When you think of autumn, you think of an appetite for good food. Autumn is the season of harvest, full of delicious things, and it makes you hungry, doesn't it?
An event offering lunches made with ingredients from Okayama Prefecture began in October 2020.
It is called the “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally.”
For a set price of 1,650 yen (tax included) or 2,200 yen (tax included), you can enjoy each restaurant’s special lunch at a great value.
We’ll share the thoughts behind the event, as told by the Kurashiki Tourism and Convention Bureau, which organizes the “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally,” and introduce the Lunch Itadakimasu menus at the long-established Italian restaurant Sicilia Ryori Rentenchi and Washu Rakushoku Seribe!
The information shown was current when this article was published in October 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally”
The “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally” runs from October 1 to December 20, 2020.
A total of 48 restaurants are participating, including those in the Bikan Historical Area, Kojima, Tamashima, and Mizushima.
The dishes include Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine.
Each dish served by participating restaurants must use at least one ingredient from Okayama Prefecture.
Menus featuring each restaurant’s own creative touches are offered at a set price of 1,650 yen (20 restaurants) or 2,200 yen (28 restaurants), tax included.
Some conditions apply, such as “reservations required by the previous day” or “limited to 10 servings,” so be sure to check carefully.
| Restaurant | Price (tax included) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Achinosato Tsuneya | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 2 | Yumiko Igarashi Museum Cafe Princess | 1,650 yen | Reservations required by the previous day |
| 3 | Italian Restaurant Riva | 2,200 yen | Reservations required at least 2 days in advance / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 4 | Kamoi Restaurant | 1,650 yen | No reservation required |
| 5 | Oni no Kuriya Shinsuke | 1,650 yen | Reservations required by the previous day / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 6 | Ikizakana Ryori Yamakou | 1,650 yen | No reservation required / limited to 20 servings per day |
| 7 | Kappo Yamabe | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by the previous day / limited to 10 servings on weekdays |
| 8 | café dining Ospitare | 1,650 yen | Reservations required by the previous day / weekdays only |
| 9 | The Kamon | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by the previous day |
| 10 | QINOCO – Kinoko | 1,650 yen | No reservation required / ends when the day’s servings sell out |
| 11 | Kurashiki Ivy Square Restaurant Tsuta | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 20 servings per day |
| 12 | Kurashiki Oimatsu 3-chome Cafe Niwa | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by the previous day / limited to 10 servings per day |
| 13 | Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel Restaurant Wisteria | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / from November 2020 / limited to 20 servings per day |
| 14 | Kurashiki Station Hotel Setouchi Seafood Restaurant Shirakabe | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 15 | Kurashiki Royal Art Hotel Japanese Restaurant Kurashiki | 2,200 yen | No reservation required |
| 16 | Kurashiki Royal Art Hotel Hachiken-gura | 2,200 yen | No reservation required |
| 17 | Kura Pura Wazen Kaze | 1,650 yen | No reservation required (reservations given priority) |
| 18 | kobacoffe | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 19 | Sicilia Ryori Rentenchi | 2,200 yen | No reservation required |
| 20 | Taishotei | 2,200 yen | No reservation required |
| 21 | Chinese Restaurant Nyan Nyan | 1,650 yen | No reservation required / orders for 2 or more people |
| 22 | Toraiya Honpo Main Store | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by the previous day |
| 23 | Toraiya Honpo Annex | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 20 servings per day |
| 24 | Trattoria Jikasei Soba Takenoya | 2,200 yen | No reservation required (reservations accepted) / limited to 10 servings per day |
| 25 | Jikasei Soba Takenoya | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 20 servings per day |
| 26 | Jikasei Soba Takenoya | 1,650 yen | No reservation required / limited to 10 servings per day |
| 27 | 72cafe | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by the previous day / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 28 | Parkside Club Kyokushun | 1,650 yen | Reservations required by the previous day |
| 29 | Premier | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 20 servings per day |
| 30 | Pesce Luna | 2,200 yen | No reservation required |
