A Japanese touch with consideration for the diners
Five years after opening, Noyashichi is a Chinese restaurant that has become a familiar fixture in Arakicho, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, an area that still retains the atmosphere of the red-light district. We explore the reasons why it is frequented by adults with deep knowledge of fine cuisine, from the perspective of the owner, Yamamoto Shinya.
Photographs by Yu Mitamura
The mapo tofu is based on sweet and spicy chili peppers sourced from Hunan Province, China, which the chef visits once a year. After deep-frying, the chili peppers are carefully wiped, crushed into powder, and used instead of chili bean paste. Yamamoto says that the addition of red konnyaku gives it the image of motsuni (boiled offal). Crumbled soft roe, used instead of tofu, creates a harmonious balance of spiciness and mellowness. This is a winter-only version of the classic mapo tofu. An example from the 23,000 yen dinner course.
Opening the door with a sign engraved with bold jade-colored letters as a guide, you enter the restaurant and find a row of generously spaced counters. Serving trays are neatly lined up on the seats, with jade-colored napkins and chopstick rests, and the walls that you can see are also unified in this color. If you were brought here without knowing anything, you might not suspect that it was a Japanese restaurant. That is, until you've eaten a few dishes...
The owner, Yamamoto Shinya, has a history of six years of dedicated training at the renowned Chinese restaurant Momonoki. His interest in Chinese cuisine dates back to growing up watching his father run a Chinese restaurant in Kochi, and when asked about the origin of the restaurant's somewhat strange name, he always talks about his father. He recalled his father's restaurant, Kazeguruma, and named the restaurant "No Yashichi," which continues from that name. Once you hear "Kazeguruma no Yashichi," it's hard to forget.
He believes that "as a Japanese person, I want to express the best of Japan," and at the same time, he creates his dishes with the diners' feelings as the top priority. He prepares dishes with a light feeling in mind, keeping in mind the after-meal feeling, all because he is considerate of his guests. When asked, he said that he does not fill the restaurant to capacity, leaving room for people who suddenly decide that they want to eat Noyashichi's food on the day. This is not an easy feat when preparing dishes that require a lot of effort. In addition to his culinary skills and sensibilities, it is Yamamoto's thoughts like these that have made his restaurant what it is.
It's often said that people go to bars to meet the bartender, but it's easy to imagine that many guests visit just to see Yamamoto's smile. Arakicho is a place where stylish adults gather. Noyashichi blends seamlessly into this neighborhood.
Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1975, he graduated from Tsuji Culinary Institute France and joined the Tokyo branch of Enoteca Pinchiorri in 1995. In 2000, he was dispatched to the main branch in Florence as a pastry chef for seven months, and in 2005 he worked as a sous chef at the Tokyo branch. In 2011, he was appointed chef at Ristorante Claudino's Ginza branch.
MIT Yotsuya 3-chome Building 1F, 2-9 Arakicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
☎ 03-3226-7055 Closed on Sundays
11:30-14:30 (reservations only), 17:30-21:00 (last entry)
Lunch: from 9000 yen, Dinner: from 12,000 yen
(Tax and 10% service charge not included)
