Japanese Cuisine
Shaped from a concern for nature and an appreciation of beauty Part 3 of 3 Jerry W. Lum
Washoku or Yoshoku – whether your choice of one bowl cuisine is traditional Japanese or Western style – the freshest local and seasonal ingredients are prepared masterfully and presented with care at an affordable price. Each dish is imbued with the aesthetic values of wa, shibui, and furyu.
Sets are prix fixe meals found in most dining establishments, from the Western-inspired Yoshokuya to the traditional Japanese Washokuya. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert sets are very popular menu items that are not only affordable, but delicious‌oishiso! These two breakfast sets are part of the offerings at CafÊ Freundlich, which is an extension of a German bakery in Ikuta-cho, Kobe
Minami-san, the proprietor of Minami Coffee in Takamatsu, serves up an irresistible “morning service” of his carefully crafted coffee with complementary thick slices of toasts served with butter or jam…if you get there before 11 AM!
This delicate lunch set features a diverse sample of yuba or boiled soya milk based traditional Kyoto-style dishes. Yubasen is a long established culinary institution located on Kiyomizugojo-dori near Kiyomizu temple, Kyoto.
Yudofu Sagano is an elegant restaurant specializing in a Buddhist specialty of tofu chunks simmered in broth, known as yudo. Located adjacent to the Katsura River in Arashiyama, this multicourse set must not be missed, either for their food or their tranquil ambiance.
Opposite page: Anagomeshi or saltwater eels simmered and served over rice is one of the favorite specialties of Hiroshima Prefecture. This savory set that included a bowl of miso soup, a side of tsukemono (here pickled daikon, a radish, and konbu or kelp), and tea was found at Suiu on Miyajima’s Sando.
This page top: Ekiben are balanced meals found at major train stations. Each station has their own seasonal and regional specialties that make sampling these boxed meals throughout Japan’s extensive railroad system a favorite past-time among travelers. At the top is Hiroshima Station’s ekiben featuring the mountain vegetables of autumn. This page bottom: Ekohiiki offers this simple but amazing Kaki Fry lunch set that features Hiroshima’s famed oysters that included an orange jelly dessert topped with whipped cream.
This ramen and gyoza set is one of the specialties of Onomichi Ramen Kukai, located on Onomichi’s harbor edge. Somen (thin wheat flour noodles served cold with a dipping sauce) and kaki fry donburi were the stars of this satisfying lunch set at Setoyoshi Restaurant on Shodoshinma.
Opposite page: In the past, department stores were always crowned with affordable family-style restaurants offering a wide variety of meals appealing to diverse tastes. Now, these eateries are rare, but this one atop Takashimaya in Okayama continues to serve a loyal following, including us. This bento box featuring tempura is a favorite of children of all ages.
At Lidem Kurashiki Café, part of Hayashi Genjuro Shouten, a design market in the heart of Kurashiki’s Aesthetic Area, otherwise known as the Bikan District, successfully tempts us with this curry-over-rice lunch set, replete with dessert and coffee beautifully presented in two courses.
Opposite page: Bf109 Hamburg Café specializes only in hamburgers in this intimate establishment on quaint Holland Street in downtown Okayama. This inspired Hawaiian favorite, Loco Moco, and all of the other menu items are refined to appeal to the Japanese taste buds. Hamburgers never tasted better!
Opposite page: In the small town of Hikone, which is situated along the shores of Lake Biwa and east of Kyoto, we stumbled upon Tsurukame-an to satisfy our hunger with this delicious meal set. Tsuru means crane in Japanese, kame means turtle, and an is a house. Both tsuru and kame are symbols of good fortune and are used during celebrations. This restaurant housed in a renovated machiya is just outside the Hikone Castle moat.
This page: These two meal sets were the offerings of two restaurants found among many in the underground shopping arcade in Okayama. The one at the top from Saifu is a fusion of Asian cuisines, all focusing on a topping over a bowl of rice or donburi. Hashiya (hashi means chopsticks in Japanese) is a teishokuya or a cafĂŠ that serves set meals. The bottom image is one of many here that are not only delicious and healthy, but also quite affordable.
Miyamoto-san, our teppanyaki chef at the Nikko Hotel’s Icho Teppanyaki in Himeji focuses on masterfully preparing our extravagant lunch that is a Japanese and Western fusion that synthesizes the best of two cultures. Opposite: Halibut and mushrooms; and rice congee with shrimp.
Edgy and vibrant Uomatsu Seafood Izakaya is located along Okayama’s Ishigawa Canal Walk and shares the neighborhood with other trendy pubs, eateries, and cafes. Opposite: The flavors of Uomatsu which brings the daily catch fresh to the diner’s plate.
