Tachibanaya

I only stopped by the restaurant for lunch. The food was delicious, and the people serving us were really kind. It’s close to the station, and even the tables have a traditional feel.

Tachibana-ya has been in Arida City, Wakayama Prefecture, for over 100 years. A colleague mentioned its mackerel and hairtail sushi, so I ordered the four-piece Oppa Sushi set online. The name, coined by founder Nobuyoshi Hashizume, refers to rice that looks like a fish being carried on someone’s back. “Oppa suru” is apparently a Wakayama dialect expression for carrying a child on your back. The set includes four varieties. The mackerel stick sushi uses mainly autumn mackerel from the Goto Islands, along with fatty mackerel sourced around Japan, wrapped in thick kelp from southern Hokkaido. The grilled mackerel is brushed with a secret sauce and has simmered ginger, shiitake mushrooms, and dried gourd strips between the fish and rice. For the beltfish and turnip sushi, locally caught fish from Minoshima fishing port is paired with rice mixed with Kishu plum paste and shiso leaves, plus sweet pickled turnip. The turnip seems to bring out the beltfish’s mild flavor. The pike conger is caught locally, marinated in a sauce made from its bones, grilled, flaked, and pressed into box sushi. I liked all the toppings, especially the grilled mackerel. Grilling really brought out its umami. The rice was a little softer than I’d like.

The inn is a five-minute walk from Kii-Miyahara Station, and you can feel its 122-year history. There’s a traditional Japanese restaurant on the first floor, with banquet halls on the second and fourth. The price is so low you start wondering how it can be that cheap. The proprietress, president, and staff were all incredibly nice and treated us so well. It’s easy to see why locals love this place.

I tried swordfish bento for lunch, which was a rare find. Think unaju, but with swordfish: fluffy grilled fish over a sweet omelet, with a rich sauce poured on top. It’s apparently a local dish from the Arita region, and it was incredibly good. I wish I could get it in Tokyo too.