Shinpei Tonaka×Chisako Takashima

The quintessence of Yoshoku is that it “goes well with white rice”.

Takashima

I realized that you have reserved quite a lot of space between tables. It looks as though you could fit another table in that space.

Tonaka

We like to keep it spacious.

Takashima

That is so wonderful. It allows one to indulge in the luxury of a long-established restaurant.

Tonaka

Thank you.

Takashima

I find Yoshoku in Japan quite mysterious. It is after all, so Japanese…

Tonaka

Yes it is. French, Italian and German cuisine were all initially introduced to Japan as “Western cuisine.” There was no distinction among the different origins. As the times changed, exotic cuisines came to be introduced to Japan in their authentic styles, as we know them today.

Takashima

So, Western cuisine developed in a unique way in Japan?

Tonaka

Yes. The names of the dishes which were first introduced to Japan in their original languages have evolved to sound Japanese, and the dishes themselves have also been arranged to accommodate Japanese preferences, so some foreign diners look surprised when they find that what they ordered is quite different from what they had imagined.

Takashima

Could you name an example?

Tonaka

A good example would be our chicken piccata. Piccatas come from Italy, but we serve our piccatas with demi-glace sauce, which is apparently not what a foreigner would expect, judging from the shock on their face (laughs)

Takashima

So, at the end of the day, Yoshoku is Western-style cuisine that goes well with white rice.

Tonaka

Yes. That’s what I think is the quintessence of Yoshoku in Japan. I believe so and so do our employees. That’s why we offer chopsticks and serve Japanese green tea. We also serve tsukemono (pickled vegetables) with rice.

Takashima

Yoshoku has become so widely accepted that today, everyone makes Yoshoku at home.

Tonaka

Yes. That is one of Ginza Mikawa’s challenges – distinguishing what we serve from home-cooked meals.