapes)

SPAM (スパム spiced ham, American food often had in Okinawa, brought to the region by American Force based in the area)

 

Like Caesar Salad, small pieces of bread is placed on the plate.

The baguette bread is house-made and one of them is "in black" made of squid ink!

(A piece on top left side in the photo)

 

Goya champuru~ (ゴーヤチャンプル)

Mixed fried vegetable, the best known Okinawa's speciality

Again goya and SPAM plays main roles on the plate

with scramble egg and fine pieces of katsuobushi (かつお節, 鰹節, dried bonit).

 

  Don't forget trying the local strong distilled liquor, Awamori (泡盛). The restaurant provides a good list of Awamori selection of course as well as French wine.

 

Oh yes, let's share a meal at Haisai Kitchen and bring a school meal to a child in Africa!

 

 

Restaurant name: Haisai Kitchen (はいさいキッチン)

Address: 1st floor Sarugaku, 26-2 Sarugaku, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Nearest station: Daikanyama (代官山)

TABLE FOR TWO Official website : http://www.tablefor2.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

大きな地図で見る

Hitsumabutshi, Wasabiya (櫃まぶし, わさび家) - Shinjuku (新宿)

Hitsumabushi (櫃まぶし、ひつまぶし) is the local specialty of Nagoya and surroundings. It is grilled eel (うなぎ) on top of rice in a wooden box called "Hitsu" (櫃、ひつ). Grilled eel is referred as Kaba-yaki (かば焼, a style of grill with sweet sauce) and it can be often seen in other parts of Japan. 

 What is unique of Hitsumabushi is the way of having it after served. A smaller rice bowl is provided with the wooden container Hitsu and spices on a small plate. It is able to be enjoyed from the bowl by 3 different ways.

 

 

The first serving

Simply just eel and rice mixed.

The sweet sauce enhances the harmony

and it is enough good to complete the dish though...

 

The second serving,

from here it is different from ordinary eel with rice dish...

eel + rice + spice, here wasabi (わさび)

Again the sweet sauce creates a good match with hot fresh wasabi paste.

This is also far enough good to complete.

But we can try another way of enjoying it.

 

The third serving

eel + rice + spice, here wasabi (わさび)

+ hot water (could be Japanese bouillon at some restaurants)

= Ochazuke (お茶漬け) style

When it becomes like nice Japanese risotto, it is really easy to finish all!

 

Wasabiya provides not only typical Hitsumabushi with eel but also other versions of Hitsumabushi such as chiken and sea bream (鯛) instead of eel.

It is known that Hirumabushi was originally created by a Japanese restaurant called Atsuta Horaiken (あつた蓬莱軒), close to Atsuta shrine in Nagoya-city.

 

Related story:

Unagi(うなぎ、鰻） eel - Matsukawa

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/07/unagi-eel---mat.html

Ochazuke (お茶漬け) - En (えん)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/02/ochazuke-%E3%81%8A%E8%8C%B6%E6%BC%AC%E3%81%91-en-%E3%81%88%E3%82%93.html

 

 

Restaurant name: Wasabiya

Address: 4th floor, 1-13-3 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku Tokyo

English website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g658000/lang/en/

 

 

大きな地図で見る

 

 

Restaurant name: Atsuta Horaiken

Address: 503 Goudocho, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya-city, Aichi

Website: http://www.houraiken.com

 

 

大きな地図で見る