Tosho

If you are looking for somewhere to impress visitors or treat yourself to beautifully presented, traditional Japanese food- you will not be disappointed with Tosho.

In a large, charming traditional Japanese house Tosho looks more like a ryokan inn than a restaurant. You will be greeted at the genkan entrance and asked to leave your shoes in one of the lockers. Then you are  guided up to the dining room through small hallways, past bustling waiters and small kitchens bursting with activity before you are shown to your table in the dining area. There were some groups chatting loudly while they enjoyed their meal, but the feel of the place is very calming, especially if you are seated next to the window with a view of the garden and koi carp pond.

Many of the dishes are quite unusual and there are some in the set course that we wouldn’t necessarily choose off of a menu again, but they were all part of the experience. And every single one was presented with such flair, it was impossible not to at least appreciate its aesthetic appeal.

Lunches start at ¥1500 and spectacular kaiseki ryori [懐石料理] traditional seasonal course meals are available for both lunch and dinner: ¥3000 for lunch and from¥5000, ¥7000 and ¥10,000 options for dinner. The dishes are brought out slowly, the timing of which allows you to savor all the flavors and have enough time to catch up with the others at your table in between bites.

We ordered two different lunch sets so we were able to try a wide range of dishes. Our favorites were the fresh tofu served chilled with a spoon – every bite just melts in your mouth. The tofu and kombu seaweed hot-pot, the raw sashimi served with fresh mint and salad, the tofu salad, the soya gyoza dumplings and the chawanmushi savory egg custard dish which were all stand-outs. Ending with soy ice-cream and assorted fruit and jelly left us feeling happily contented.

Of the dishes that didn’t make our top choices, it all comes down to our own humble opinions- so please try it for yourself if you are interested in a culinary adventure. The grilled fish with a tofu sludge was “interesting” and we could probably go without eating the yuba pizza again, but I was glad we tried them. The sea urchin on top of the tofu paste was, to me, just bizarre. That said, everything was cooked and presented to perfection.

If you are feeling less than adventurous, it is possible to order items a la-carte from the menu, but you will be missing out on the decadent feel that being presented with dish after amazing dish brings as a diner at Tosho. So, I highly recommend you take the plunge and go for the full experience and enjoy both the amazement and the confusion.

Details:

Opening Hours:

• Monday-Saturday 11:00-15:00, 17:00-22:00　
• Sundays & National Holidays 11:00-15:00 17:00-21:00

• Reservations accepted and encouraged for larger groups.
• No English speaking staff, but there is a wonderful English menu with great pictures.
• Staff are very accommodating for vegetarian diners or special requests.
• Credit cards accepted
• Free parking for (up to) 10 cars
• See all of GetHiroshima’s Tosho pictures on Flickr
• Smokers paradise (only privately booked rooms can be completely smoke free)

Address 6-24 Hjiyama-cho, Minami-ku, Hiroshima-shi
Address in Japanese: 〒732-0817 広島市南区比治山町6-24
Tel: 082-506-1028
URL: http://www.toufu-tosho.jp/

Getting there:

Located at the base of Hijiyama, you can access the restaurant from the main road (head up the side street at the temple) or from the Hijiyama hillside park (although it is difficult to know which path to take).

From the Hijiyama tram stop at the foot of the mountain, walk left (away from the bridge) along the main road and, when you see the shrine above, walk up the narrow road to the right of it. Once you pass some houses, you will find Tosho on the right. There is a parking lot (for 10 cars) just past the entrance if you continue further up the hill.