Poet Maho Okamoto: "Bars across Japan you'd like to visit again and again"

This may be a bit sudden, but we'd like to ask you about your favorite local bar! We conducted an enthusiastic survey with Maho Okamoto, a poet who loves alcohol, food, and bars. We asked her to tell us about the memorable places and flavors she's encountered in towns outside of Tokyo that she would definitely like to visit again.

illustration: Hitoshi Kuroki / text: Kohei Hara

Okamoto Maho's Bar That You'll Want to Visit Again and Again

Kochi <Yabe>

In Kochi, it's customary to finish off a meal with beer and "yatai gyoza." This is a rare restaurant that sets up a stall in a parking lot, and is located close to the popular Hirome Market. The small gyoza are fried to a golden brown and filled with a generous amount of garlicky filling. It's so tasty you could eat it all.

Shimanto (countryside)

This izakaya has been loved in Shimanto for over 40 years. They offer almost all of the local specialties, including Shimizu mackerel sashimi and "buchuhai," a citrus drink made with bushukan. The seared moray eel in particular is thick and flavorful. Each restaurant also has their own unique style for seared bonito, so we recommend trying them all.

Shimanto (Chika)

There is a fan-shaped counter, and if you look down from the atrium on the second floor, you can see the kitchen. The interior is like a theater. We recommend the Biri-katsuo (fresh bonito caught about three hours ago). The tataki is of course delicious, but the chewy and fatty sashimi is superb!

Illustration by Hitoshi Kuroki
Chika's bonito and Shimizu mackerel. Bonito is served from April to December. Dip it in garlic soy sauce.

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