Tokinokura's Restaurant

Kaiseki Ikki operates in the city within walking distance from JR Hamamatsu Station. This small Japanese restaurant has been open for 6 years, with 4 seats at the counter and 18 tatami room for XNUMX people. The reason behind the focus on counter seats is that the owner, Mr. Ichiki, wants his food to be as freshly prepared as possible. ``Japanese cuisine has many cooking methods such as boiling, grilling, and steaming.You want to serve it right from the kitchen, and it's safer for customers to see everything.If you want to enjoy the food deliciously, it's best to sit at the counter. ” Ichiki says proudly.

``Kaiseki Ikki'' requires a complete reservation, and only has bento and omakase for lunch, and kaiseki course ``omakase'' for dinner. The contents of the course menu change from time to time, but throughout the year, approximately 8% of the ingredients used are from Shizuoka Prefecture. Hamamatsu is home to many farmers who grow Western vegetables, and Mr. Ichiki's ideas for how to incorporate them into Japanese cuisine shine through the seasons. We hope you enjoy the kaiseki cuisine unique to Shizuoka.

Mr. Ichiki participated in the 2023 East Asia Cultural City Project.

In Jeonju, South Korea, participants actually cooked Shizuoka's local cuisine to convey the charm of Japanese food culture.

"On-site food education lectures" are also held at kindergartens, elementary and junior high schools, and high schools in Hamamatsu City.

They actually make first-class dashi from dried bonito flakes and kelp, have people try it, and then prepare dishes using the dashi and ingredients from Hamamatsu in an effort to pass on the flavor of Japanese cuisine.

*From the introduction article “Introducing the winners of The Worker of the Year 2023”

``Bugaku food.'' It's a word I'm not used to hearing. In fact, the word was coined by Toshiya Ichiki, the owner of Kaiseki Ikki, and means ``meal for buglers.'' Ichiki's birthplace, Enshu Morimachi, is home to three shrines: Oguni, Yamana, and Amamiya, and bugaku, an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, is dedicated to each festival. What kind of food did the people who danced and played music used to eat? Unable to leave the doubts in his mind alone, Ichiki visited three companies, pored over literature, conducted interviews, and finally arrived at the ancient menu. Needless to say, he devoted himself to reenactment.

Why go this far? ``As someone who makes Japanese cuisine for a living, I was convinced that touching the roots of local food and exploring its essence will definitely help me expand my range as a chef and express my individuality.'' In 2019, together with two of her fellow chefs, she adapted Bugaku food to modern tastes and served it to students, international students, and general participants at Shizuoka University of Arts and Culture. Both Japanese food and bugaku are part of our world-class culture. ``I hope people will use familiar food as an entry point and deepen their interest in bugaku.'' My hope is that this will help pass on the traditions that have been cultivated around us to the next generation.

“Every year, I set myself 10 new challenges, not just cooking,” says Ichiki. Learning from the past and new. Even if it's old, it's fine as long as it's new to you. The introduction of local ingredients at the Japanese Culinary Academy and the World Culinary Arts Conference in HAKODATE, as well as food education activities for local children, are just some of the initiatives born out of this desire. Connecting food culture to the future. It also connects Ichiki himself to the future.

The Amamiya Shrine bugaku food ``Memenbou'' was recreated by Ichiki and exhibited at a workshop at Shizuoka University of Arts and Culture. On the day, after a Bugaku performance, a tasting session of Bugaku food from Oguni Shrine was also held.

*From the introduction article “Introducing the winners of The Worker of the Year 2021”