Jugatsu-ya
In a dialogue with world class Japanese chef, Shinichiro Takagi, at the International Luxury Lifestyle Forum held in Kanazawa City in February, 2010, Alain Ducasse, the French cuisine master, remarked that “a chef is one who shares.” This is the ultimate lesson that Takagi embodies and brings forth at Jugatsu-ya, opened here in this castle city on the west central coast of Japan in October, 2006. Kanazawa City is the heartland of Ishikawa Prefecture and is well known throughout Japan for its traditional cooking. As the region is blessed with purified water from Mt. Hakusan, people here enjoy fresh ingredients from the fertile land and an abundance of fresh seafood thanks to its northern protrusion into the Sea of Japan. As the first chef to be invited from the Kanazawa area to collaborate with Ducasse at his exclusive Beige restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza district, Takagi is always in search of excellence in the creative dishes he prepares for guests who attend his table here at Jugatsu-ya. Set in a 140 year old building in the heart of the historic Higashi-chaya district, the cultural center of town, the restaurant shares the Kanazawa-born chef’s knowledge, philosophy and inspiration for traditional Japanese kaiseki cuisine, as well as his appreciation of Kanazawa’s local ingredients.
As I pulled into a narrow street within this time-honored neighborhood, the restaurant was waiting for me aglow in splendid twilight. Inside the traditional-style building was Japanese horigotatsu counter seating, with a sunken area beneath the dining table to allow one’s legs to relax on the tatami matted floor. Known for their high quality, I asked for one of Kanazawa’s local sakes as a starter. Served in a handcrafted pottery sake cup, I savored its aroma and pristine taste. A small squid salad with vinegar and white miso followed. Over the counter, a kimono-clad waitress elegantly served a gentle clear soup with bamboo shoots, portending spring. Saba-sushi (marinated mackerel) came next, and after that sashimi of flounder and ama-ebi, which literally means sweet shrimp, being the sweetest in the winter season in Kanazawa. Then broiled trout with spicy kinome, the young leaves of the Japanese prickly ash tree, arrived to stimulate the appetite. I begged for another sake. The courses continued seamlessly with pleasant pauses. Kaiseki is a traditional multi-course meal prepared from local fresh ingredients in season, therefore, you may never taste the same ones even if you are to visit there again. The origin of the cuisine dates back to the 16th century, having developed from the food served at tea ceremonies by a tea master to show his ultimate gesture of hospitality to the guests and this continues to today’s modern kaiseki cuisine.
The meal concluded with ice cream drizzled in brown sugar syrup with gold-leaf flakes sprinkled on top, considered by the Japanese people to be good for health and vitality. I wiped the comfortable drowsiness from my eyes, maybe due to the Omicho Food Market tour earlier that morning, the smooth sake, or perhaps the conversations with the house. Kaiseki is all about enjoyment. Chef Takagi had told me that food is one of the main attractions bringing visitors to Kanazawa. I concede that I must agree.
Jugatsu-ya
1-26-16 Higashiyama, Kanazawa City,
Ishikawa 9200831
+81-76-253-3321