| 31 | Misokatsu Umenoki | 1,650 yen | No reservation required / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 32 | Yakiniku Shabu-shabu Korakuen | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 20 servings per day |
| 33 | Yunagi Kurashiki Main Store | 2,200 yen | No reservation required (private rooms require reservations by the previous day) |
| 34 | EYOHAKU | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by the previous day |
| 35 | Ryori Ryokan Tsurugata Dining Room | 2,200 yen | No reservation required / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 36 | Restaurant Kiyutei | 1,650 yen | No reservation required |
| 37 | Washu Rakushoku Seribe | 1,650 yen | Reservations required by the previous day / limited to 10 servings per day |
| 38 | Inakaya Tokuzan | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by the day of / ends when sold out |
| 39 | Western Restaurant Kokoroya | 1,650 yen | No reservation required |
| 40 | Uoshogun | 1,650 yen | Limited to 20 servings per day |
| 41 | Kurashiki Seaside Hotel | 1,650 yen | Reservations by the previous day are preferred |
| 42 | Happy supply cafe spica | 1,650 yen | Reservations required at least 2 business days in advance |
| 43 | National Lodge Ryokanso | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by noon the previous day / Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays only / limited to 25 servings per day |
| 44 | Sora to Hana no Oka Saien Cafe Pangono | 1,650 yen | Reservations required by 10 a.m. on the day / limited to 20 servings per day |
| 45 | Takedaya Nanao | 1,650 yen | No reservation required / limited to 15 servings per day |
| 46 | Takedaya Minato | 2,200 yen | No reservation required |
| 47 | Bistro Takedaya | 1,650 yen | No reservation required |
| 48 | Teien Ryokan Bingoya | 2,200 yen | Reservations required by the previous day |
About the “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu” Stamp Rally
Brochures for Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu are available at tourist information centers in Kurashiki City and at participating restaurants.
You can also download the flyer in advance!
Have lunch at participating restaurants and collect stamps to enter a drawing for wonderful prizes.
▼The prizes are as follows.
| Participation prize (everyone) | 2 or more stamps | Masking tape |
|---|---|---|
| Prize B (230 winners selected by drawing) | 2 or more stamps | Gift certificates worth 1,000 yen or more, redeemable at participating restaurants |
| Prize A (10 winners selected by drawing) | 4 stamps | Delicious Kurashiki foods (worth 5,000 yen) |
Once you have collected stamps, fill in the required information on the entry postcard printed on the flyer and drop it in an entry box at a tourist information center in Kurashiki City, or affix a stamp and mail it.
▼Entry details:
| Event period | October 1–December 31, 2020 (postmarked by December 31) |
|---|---|
| How to enter | You can enter with 2 or more stamps per postcard. (*Stamps from the same restaurant are accepted if collected on different days.) |
| Winner announcement | Winners will be notified by delivery of their prizes |
Next, we spoke with the Kurashiki Tourism and Convention Bureau, which organizes the event.
Interview with the Kurashiki Tourism and Convention Bureau, organizer of the event
Could you tell us about “Lunch Itadakimasu”?
Kurashiki Tourism and Convention Bureau (hereafter, the Bureau)
“Lunch Itadakimasu” was a hugely popular local event held 15 times through 2017, with the aim of attracting tourists.
However, it did not succeed in attracting many tourists from outside the prefecture, and unfortunately it came to an end.
The baton was passed to a new event, “Kurashiki Afternoon Tea,” which had just launched in 2017.
Could you tell us how “Lunch Itadakimasu” was revived after about four years?
The Bureau
Since spring 2020, the number of tourists has plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving tourism-related businesses such as accommodation facilities and restaurants in an extremely difficult situation.
In response, we considered whether we could hold an event to energize the local community and focused on micro-tourism, which was being promoted as a measure against COVID-19.
We thought that with “Lunch Itadakimasu,” a popular local event, we could encourage local residents and people from surrounding areas to visit, and perhaps bring Kurashiki back to life.
We thought it could help revitalize Kurashiki from within the local community, so we decided to hold it again.
We wanted people to visit more restaurants, so, following the example of the “Summer Chilly Sweets Stamp Rally,” which was held in summer as a COVID-19 countermeasure, we decided to hold the “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally” as well.
Could you tell us what you recommend about Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu?
The Bureau
The highlight is that participating restaurants offer special Lunch Itadakimasu menus made with ingredients from Okayama Prefecture.
