Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
274
{
Raitei
NOODLES/OBENTO Though it's a bit inconveniently
located, this is the absolute winner for a meal in Kamakura. Visiting Raitei is as much
fun as visiting the city's temples and shrines. The restaurant is situated in the hills on the
edge of Kamakura, surrounded by verdant countryside, and the wonder is that it serves
inexpensive
soba
(Japanese noodles) and
obento
lunchboxes, as well as priestly
kaiseki
feasts. Take the stone steps on the right to the back entry, where you'll be given an
English-language menu with such offerings as noodles with chicken, various obento, and
kaiseki. The pottery used here comes from the restaurant's own kiln, and you'll sit on
rough-hewn wood stools or on tatami. If you make a reservation in advance for kaiseki,
you'll dine upstairs in your own private room in a refined traditional setting with great
views. The house, once owned by a wealthy landowner, was moved to this site in 1929.
When you've finished your meal, be sure to walk the path looping through the garden
past a bamboo grove, Buddhist stone images, and a miniature shrine. The stroll takes
about 20 minutes, unless you stop for a beer at the refreshment house, which has outdoor
seating and a view of the countryside.
Takasago, Kamakura.
&
0467/32-5656.
Reservations required for kaiseki. Noodles ¥900-¥1,522; obento
lunchboxes ¥3,675; soba set meals ¥2,625; kaiseki feasts from ¥6,300. Entry fee ¥500, which counts
toward the price of your meal. AE, DC. Daily 11am-sundown (about 7pm in summer). Bus: no. 4 from
platform no. 6 at Kamakura Station or Daibutsuen-mae to Takasago stop (or a 15-min. taxi ride).
}
Sometaro
OKONOMIYAKI Located near the approach to Hase Tem-
ple, this small, second-floor restaurant offers do-it-yourself
okonomiyaki
(a kind of Japa-
nese pancake; English-language cooking instructions are available) stuffed with cabbage,
bean sprouts, and a choice of a main ingredient such as beef, pork, or shrimp. It also
serves
yakisoba
(fried noodles) and
teppanyaki
(grilled steak, seafood or vegetables), all
from an English-language menu. The waitress is a bit gruff, but if you can ignore that,
you'll enjoy the conviviality of dining here.
3-12-11 Hase, Kamakura.
&
0467/22-8694.
Reservations recommended for lunch. Main dishes ¥900.
No credit cards. Thurs-Tues 11:30am-9pm (last order). Station: Hase (2 min.). On the slope leading to the
entrance of Hase Temple, at the beginning on the left side.
11
2
NIKKO
150km (93 miles) N of Tokyo
After the publication of James Clavell's novel
Shogun,
many people became familiar with
Tokugawa Ieyasu, the powerful real-life shogun of the 1600s on whom Clavell's fictional
shogun was based. Quashing all rebellions and unifying Japan under his leadership,
Tokugawa established such a military stronghold that his heirs continued to rule Japan
for the next 250 years without serious challenge.
Millions of Japanese through the centuries have paid homage to Tokugawa, heading
north to Nikko, where
Toshogu Shrine
was constructed in his honor in the 17th cen-
tury, and where his remains were laid to rest in a mausoleum. Nikko means “sunlight”—
an apt description of the way the sun's rays play upon this sumptuous shrine of wood and
gold leaf. In fact, nothing else in Japan matches Toshogu Shrine for its opulence. Nearby
is another mausoleum containing Tokugawa's grandson, as well as a temple, a shrine, and
a garden. Surrounding the sacred grounds, known collectively as
Nikko Sannai
and
designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, are thousands of majestic cedar
