2010年12月30日
‘Art-full’ Dining Tokiwa Saryo
Here’s another gem hidden away in the central Takamatsu: Japanese restaurant Tokiwa Saryo.
Tokiwa Saryo Restaurant
Located just one street south of the Tokiwa-gai arcade, this restaurant is closely connected to the shopping district’s history. It was built in the early 1950s by Jukichi Mizobuchi, a prominent local producer involved in theater, movies and events. Mizobuchi had already built a theater nearby, stimulating the development of a shopping arcade in this area.
Entrance
Tokiwa Saryo started out as a very posh inn. The design was so elaborate that construction took 4 years to complete. The distinctive golden fish and blue tiles that topped the castle-like structure could be seen all the way from Takamatsu Station when it was first built and it numbered among its clientele many famous people from showbiz, commerce and politics.
Due to modern fire regulations, the top floors are no longer used as a hotel, but the bottom two floors have been converted into a spectacular restaurant replete with inner courtyard garden and pond.
Dining area viewed from the courtyard.
The restaurant serves Japanese style box lunches with a little bit of everything, or tempura and sashimi set lunches. Prices are very reasonable ranging from a little over 1,000 to 3,000 yen for lunch. The food is delicious but even if it were ordinary, I think the price is still worth it just for the décor.
After lunch, you can ask for permission to take a stroll through the courtyard and beyond.
Courtyard
Alcove
The garden
The bridge
Looking back towards the dining area
The most stunning part of this restaurant, however, is the hall down a corridor to the left after crossing the little red bridge. Built in imitation of the drawing room of Nijo Castle in Kyoto, the walls and ceiling of the hall are covered with lacquer works by Akashi Bokkei, a local lacquer craftsman of the time.
Wall mural – pine tree
Bokkei’s wall mural motif consists of pine, bamboo and plum blossoms, which are symbols of celebration and good fortune in Japan.
Plum blossoms
Butterflies weave among the pine and plum trees, one for each year of Mizobuchi’s life. He passed away before the work was completed.
Bamboo
The cabinet in the above photo was custom made to house what was, at the time, a very modern stereo and speaker complete with LP records.
Ceiling
If you do find this room, don’t forget to look up. The ceiling panels are also elaborate lacquer work and mimic those found in castles and temples.
Ceiling panel close up
And last but not least are the koi (carp), another auspicious symbol, made by yet another skilled local artist of that period, Hidari Kohkyo.
Koi
If you are with a large group, you can reserve this room for lunch or dinner. If you are not with a large group but want to see the room, ask for permission at the front desk. They will usually let you wander in and take pictures, as long as you are quiet and respectful (i.e. keep out of the way of restaurant staff and guests).
Directions: From the west side of Kotoden Kawaramachi Station head down the covered shopping arcade called Tokiwa-gai. Turn left at a side street with a green grocer’s on the near corner and a lantern high up on the wall on the far side. (See the photo below.) The lantern says “Tokiwa Saryo” on it in Japanese.
写真15
Turn left at this corner.
Tokiwa Saryo is at the corner of the next street on the right. There’s also a map (in Japanese) on the website below.
Times: Lunch 11:00 to 15:00
Dinner: 17:00 to 22:00 (prices are higher for dinner)
Tel: 087-861-5577
Website: http://www.trs1515.com/~saryou/inquiry/top.html
For a little more information in English on prices, etc., see:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/takamatsu/D50552.html
Tokiwa Saryo Restaurant
Located just one street south of the Tokiwa-gai arcade, this restaurant is closely connected to the shopping district’s history. It was built in the early 1950s by Jukichi Mizobuchi, a prominent local producer involved in theater, movies and events. Mizobuchi had already built a theater nearby, stimulating the development of a shopping arcade in this area.
Entrance
Tokiwa Saryo started out as a very posh inn. The design was so elaborate that construction took 4 years to complete. The distinctive golden fish and blue tiles that topped the castle-like structure could be seen all the way from Takamatsu Station when it was first built and it numbered among its clientele many famous people from showbiz, commerce and politics.
Due to modern fire regulations, the top floors are no longer used as a hotel, but the bottom two floors have been converted into a spectacular restaurant replete with inner courtyard garden and pond.
Dining area viewed from the courtyard.
The restaurant serves Japanese style box lunches with a little bit of everything, or tempura and sashimi set lunches. Prices are very reasonable ranging from a little over 1,000 to 3,000 yen for lunch. The food is delicious but even if it were ordinary, I think the price is still worth it just for the décor.
After lunch, you can ask for permission to take a stroll through the courtyard and beyond.
Courtyard
Alcove
The garden
The bridge
Looking back towards the dining area
The most stunning part of this restaurant, however, is the hall down a corridor to the left after crossing the little red bridge. Built in imitation of the drawing room of Nijo Castle in Kyoto, the walls and ceiling of the hall are covered with lacquer works by Akashi Bokkei, a local lacquer craftsman of the time.
Wall mural – pine tree
Bokkei’s wall mural motif consists of pine, bamboo and plum blossoms, which are symbols of celebration and good fortune in Japan.
