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Bluefin tuna cut into small cubes, Ise lobster rinsed in equal parts sake and water, sea bream rolled with mixed julienned vegetables, cuttlefish

Smoked pike conger wrapped in yellow chives, deep-fried

This fried course is smoked pike conger. Smoking suits any refined white fish, but it becomes truly delicious once you work a touch of sweetness into…

Cherry-scented grilled tilefish

Sakura-chaya was founded in Showa 8 (1933) and is the third-oldest established ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) in Mukojima, a district lined…

Small bowl: snow peas and new burdock, tofu-dressed

Sakura-chaya was founded in Showa 8 — 1933 — and is the third-oldest established ryotei, a traditional Japanese restaurant, in Mukojima, a district…

Plump deep-fried shiitake

The deep-fried course, daifuku shiitake and simmered abalone, is made by cutting shiitake mushrooms, skewering them on bamboo skewers, and…

Halfbeak okara-pressed sushi

For the sayori kirazu sushi, we blanch the okara — also called kirazu — briefly in hot water and squeeze it dry, season it the same way as sushi…

Tender-simmered yellowtail with a thickened sauce

The larch bolete mushroom in this simmered dish is one that's salt-preserved in places like Shinshu, Nagano; we boil it, rinse it in water, and let…

Chrysanthemum and Yam Kan

For the chrysanthemum and yam kan, I mix grated Yamato yam into dissolved agar and add chrysanthemum petals -- but be careful: once the Yamato yam…

Bracken fern with walnut dressing

As for the bracken fern (warabi) with walnut dressing: my sister back home in Yamagata sends me large quantities of salt-pickled warabi, so I…

Conger eel straw-bundle roll

For the hot dish course, the conger eel tsuto (straw-bundle) roll: simmer the conger eel until tender, bind it with fish paste as a binder, and roll…

Mountain yam simmered in sweet white sake / kuruma shrimp dumplings

For the simmered course's nagaimo in shirozake (sweet white sake), since Shinshu has many sake breweries, I used the local shirozake to simmer it a…

Butterfish, grilled pine-cone style

For the grilled course's Shonai-fu ginkgo-leaf-style grill: I wanted to make a grilled dish using inexpensive Shonai-fu (a wheat-gluten product from…

Amagi Wasabi Dressing

For the Amagi wasabi dressing, I order wasabi from the Amagi region and use it in the dressing. Since this dish is made entirely from vegetables, I…

Shrimp fried in a novel style, shrimp shinjo fried in a straw coating

Yuzu Cup, Flavor-Grilled Cod

For the grilled course's flavor-grilled cod, cod milt paste is often paired generously with white sauce, but I use only a hint of it, mixing in fresh…

Celebration: Pine, Bamboo, and Plum

For the steamed sea urchin warm-smoked with pine, I place cherry-wood chips, sugar, and pine needles in a wok, set a wire rack over them, cover with…

Red-and-white herring roe

For the appetizer's red-and-white herring roe: I marinate the herring roe (kazunoko) in two different bases — a Saikyo miso, sake-lees, and…

Baby Squid in Tomato Stew

For the mugi-ika tomato stew, I sauté minced garlic and onion in olive oil until golden, the same way you would for a spaghetti sauce base. Mugi-ika…

Japanese spikenard rolled in fried tofu skin

This simmered dish, udo shinoda-maki, needs the oil thoroughly drained from the fried tofu skin beforehand — skip that and you will run into trouble.

End-of-Season Twin Fillets

Ink-dyed green beans

Suppon Tofu

As soft as Takigawa-dofu (tofu set with agar in waterfall-like strands). More tofu is tastier, but set it firm enough or the turtle meat won't cut…

Water shield in clear spring water

Dusted with Yoshino kuzu starch, layered hakata-style (pressed together) with raw sea urchin, then steamed lightly.

Clear broth, burdock shinjo