Rito Kitchen Kagurazaka

“Rito Kitchen” reminds beach side clubhouse. They serve the food mainly from Amacho in Shimane prefecture and also from other islands in Japan. They started with kitchen car and opened the restaurant two years ago. The foods and cuisines from over 100 islands are handled here. They cooperate with producers and processors of islands by serving meals and introducing their history, stories and food culture established in their region.

With used materials and rusted galvanized iron sheets, the interior was inspired by boat house.

Catch phrase of Amacho is “Nothing is nothing.” The phrase means accepting the occasion of nothing and believing “all important things are already here.”

Rito Kitchen offers the monthly feature that focuses on an island every month. For example, when they feature Yakushima, they serve Yakushima shika (deer) meat, flying fish of Kuroshio, Japan Current and dried mackerel. And they are cooked in the traditional way of the island.

“Yakushima smoked mackerel” served with three salts, sea lettuce salt of Goto Islands, sea weed salt of Sado island and Hingya salt of Aogashima. 850 yen.

“A tour of islands lunch,” a meal set with foods from various islands. 2000 yen.

Mr. Koike says that his staff members research on islands and visit there for searching foods for the monthly feature. He is also from an island, Izu Ohshima. So, he has a special feeling for islands.

Mr. Koike recommends “Fukugicha (tea)”. It is a decaffeinated tea, Kuromoji from Amacho picked carefully by hand and sun-dried.

One of the popular dishes is “Hachijojima’s fried cake of minced Amberstripe scad”. It is surprisingly juicy. 1280 yen.

Rito Kitchen was originally an Amacho Tourism Association’s “peddling project” to promote Amacho, Shimane. The representative of Rito Kitchen who is also a proponent of Kitchen car thought that collecting various islands elements would increase attraction. He imagined that Japan’s rito (means “remote islands”) join hands and named the restaurant “Rito Kitchen.” He aims to serve foods from all 418 inhabited islands in Japan.

“Rito Kitchen” gives you enjoyable experiences that make you feel like visit the island while you are in Tokyo. You may find charms of islands by having their special food.

Dec 2017　Text: Ryoko Kuraishi　Photo: Yasuo Yamaguchi