At another izakaya or Japanese style pub, this one named Iwakura in Kurashiki, we were treated to the biggest maki-sushi (rolled sushi) we ever experienced. It is aptly named Bikkuri Sushi, or surprise sushi! Opposite: Sitting at the counter at Iwakura, we were treated to the sights, scents, and sounds of chefs preparing a dazzling assortment of seasonal food for us and the other diners.
The end of the Edo or Tokugawa Period (1600-1867) and the beginning of the Meiji Period (1868-1912) was met with Japan opening her doors to the West, albeit begrudgingly and under the threat of Western military might. However, realizing her weaknesses on the world’s stage, she developed a voracious appetite for everything Western, including a wholesale adoption of international cuisines modified to Japanese tastes. To the left are dishes offered at Messe Masse Biergarten in Himeji, the famed castle town in the Hyogo Prefecture. As with all of Japan’s cuisine, only the freshest seasonal ingredients are used to delight both the palate and the eyes.,
In the small port town of Onomichi located on the main island of Honshu and facing the Seto Inland Sea, we were treated to a wide variety of Western-inspired nouveau cuisine artfully and deliciously prepared by the masterful chefs at the Green Hill Hotel, where we stayed. These two dishes represent only a few of the seemingly countless dinner dishes savored
At La Bodega, high above the streets of Osaka in one of the two towers of Grand Front, we were treated to this paella dish that rivaled the best of Valencia, Spain. Right: La Bodega’s storefront presence on Osaka Grand Front’s dining floor.
Vietnamese cuisine inspired by Hanoi street food can be savored in the heart of Kyoto at Quan Com Ngon on Takoyakushi-dori. Opposite: Quan Com Ngon’s charming storefront beckons hungry diners.
Opposite and this page: Tucked away in the charming, romantic, and hip Hayashi Genjuro complex of renovated kura (Japanese storehouses), Cono Napoli Pizzaria serves up pizzas that can rival the best in Italy. What better way to end this meal than with gelato made from ichigo (strawberry) and matcha (green tea) with a double espresso to chase it all down!
Because most Japanese live in small places, cafes and tea salons are ideal places to meet with friends or simply enjoy a tranquil moment alone. Clockwise: Iyemon Tea Salon on Sanjo-dori, Kyoto; Siphon coffee makers at the Onomichi Roman Café, Onomichi; Muji Café at Osaka Grand Front; and Maru5Deli in Okayama represent the diversity of “homes away from home.” Opposite page: Antique Café Nogami in Okayama.
To children of all ages, no dining experience is complete without a visit to Japan’s famed sweet shops. Kutsuwa-do is a local favorite that serves both Japanese and Western treats – all carefully crafted to visually astound and then deliciously please in a serene lounge environment. Left: Kutsuwa-do’s storefront presence in Takamatsu’s shotengai or shopping arcade.
Sweets to warm you on a cold autumn day or to cool you down after a very busy day, these two desserts represent both realms. Top left image: Zenzai or sweet red bean soup made from azuki beans is served up hot with a melting mochi (pounded rice cake made from glutinous rice) was a welcomed reprieve from a particularly cold windy day on Miyajima. Top right image and opposite page: After an evening stroll along the Kamogawa in Kyoto, we stopped at one of our favorite sweet shops specializing in green tea treats, Kyohayashiya, located on the 6th floor of a building on Sanjo-dori. Here, anmitsu (a red bean paste) is topped with matcha ice cream and mochi balls. An iced green tea milk washes it all down.
Sando, the street lined with food stalls, restaurants, and gift shops that specialize in regional foods and crafts typify shopping experiences associated with famous temples and shrines. This one leads to Miyajima’s Itsukushima Shrine. Clockwise: a momiji manju factory; Sando streetscpe; grilled kaki (oyster) stall; and mouth-watering kaki.
Every month, Toji Temple in Kyoto hosts the famed Kohoichi Market, one of the best antique and flea markets in Japan. Of course, food is also an essential part of these events. Below: Sabazushi, or preserved mackeral sushi, before and after the wrap is removed. Right: A street stall vendor grills the much loved Toji yomogi yakimochi.
No visual guide to the Japanese food experience would be complete without including the basement level culinary offerings found in any selfrespecting major department store. These images on this page and on the next two are from the Hankyu Department Store in Osaka, but they typify what can be found throughout Japan – the best, the freshest, and what is in season! Left: My wife goes for a bag of roasted chestnuts, the autumn favorite treat that evokes fond childhood memories!