Located towards the end of Naka-dori shopping street quite near JR Iwakuni station, Shusen Ichiba Totoya is frequented by local gourmets and sake lovers.

The shop interior was renewed in February 2015. On the 1st floor counter seats you can always find regular customers enjoying the food and brand sake.

We recommend ordering fresh seafood from the display case and choosing from the sake lineup while chatting with the good-humored master.

Along with local Iwakuni sake, on the other side of the counter there are over 100 types of brand sake from all over Japan.

True to its name, Shunsen Ichiba (Fresh Market), all the ingredients used at the restaurant, from Seto Inland Sea seafood to meats and vegetables, are selected with the utmost care for freshness and quality.

 

The menu, which is planned daily and skilfully handwritten by the owner, is so filled with dishes it’s hard to choose…

So, we had the owner’s most recommended dish, a sashimi selection called “Otoko-mori” (‘Men’s assortment’).

It was a hearty assortment of 5 different types of fish: greater amberjack, wild flounder, sea bream, splendid alfonsino and pickled mackerel.

It was followed by the “Otona no Potato salad” (‘Potato salad for adults’) with black pepper and mustard, a perfect match for sake.

To enjoy the dish to the fullest, mix the salad together and crack a soft-cooked egg on top.

The 3rd dish of steamed clams was seasoned with salt and sake and garnished with rape-plant blossom. The lovely flavor of the clams, which were so fleshy they seemed to be almost coming out of their shells, is brought out well.

The last dish was fried bamboo shoots. With the crunchy texture characteristic of new bamboo shoots, it’s a dish that lets you experience the season as the fragrance spreads throughout the mouth.

Mr. Yamane, the master says, “I want people to enjoy seasonal ingredients in their most delicious form.”

How about tasting the four season’s of the Setouchi area at Shunsen Ichiba Totoya, a place that is bustling every day and night and where you can enjoy real Japanese cooking with sake?
Shunsen Ichiba Totoya
Location: 3-13-23, Naka-dori shopping street arcade, Marifumachi, Iwakuni city, Yamaguchi prefecture
TEL: 0827-24-3242
Open: 17.30-24.00 *Finishes as soon as the fish runs out
Closed: Sundays (May open upon reservation)
By,
The Setouchi Finder Editors