Of course, we have also asked the restaurants to take measures against COVID-19.
The cat illustration on the brochure is cute.
The Bureau
Many of our staff love cats, so someone suggested, “We want to make a cute brochure featuring cats!”
We wanted to make a brochure that would brighten people’s spirits a little, rather than the more subdued brochures we had made before, and that’s how this brochure came about.
Finally, do you have a message for those taking part?
The Bureau
It’s the season for good food, so why not enjoy a slightly indulgent lunch in Kurashiki made with delicious ingredients from Okayama Prefecture?
The “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally” runs through December 20, 2020. Collect two or more stamps and you might win a wonderful gift!
Enjoy a leisurely, delicious meal with your family, friends, or someone special.
Savor pizza and pasta made with local ingredients at a long-established Italian restaurant! “Rentenchi”
I visited two restaurants participating in the “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally,” and will introduce each one.
First, I visited Sicilia Ryori Rentenchi, a long-established Italian restaurant founded in 1978.
This brick-built restaurant has a welcoming atmosphere and serves regional and home-style dishes, with a focus on Sicilian cuisine.
Rentenchi’s “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu (2020)” menu costs 2,200 yen (tax included). No reservation is required.
You can choose pasta or pizza, and coffee or espresso.
I started with the antipasto misto from the Italian course menu.
▼A trio of caprese, amberjack carpaccio, and layered eggplant and cheese bake.
Next came a cream soup made with pumpkin from Soja. The gently sweet soup is so comforting.
The pasta on the day of our visit was spaghetti with Tsurajima burdock and ground pork.
The piping-hot tomato sauce clings beautifully to the pasta, while the crisp burdock adds just the right touch.
The pasta comes with homemade bread. It has a chewy texture and a fragrant crust.
The pizza is topped with Tsurajima lotus root and corn.
The pizza is about 30 centimeters in diameter and very filling!
The chewy pizza crust and crisp lotus root are perfectly balanced.
Now for the much-anticipated dessert.
▼ From left: tiramisu, Kurashiki hojicha mangiare, and banana caramel gelato.
The smooth gelato lets you savor the sweetness of the banana directly.
We thoroughly enjoyed this lunch, right through to dessert.
And don’t forget to get your stamp rally card stamped before you leave.
Nirentei’s stamp rally stamp was a “pizza”!
Japanese side dishes that go perfectly with rice and crispy tempura. Enjoy Japanese ingredients in autumn. Lunch at “Washu Rakushoku Seribe”
Our next stop was “Washu Rakushoku Seribe.”
Located just south of the Bikan Historical Area, this Japanese restaurant is run by an owner who loves sake.
Seribe’s “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu” menu costs 1,650 yen (tax included).
Reservations are required by the previous day, and only 10 servings are available each day.
The tray is filled with white rice, salad, tempura, miso soup, carpaccio, a plate of five kinds of obanzai, pickled plum, and mango pudding.
The white rice is glossy, gleaming, and wonderfully chewy!
It is made with “Hinohikari” rice grown in Kurashiki.
▼ The five-item plate includes:
- Potato salad
- Spicy miso stir-fry of beef and king oyster mushrooms
- Rock-salt-grilled forest-raised chicken
- Tomato dressed with kimchi
- Shrimp with mayonnaise and mentaiko sauce
Every dish is perfect with white rice! They also seem like they’d pair well with sake.
The tempura includes two shrimp, sweet potato, eggplant, and pumpkin.
Everything is piping hot and crispy, as it’s fried to order!
The owner told us that even older customers who don’t usually eat much finished every bite of their lunch.
It was a very satisfying lunch.
“Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu” runs through December 20, 2020
Collect two or more stamps in the “Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu” rally, and everyone who enters will receive a roll of masking tape.
When you visit for lunch, why not bring the pamphlet and collect some stamps?
Try a restaurant’s special lunch made with local ingredients, and discover a new favorite place to eat.
Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally 2020 Information
| Name | Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally 2020 |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1–December 20, 2020 |
| Location | Kurashiki City (48 participating restaurants in total: Kurashiki, Mizushima, Kojima, and Tamashima areas) |
| Participation fee (tax included) | 1,650 yen or 2,200 yen |
| Website | Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally |
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