Okinawa-Tokyo Winter Trip (Tokyo Part 1-Ukai)

Day 1 of our Tokyo visit was a wonderful dinner to Ukai Toriyama. Nested away in the lush surrounds of Mt. Takao, the breathtaking views caught us all in a daze. More so a village rather than a restaurant, it consists of 30 thatched-roof buildings, with a total of 79 seperate rooms all surrounded by Japanese-style gardens.

The restaurant provides shuttle service from the train station to Ukai, and visa versa. After being taken to the entrance of the place, we were greeted and directed to the tea sipping area. Since we wanted to see the entire place before dark, we opt to walk the grounds and take pictures before having our meal.

Strolling through the lush gardens and walking alongside goldfish ponds felt extraordinary. Further down onto narrow paths we came across an outdoor tea-sipping area in the midst of all the Autumn-colored leaves. Here they provide self-service sobacha (roasted soba, or buckwheat, kernels made into a grain tea), to be enjoyed while taking in the surroundings and feeling a sense of calm.

A waitress dressed in traditional Japanese kimono ushered us to our private cottage, that was over-looking a goldfish pond, a moss-covered water wheel and trees with bright-red colored maple leaves. Inside the cottage the floor was covered entirely with tatami mats and in the center of the room was a large sunken table with 3 irori (traditional sunken hearth common in Japan) grills.

Throughout the entire meal, a waitress would present dishes well timed so that each dish could be enjoyed before a new treat arrived. The first course was appetizers featuring sesame seed tofu and a lacquered bowl containing yams and other seasonal vegetables. Next an old gentleman came in with glowing hot coals and placed it on the hearth, where we would later be grilling our free-range chicken meat! As we wait a bit longer for the coals to heat the grill, we are timely presented with another dish - a thick, warming soup of assorted mushrooms.

The grill is hot, and now it's time to eat the meat! The chicken meat came on skewers along with green onion and sweet potato skewers. When the chicken meat is nicely browned on both sides, you dip the entire meat into a soy-based dipping sauce and cook it a second time on the grill. The selection of vegetables complimented the chicken and everything tasted fantastic!

Next, we were served freshly grilled river fish, rubbed with salt and already grilled in a dedicated thatched hut where a chef grills the skewered fish over charcoals. The white fish was perfectly cooked and the meat fell right off the bones.

The meal was completed with miso soup, a bowl of barley rice and optional sticky mountain potato topping.

Being inside the cozy, warm cottage made it really difficult to leave and return to the winter cold air, but the night had to end. All the staff gave us a warm thank you and bowed their goodbyes.

This was a perfect way to start off our Tokyo trip! Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Mom!

I highly recommend if anyone has the time to visit Mt. Takao, to try Ukai. Just about 50 minutes away from Shinjuku, it's surprisingly easy to access. Check out their website!