A Diner of Kelp and Water

Dashi made only from kelp and Higashikawa water. We visited the town diner behind the first issue's recipe.

One daily menu. Six counter seats and one raised tatami area. Opens at 11:30 and closes when sold out. At the shop townspeople simply call "the diner," you notice the noren curtain before the sign.

"Our dashi is just kelp and water. With this water, that's enough." This one line from the owner was where this month's reporting began. Not using bonito seems less a fixation than a conclusion. "I've tried adding it. But the taste is clearer without."

One sip of miso soup and it really is clear. Less "delicious" than a quiet taste. When I said tourists might find it lacking, but it's a taste you understand after coming three days, the owner laughed. "If you come three days in a row, you're a regular already."

It's a few minutes' walk from Michikusakan. Ask townspeople about the day's menu, or check whether the noren is out. In this series, we visit one town shop every month.