Grand Mercure Nara Kashihara

Sushi Kawashima pursues its own way in the sushi world, a route that crosses paths with the food culture of Nara. Sashimi is dressed with hishio, a koji-mould and salt-water mixture said to be the origin of soy sauce. Snacks are served with preserved so, a condensed-milk product enjoyed in ancient Japan. Yamato tachibana pepper is a seasoning made from an ancient citrus fruit. Sushi of gizzard shad with persimmon leaf testifies to the chef’s lively imagination. Nigirizushi is formed without wasabi, to bring out the flavours of the topping and sushi rice. Persimmon-leaf tea is a relaxing treat

A peaceful, traditional rural house surrounded by farmland is home to this restaurant. The shop is an advertisement for the good earth of Asuka, ‘the place where Japan began’, and its bounty. Main ingredients consist of produce cultivated by the chef’s family. One item, a brightly colourful salad, is named “Daichi Kara”, “From the Land”. Wheat is turned into pasta, rice into risotto. Set menus are a journey through the seasons, calculated to inspire gratitude to nature as one proceeds through the meal.

Hearty deliciousness is the order of the day here. Simple arrangements convey the sincerity of the chef’s commitment to his craft. Hinohikari rice from Nara Prefecture is cooked in clay pots and seasoned with chirimen sansho (small fish cooked with peppers). The meal concludes with handmade confections served with matcha, to send you on your way feeling relaxed and calm. This Japanese cuisine is woven together with ingredients and crockery from Sakurai. The ‘aji no kaze’ or ‘winds of flavour’ blow gently amid the beauty of nature.

The chef prizes his relations with food producers; the better to express the appeal of each region’s topography. Lega’ means ‘bind’ or ‘connect’: the restaurant binds together the food cultures of Italy and Nara and puts diners in touch with the thoughts of food producers. Sushi of uncured ham and persimmon leaf, venison senbei—a dish resembling Nara’s famous deer crackers—and other unique items overlay one tradition onto another. The chef honed his skills in Italy’s Piemonte region, which is why he devotes himself to making hand-rolled pastas such as tajarin and agnolotti in autumn and winter

The restaurant shares a site occupied by a sake brewery since the days of the shoguns. A black counter reflects the Japanese interior of this refurbished traditional house. Locally grown and raised ingredients are the star of the cuisine, with Nara-style pickled vegetables, Yamato beef and vegetables all expressing the terroir of Nara. Akitsuho rice, used in sake brewing, makes an appearance in prix fixe offerings, transformed into rice dishes such as paella and risotto. Sake pairings from the unique expertise of a sake brewer are another reason to visit.

The chef fell in love with the delicious taste and texture of locally raised Nara chicken and pours his heart and soul into its preparation. To ensure his guests experience the full spectrum of flavours, his skewers feature a wide range of cuts, from the familiar to the rare. Seasoning is carefully chosen: salt or dipping sauce for some, sake or chicken fat for others. Chicken tenderloin, for example, is ingeniously showered with Yamato tachibana pepper, a condiment made from an ancient citrus fruit. Items served to wrap up the meal are prepared with the same attention to detail: yakitori on r

The pizza here is prepared true to how it’s done in Naples, with chef Hironori Noda reproducing those authentic flavours. What Naples has that Nara doesn’t is an ocean so, in response, he came up with the idea of a restaurant that’s all about the fields. He grows the vegetables himself and makes them the main ingredients. The garden is his mother’s, and he harvests the vegetables himself, meaning that the bounty of Kashiba proffered here truly springs from ‘Mother Earth’.