Interview with General Manager Murakami Hiroto and Head Chef Kataoka Kiyoto
Restaurant Tsurugata is located in the heart of the Bikan Historical Area, a popular tourist destination.
We spoke with General Manager Murakami Hiroto and Head Chef Kataoka Kiyoto, who oversee the inn and restaurant in a building with a history of about 280 years.
This interview was conducted during our first visit in July 2022.
About the Tsurugata building
Tell us about the building's history.
Murakami (honorifics omitted)
It was built in 1744, during the Edo period. The building is about 280 years old and is currently the second-oldest in Kurashiki.
The oldest building is Inoue House, just behind Tsurugata on Honmachi Street.
Tsurugata was originally an oil wholesaler.
It became an inn in 1970, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in March 2020.
Are there any traces of its past as an oil wholesaler?
Murakami
There are traces of its past as a merchant's house, rather than specifically as an oil wholesaler.
This building has a zushi-nikai structure.
Zushi refers to a storeroom or warehouse, so this means there is one on the second floor.
Since it was a warehouse, there was no ceiling, leaving the large beams exposed.
The windows are small and are Kurashiki-style windows, which let in fresh air and light.
It seems there used to be stairs at the first-floor entrance to carry goods up to the second floor.
Only the padlock used to secure the stairs remains. However, we have never seen the stairs.
There are three steps at the entrance to the restaurant from the street.
There are another three steps when you enter the guest rooms in the converted storehouse farther inside.
So I imagine they must have stored quite valuable things in the storehouse.
There used to be two Takahashi Rivers: the East Takahashi River and the West Takahashi River.
A river flowed near Tsurugata, and it seems there were frequent floods at the time.
There are seven steps in front of the entrance to the Ohara Museum of Art, right? Midori Goten is also elevated.
Midori Goten is another name for Yurin-so Villa. Yurin-so Villa is the former Ohara family villa built by Ohara Magosaburo.
People in the past must have been very conscious of water.
It seems they placed important things farther inside and higher up.
About Tsurugata's cuisine
Tell us about your signature sea bream ochazuke.
Murakami
The sauce for the sea bream ochazuke is made with soy sauce, mirin, and sesame as its base.
We let the sauce rest for two days before coating the fish with it.
Actually, that's all I know about the sauce.
Just the other day, I tried calculating its calories so I could share the information with a business partner, but I was told no.
The sauce recipe is a closely guarded secret.
Only a few chefs know the sauce recipe, and it seems the head chef passes it down from one generation to the next.
Mr. Kataoka recently became head chef. Has the recipe been passed down to you?
Kataoka (honorifics omitted)
Yes, it has.
We also take great care with the sukiyaki warishita sauce, and that recipe is a closely guarded secret too.
Murakami
Sukiyaki—the smell gets to me. It smells so good that I get hungry. It's tough for the staff.
Popular with international visitors
You're in a tourist area. Do most of your diners come as tourists?
Murakami
I would say about 95 percent of our customers are tourists. We don't seem to have many local customers.
Before COVID, we also welcomed many international tourists.
By far, most were from Europe, with fewer visitors from Asia.
During the Setouchi Triennale in particular, we get many visitors from France who are interested in art.
The Setouchi Triennale is held once every four years. It was scheduled to be held in 2022.
International visitors also enjoy ochazuke. They seem interested in chopsticks.
We also serve meals to our overnight guests, and some international guests go out of their way to change into kimono for dinner.
Some guests are tall, but there are also those who sit on the tatami floor even if they have to fold their long legs.
It seems Tsurugata's food has also attracted attention beyond the restaurant itself.
Murakami
In January 2018, we provided meals for JAL domestic flights. We were responsible for supervising the entire menu.
In 2000, we provided lunch when the Emperor visited Ibara. We prepared the meal at Tsurugata and transported it to Ibara.
Also, the 75th Meijin title match in shogi was held here at Tsurugata in 2017. It was a match between Meijin Sato and 8-dan Inaba. We provided lunch.
What Tsurugata aspires to be
Tell us about your plans for the future.
Murakami
We have a goal, and our general manager told us, “Make this an inn with dignity.”
Put simply, we aim to be “a beautiful inn.”
By “beautiful,” we mean not only thoroughly clean, but also the food, the way we use tableware, and our conduct toward guests.
We aim for “beauty” in everything.
Do you also work together with your group hotel, Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel?
Murakami
One of our group's strengths is that we offer Western cuisine at Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel and Restaurant Kiyuutei, as well as Japanese cuisine at Tsurugata.
For example, at a banquet, guests may be happier with some Japanese dishes in the middle of the meal than with Western food from beginning to end.
In such cases, we prepare Japanese dishes at Tsurugata and bring them to Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel.
For overnight stays, we also offer plans where guests who want Japanese cuisine stay at Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel and have dinner at Tsurugata.
Conversely, guests staying at Tsurugata with a breakfast plan may be directed to Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel or Kiyuutei for dinner.
Going forward, we hope to work even more closely together, so that guests who prefer a Japanese breakfast to the Western-style buffet at Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel will come to Tsurugata.
We hope to make that happen in the future.
From the Writer
Restaurant Tsurugata is Kurashiki’s second-oldest building. Isn’t dining in this special space, where you can feel Kurashiki’s history, an exceptional experience?
You may also be curious about dishes made with a secret sauce and warishita broth known to only a handful of chefs.
Why not enjoy a stroll through the Bikan Historical Area and then go try the food at Tsurugata?
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 | Ryokan Tsurugata |
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