Plum blossoms
Butterflies weave among the pine and plum trees, one for each year of Mizobuchi’s life. He passed away before the work was completed.
Bamboo
The cabinet in the above photo was custom made to house what was, at the time, a very modern stereo and speaker complete with LP records.
Ceiling
If you do find this room, don’t forget to look up. The ceiling panels are also elaborate lacquer work and mimic those found in castles and temples.
Ceiling panel close up
And last but not least are the koi (carp), another auspicious symbol, made by yet another skilled local artist of that period, Hidari Kohkyo.
Koi
If you are with a large group, you can reserve this room for lunch or dinner. If you are not with a large group but want to see the room, ask for permission at the front desk. They will usually let you wander in and take pictures, as long as you are quiet and respectful (i.e. keep out of the way of restaurant staff and guests).
Directions: From the west side of Kotoden Kawaramachi Station head down the covered shopping arcade called Tokiwa-gai. Turn left at a side street with a green grocer’s on the near corner and a lantern high up on the wall on the far side. (See the photo below.) The lantern says “Tokiwa Saryo” on it in Japanese.
写真15
Turn left at this corner.
Tokiwa Saryo is at the corner of the next street on the right. There’s also a map (in Japanese) on the website below.
Times: Lunch 11:00 to 15:00
Dinner: 17:00 to 22:00 (prices are higher for dinner)
Tel: 087-861-5577
Website: http://www.trs1515.com/~saryou/inquiry/top.html
For a little more information in English on prices, etc., see:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/takamatsu/D50552.html
2010年12月24日
Takamatsu’sCentralShoppingMall
Takamatsu, according to local tourist brochures, has the longest shopping arcade in Japan – in fact, a combined length of 2.7 km and 800 shops. After years of neglect and decline, the area is now undergoing a massive renovation and renewal. “Trend shops and popular bland [sic] shops are lined up,” the Takamatsu city official website enthuses. “Shopping time flies like arrows!”
North end of trendy renewal project
Interesting chair outside ‘bland’ store
Hmmm. Obviously, a shoppers’ paradise but I hate malls and I do find brand stores rather bland. For me, the arcade’s attractions are quite different. I decided to take my camera so that I could share with you a few of them.
I started at the north end in Katahara-machi.
Katahara-machi shopping street
There I dropped into Morita, the local clock shop where I always buy not clocks, watches or jewelry but incense.
Morita clock shop
Morita happens to carry a fragrance that reminds me of Kyoto. It also has a very amiable staff member named Yuzu who greets visitors and patiently poses for the camera on request.
Yuzu dressed for the season in a Santa suit with his family.
As I walked into Morita, it hit me that even though I hate shopping I like coming here just to get incense. It’s nice to walk into a shop where you’re welcomed as a person rather than as a wallet. The owners know their products very well and they remember their customers – even when they don’t show up for ages, like me. They also have time to stop and chat in a friendly way without being pushy. The arcade actually reminds me of Japan when there were no malls but only streets lined with little specialized shops like this one, individually owned and passed down through the generations.
My next stop was Sanyudo, a sweet shop with a history.
Sanyudo exterior
Looking out.
Friendly staff (all the others disappeared when I took the photo)
Despite being busy, the owner took the time to share the shop’s story. The Sanyu三友, he told me, means ‘three friends’. With the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the shogunate was overthrown and the samurai class phased out. Takamatsu castle was decommissioned in 1869 and consequently, the three friends mentioned above found themselves out of a job. In 1873, they decided to launch, of all things, a sweet shop.
Great big Castella (a type of sponge cake)
Kimori, Sanyudo’s specialty
Persimmon paste sandwiched between two very light rice crackers. A great gift especially for people with wheat allergies.
Talking with various people about the central arcade, I sensed a huge nostalgia among long-term shop owners and residents. The shopping arcade’s heyday was in the 1960s and 1970s. With 9 movie theatres and cabarets, the arcade was the city’s entertainment center and the streets were so packed you could barely see the other side. Sanyudo used to stay open until midnight just to cater to the after-movie/cabaret crowds. As car ownership shot up, however, people moved out and although the center was (and still is) conveniently accessible by train, bus and bicycle, it lacked free parking. In the 1990s the first huge shopping malls with their enormous free parking lots moved in, draining customers away. With the recent push to revitalize the central shopping district, however, there has been a steady upsurge in young entrepreneurs launching trendy shops (more on that another time). Hopefully, rising fuel prices will give these efforts an extra boost.
North end of trendy renewal project
Interesting chair outside ‘bland’ store
Hmmm. Obviously, a shoppers’ paradise but I hate malls and I do find brand stores rather bland. For me, the arcade’s attractions are quite different. I decided to take my camera so that I could share with you a few of them.
I started at the north end in Katahara-machi.
Katahara-machi shopping street
There I dropped into Morita, the local clock shop where I always buy not clocks, watches or jewelry but incense.
