Destination Restaurants express the land of Japan

The restaurant-inn Elezo Esprit opened in October 2022 in Toyokoro-cho, Nakagawa, on the Pacific coast of Hokkaido. Engaging hunters as regular employees, chef-owner Shota Sasaki established a production lab to carry out all aspects of meat processing, from raising livestock to butchering and aging meat to producing charcuterie. Under Sasaki’s direction, Elezo Esprit is creating a culture of meat-based cuisine.

Kawaba village in Gunma’s Tone district is home to one of Japan’s “sacred mountains” and the birthplace of Ventinove’s chef-owner, Yusuke Takeuchi. After closing his popular Tokyo restaurant, he opened Ventinove in Kawaba in 2022. It is known for meat dishes showing the skills, from butchering to cooking, that he acquired at a famous restaurant in the Tuscan countryside.

This Italian restaurant is located in the Tateshina Highlands, in the foothills of Mount Yatsugatake. Chef-owner Noriyuki Usui trained in Italy, not only at a restaurant but also in a prosciutto workshop. Ca’enne’s specialty is its prosciutto, made in a workshop that was established nearby. Guests are also served firewood-cooked cuisine enhanced with the aromas of freshly picked herbs, as well as handmade pasta.

Chef-owner Kenichi Nishi was deeply impressed by the quality of the fish at Sasue Maeda Fish Shop in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and relocated from Hiroshima to Yaizu in 2022 in order to create French dishes making full use of the extraordinary freshness of this fish. Nishi continues to develop and refine his cuisine, including the “fresh fish pie” that has been his signature dish since before his move to Yaizu.

Shintaku was established in 1867. After honing their culinary skills in Kyoto, brothers Shinsuke and Ryota Yamagai took over the family business in 2008, with Shinsuke becoming the restaurant’s fifth-generation head chef. Most of the ingredients they use are produced in Murakami — not just the salmon for which the city is famous, but also meat and seafood, vegetables, rice and sake.

Kentaro Mura is the fourth-generation owner-chef of this Japanese restaurant, which opened in 1911. After closing the business in 2018 to refine his skills further at Japanese restaurant in Tokyo, Mura reopened the Toyama restaurant in a new location in October 2022. Ebitei-Bekkan offers exquisite dishes featuring ingredients from Toyama and elsewhere in the Hokuriku region, paired with well-matched wines.

Ipponsugi Kawashima is currently closed, as the 93-year-old building it occupies — a former fountain pen shop designated a Tangible Cultural Property — was damaged in the Noto earthquake on Jan. 1 and is not in usable condition. Owner-chef Toru Kawashima distributed meals to earthquake victims after the disaster, and is currently engaged in a crowdfunding effort with a view to the restaurant’s reopening.

Occupying a traditional house on the outskirts of Matsusaka, Shibousai Kitagawa offers “Chinese cuisine that is gentle on the stomach,” serving just one group of diners per day. Using local products such as Ise-ebi lobster and Matsusaka beef, owner-chef Yoshihiro Kitagawa single-handedly carries out the entire process from stocking ingredients to putting the final touches on dishes. This restaurant is now booked up one years in advance.

Enowa is a multipurpose complex combining a restaurant with a hot spring, sauna and lodging accommodations. Executive chef Tashi Gyamtso, who gained experience at the restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns near New York City, moved to the area three years before Enowa’s opening to grow vegetables and make other preparations. The cuisine created in Yufuin by this native of Tibet has gained considerable attention.

Owner-chef Keiji Ojima, who had long garnered many fans with his catering business, opened this restaurant on the main island of Okinawa in 2021. Except for some seasonings, all the ingredients used in the omakase (chef’s selection) menu are produced in Okinawa. Communicating directly with producers, Kojima brings out the full potential of Okinawan ingredients in his cuisine.