White-walled buildings line the Kurashiki River in the Bikan Historical Area.
Each building has its own distinctive features, yet the unified streetscape is deeply moving.
Originally storehouses, the buildings have been converted into inns, restaurants, and souvenir shops while retaining their original exteriors.
As you look at the buildings, one particularly tall pine tree catches your eye.
The building with a pine tree that rises straight up, taller than the building itself, is Restaurant Tsurugata.
We visited Restaurant Tsurugata, a Japanese restaurant steeped in history, in the heart of the Bikan Historical Area.
The information presented here was accurate when this article was published in May 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
The history of Kurashiki’s second-oldest building
The building housing Restaurant Tsurugata has two entrances: one for Restaurant Tsurugata, which serves meals, and one for Ryori Ryokan Tsurugata, the inn.
The entrance on the right at the front is for Ryori Ryokan Tsurugata, and the one on the left is for Restaurant Tsurugata.
You can dine here without staying at the inn.
The courtyard is enclosed by a wall and cannot be seen from outside, but a pine tree shoots up into the sky, peeking over the wall.
It is a magnificent pine, taller than the two-story building.
It can also be seen clearly from the street along the Kurashiki River and from the boats on the leisurely-moving river during Punting Boat Rides on Kurashiki River.
As the boatmen row, they share trivia and stories about Kurashiki’s history, and they often talk about Tsurugata and its pine tree.
The tree is said to be about 400 years old.
Perhaps it has watched Kurashiki change over the years from its lofty vantage point.
The building housing Tsurugata is younger than the pine, but it was still built in 1744, in the mid-Edo period.
What was happening in 1744?
I looked it up and found that the War of the Austrian Succession was underway in Europe, while in Japan the main hall of Izumo Taisha Shrine was completed.
Even if those events don’t mean much to you, the year probably feels like a very long time ago.
It is said to be the second-oldest building in Kurashiki.
Until it was converted into an inn and restaurant in 1970, the building was an oil wholesaler.
Some guest rooms were created by renovating the storehouses, while the second floor retains features of its former use as a warehouse.
Because only the bare minimum of renovations were made, you can feel the history throughout the building.
Tsurugata’s menu
If you’re dining without staying at the inn, enter through the door on the left.
Although it is a Japanese restaurant, all the seating is at tables.
There is a long table in the middle of the restaurant, four tables for four, and one counter facing the street.
The menu is as follows.
Information as of April 2023. Prices include tax.
The restaurant previously offered three categories, including dinner sets, but as of April 2023 it serves lunch sets only.
| Menu item | Price (tax included) |
|---|---|
| Signature sea bream ochazuke | ¥1,900 |
| Japanese beef sukiyaki hot pot | ¥2,300 |
| Recommended lunch set: Tsurukaze | ¥2,300 |
Signature sea bream ochazuke
Tsurugata’s signature dish, as the lunch menu name suggests, is the Signature sea bream ochazuke.
What comes to mind when you hear the word ochazuke?
For me, it brings to mind a simple dish of white rice topped with a few rice crackers and a dab of pickled plum.
But Tsurugata’s ochazuke is anything but simple—it’s luxurious!
It was so lavish that it completely overturned my idea of what ochazuke could be.
My eyes were drawn to the generous mound of sea bream piled in the bowl.
The sea bream is generously coated in a ground sesame sauce, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.
First, I took a bite without adding tea.
It was like a marinated sea bream rice bowl, delicious even without the tea.
The large, thick slices of sea bream pair perfectly with white rice.
Next, I tried it as ochazuke.
They recommend pouring on the tea and letting it sit for a little while before eating.
The brief rest makes the sea bream tender and fluffy.
The savory flavors of the sea bream and sesame sauce infuse the tea and spread throughout the bowl.
I savored a luxurious ochazuke unlike anything I had ever tasted.
It comes with two side dishes and soup, making it all the more satisfying.
Japanese beef sukiyaki hot pot
The Japanese beef sukiyaki hot pot arrives bubbling, its aroma whetting your appetite.
Udon noodles are already in the iron pot.
At Tsurugata, the sukiyaki is served with a soft-boiled egg added afterward.
At home, my family makes sukiyaki by beating a raw egg and dipping the meat and other ingredients into it, so I had never known that it could also be served with a soft-boiled egg on top.
The sweet sukiyaki sauce has soaked in well even without the egg, so I recommend trying it as is first.
Once you’ve savored the flavor, add the egg whenever you like.
Recommended lunch set: Tsurukaze
The Tsurukaze set changes with the seasons and includes sashimi, grilled dishes, and dessert.
It is recommended for anyone who wants to try a little of many different flavors.
▼Chicken nanbanzuke and layered yuba, among other dishes. It’s hard to decide what to try first.
▼Fried lotus root cake, maitake mushrooms, and green chili peppers, topped with a thickened tempura dipping sauce.
The second-floor seating with no ceiling
Meals are usually served in the restaurant on the first floor, but the second-floor seating is used for group bookings and events.
When you enter the room, the large beams and pillars catch your eye, but the structure itself is also surprising.
With no ceiling, the area that would normally be the attic is exposed.
The second-floor seating area originally served as a warehouse for an oil wholesaler, which is why it has no ceiling.
Someone who built ships for the Murakami Navy, which once operated in the Seto Inland Sea, was involved in constructing Tsurugata, so the beams are arranged in the same way as the bottom of a ship.
It is said that the beams are curved deliberately to distribute the weight.
The beams are impressive, but your eyes may also be drawn to the calligraphy on the wall.
Displayed in the center of the room is “Tsurukaze,” a calligraphy work by printmaker Shiko Munakata.
The restaurant is said to have been named “Tsurugata” after the “tsuru” (crane) in Tsurukaze and Tsurugata Mountain, which rises behind the restaurant.
A Japanese Restaurant Steeped in Kurashiki’s History
Built in the mid-Edo period, Tsurugata still bears traces of its past as an oil wholesaler throughout the building.
Although about 280 years have passed since it was built, it does not feel old.
If anything, it is so clean and well-kept throughout that you might think it was built only a few decades ago.
We spoke with manager Hiroto Murakami and head chef Kiyoto Kataoka about Tsurugata’s cuisine and building.
Restaurant Tsurugata Information
| Name | Restaurant Tsurugata |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-3-15 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-424-1635 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Monday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 29 seats (counter: 5, four-person tables: 4, long table: 1) |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Ryori Ryokan Tsurugata |
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