Morita clock shop
Morita happens to carry a fragrance that reminds me of Kyoto. It also has a very amiable staff member named Yuzu who greets visitors and patiently poses for the camera on request.
Yuzu dressed for the season in a Santa suit with his family.
As I walked into Morita, it hit me that even though I hate shopping I like coming here just to get incense. It’s nice to walk into a shop where you’re welcomed as a person rather than as a wallet. The owners know their products very well and they remember their customers – even when they don’t show up for ages, like me. They also have time to stop and chat in a friendly way without being pushy. The arcade actually reminds me of Japan when there were no malls but only streets lined with little specialized shops like this one, individually owned and passed down through the generations.
My next stop was Sanyudo, a sweet shop with a history.
Sanyudo exterior
Looking out.
Friendly staff (all the others disappeared when I took the photo)
Despite being busy, the owner took the time to share the shop’s story. The Sanyu三友, he told me, means ‘three friends’. With the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the shogunate was overthrown and the samurai class phased out. Takamatsu castle was decommissioned in 1869 and consequently, the three friends mentioned above found themselves out of a job. In 1873, they decided to launch, of all things, a sweet shop.
Great big Castella (a type of sponge cake)
Kimori, Sanyudo’s specialty
Persimmon paste sandwiched between two very light rice crackers. A great gift especially for people with wheat allergies.
Talking with various people about the central arcade, I sensed a huge nostalgia among long-term shop owners and residents. The shopping arcade’s heyday was in the 1960s and 1970s. With 9 movie theatres and cabarets, the arcade was the city’s entertainment center and the streets were so packed you could barely see the other side. Sanyudo used to stay open until midnight just to cater to the after-movie/cabaret crowds. As car ownership shot up, however, people moved out and although the center was (and still is) conveniently accessible by train, bus and bicycle, it lacked free parking. In the 1990s the first huge shopping malls with their enormous free parking lots moved in, draining customers away. With the recent push to revitalize the central shopping district, however, there has been a steady upsurge in young entrepreneurs launching trendy shops (more on that another time). Hopefully, rising fuel prices will give these efforts an extra boost.
2010年12月16日
Post-Art Setouchi Schedules
Some great news for any of you interested in visiting the Art Setouchi island sites that are still open. David and his wife have kindly translated the schedules for the different sites into English. You can find them at the bottom of this article at David’s blog.
http://ogijima.com/2010/11/26/the-setouchi-international-art-festival-2010-has-ended-or-has-it/
As David mentions, there are still some Sealight sculptures around town. I’ve seen a couple hanging in the shopping arcade for example. See if you can find the giant glowing squid hanging from the arcade roof in the photo below. It’s between the 2nd and 3rd yellow arch in the roof.
In addition, the Gentle Art Project on Oshima finally posted its schedule for the next 4 months. It will be open Dec. 17-19, Jan. 15-16, Feb. 11-13, Mar. 12-13. Boats leave Takamatsu port at 9:10, 11:00 and 13:55. You do not need a ticket but you need to identify yourself to the Koyubikai staff when you reach Oshima. Boats returning to Takamatsu leave at 10:30, 13:25 and 16:15. The café, which serves light meals, sweets and drinks, and Gallery 15 will be open. If you go on a later boat, however, the café will probably be out of food.
Finally, Onba Factory and Kawashima and Dream Friends got together and put up Christmas light displays on Ogijima to bring some cheer to the islanders. There’s even an illuminated wreath on the Meon ferry. The displays will be lit up until the end of Dec. 25. Lights go on at 17:00 and they’ve put on an evening ferry to bring viewers back, leaving Ogijima at 19:00 PM every day until Dec. 26.
(Photos and information courtesy of the Setouchi Art Festival website.)
http://ogijima.com/2010/11/26/the-setouchi-international-art-festival-2010-has-ended-or-has-it/
As David mentions, there are still some Sealight sculptures around town. I’ve seen a couple hanging in the shopping arcade for example. See if you can find the giant glowing squid hanging from the arcade roof in the photo below. It’s between the 2nd and 3rd yellow arch in the roof.
In addition, the Gentle Art Project on Oshima finally posted its schedule for the next 4 months. It will be open Dec. 17-19, Jan. 15-16, Feb. 11-13, Mar. 12-13. Boats leave Takamatsu port at 9:10, 11:00 and 13:55. You do not need a ticket but you need to identify yourself to the Koyubikai staff when you reach Oshima. Boats returning to Takamatsu leave at 10:30, 13:25 and 16:15. The café, which serves light meals, sweets and drinks, and Gallery 15 will be open. If you go on a later boat, however, the café will probably be out of food.
Finally, Onba Factory and Kawashima and Dream Friends got together and put up Christmas light displays on Ogijima to bring some cheer to the islanders. There’s even an illuminated wreath on the Meon ferry. The displays will be lit up until the end of Dec. 25. Lights go on at 17:00 and they’ve put on an evening ferry to bring viewers back, leaving Ogijima at 19:00 PM every day until Dec. 26.
(Photos and information courtesy of the Setouchi Art Festival website.)
