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I myself was two years old so I don't remember any of that either. My mother had a terribly hard life in Los Angeles. She was a schoolteacher in a downtown Japanese school and she also did sewing at home. They used to call it handrolling of silk scarves and she would get a penny apiece for these huge scarves.
And then my two sisters went to work at And, you know, in those days, too, they tried to tell my mother to give up my sister, give her away—. Yeah, the baby because you know, everybody was telling her that you can't possibly bring up five little children, especially with a baby. They were going to give her away to a couple that didn't have any children and my two older sisters said, "No, we're going to go to work. We had a lot of friends so they were like the counter girls and one kept books for the architect, Mr.
He was an architect even in Chicago after the war, but they were really kind to us. Of course, the church also helped a lot. Well, my mother went to Union Church which was downtown L. Well, ours was for convenience. It was so close to our house. But she liked the dogma from the Union Church. So you mention that your mother had a tough life, which it sounds like she especially did after your father passes away.
Okay, I'm going to bring you back a little bit to talk about Boyle Heights. Can you describe to me what Boyle Heights looked like? What your house looked like, for example? What your neighborhood was like? So it was a tiny house. At the time I didn't think it was so tiny. I think we had maybe four rooms, nothing spectacular. We all loved cats, and so we must have had 10 cats. They were outdoor cats, so it was okay. The whole area was mostly Japanese Americans, although my best friend was Sydelle and she was Russian Jew.
Everybody was in the same boat, you know.
Nobody felt we were poor, rich, whatever. We drank water out of mayonnaise glasses. We put paper in our shoes to keep the holes from, you know, bothering our feet. It was just a fun time, though. I really remember having great times in that area. Do you remember much about any other kind of inter-ethnic, interactions you might have had? So we're talking about your friends, and maybe the community in which you grew up. What other ethnic groups lived in the Boyle Heights area?
We had Mexican friends. I can't remember their names or anything, but lots of Japanese. In fact, it was 90 percent Japanese, I would say. And to this day, I still keep in contact with some of them. The Japanese hospital was right down the street. I remember that because my sister had her tonsils out there. I envied her so much because she got to eat ice cream. No, actually she went to buy milk for the cats—. Since you mentioned that there were also Mexicans and mostly, though, Japanese Americans, what was the school population like?
Was it pretty much the same as the neighborhood? No, it was white. I guess from our area, mostly. I didn't have too many Japanese friends in school. I went to First Street School, which is still there. It's a tiny school now, but mostly white at that time. I didn't even know I was Japanese then. It was just a good mixture, I mean there was no separation or anything. My first encounter with prejudice was after Pearl Harbor and I was still a small kid. We were walking down First Street. We went to the library and I had picked up some books.
And then I had comic books, too. You gotta go" and she drags me back into the library, and I thought, what is she doing? But it really taught me a lesson to be kind to little children. I've never forgotten that. It was kind of a good lesson, but I wish I could have taught her some things. You mentioned that that was your first encounter, direct encounter with racial discrimination. And you mentioned that it was right after Pearl Harbor. On December 7, , the Japanese attacked the U. Navy base on O'ahu. I just remember that we all gathered around the radio and listened for news about this.
I didn't understand the concept of war but I know it upset my mother quite a bit. That's the only thing I remember about Pearl Harbor. Yes, yes, I know because it was a Sunday and we were all home. My sisters must have just gathered all of us together and said come and listen. I don't remember the time or anything else. Do you remember anything about your initial thoughts or feelings when you heard this news? I remember that I thought, well, it doesn't have anything to do with us because I'm an American, you know.
I was completely American. My two older sisters were so Americanized, I mean. They used to buy Harper's Bazaar and Vogue magazine, and try to dress, you know really Americanized and not a single trace of an accent. Although when I think back, we must have spoken nothing but Japanese until we went to school.
But my two older sisters were the groundbreakers, so to speak. So you personally felt very American, and personally thought you were not going to be impacted by Pearl Harbor? You mentioned that your mom taught at the Japanese language school after she becomes a widow. Did you and your sisters attend Japanese language school? Every Saturday, we had to go to Japanese School. In fact, I was up to Book Seven. They said that's, you know, really far. We just went because we had to go. Oh, it was a ball, laughs because that's when we got to meet all of the other really good Japanese-speaking people.
No, I enjoyed it a lot, but I didn't study well, just went to have fun. So how did it—your mom's a teacher, there, laughs and it didn't really matter? No, my mother, she was so cute. I mean, anytime any of her friends would come over, she'd tell the three younger children, "Now don't speak out because your Japanese is so awful. And it's too embarrassing to me. But after December 7 th, it was awful because these two FBI men came to pick up my mother because she was a Japanese schoolteacher and we were so scared.
My gosh, they were just going to take her that day. And they were looking around, I know we had already buried things like the radio and knives and things like that because they said you can't be caught with things, especially a short wave radio. But we didn't have any such thing. We just buried everything. And when they came to the house, I'll tell you, they looked like they were eight feet tall because we were all small, and they were ready to take her.
Then one of them looked up at the wall and said—There was a picture of Jesus sitting there, and they said, "Whose picture is that? Nowadays, I'm thinking, what if we were Buddhist or some other religion; they would have taken her without regard to—so that was a scary moment. Did the Japanese, you mentioned that the Japanese American community kind of rallied around when your father passes away and your mom is left a widow with five little kids.
Does the community also give you any kind of assistance in these pre-internment weeks? Oh, I'm sure they did. I wasn't aware of it. We had ministers at our house all the time. They were so helpful. They would help pack us up, I think. Because we were the last to leave Los Angeles, one of the last group, we didn't go into an assembly center. We went straight to Poston. We didn't have much in the way of "goods.
We were also taking piano lessons even if she couldn't afford it.
She thought it was so important. When she had to sell the piano for five dollars, it broke her heart, and also she had an okoto, 7. No, I think it's koto. We kids used [the koto ] as a slide laughs. I don't know what happened to that. I wish I knew. But we didn't really have too much, other than the clothes on our back. So when it came time to pack, there was not a lot to get rid of. So you mention you have to leave behind a piano and your mom's koto, something happens to that.
Do you remember what your feelings were about leaving your home and leaving your community when you do go into Poston? I really don't remember that far. I must have blocked it because, no, I don't remember. And what was it like to be one of the last families to leave the area? Is Boyle Heights one of the last areas to be evacuated, or—?
No, I think some of the people from Boyle Heights went into Manzanar 8. But as the area is emptying, you know, as other families leave, do you have any recollection what it might have been like to be one of the last families in the area to go off? Can you also describe for me what are your memories of going to Poston. Where do you leave from? How do you get to Poston? I have no idea. I think we took the train, but I don't remember. I only remember getting there, in this hot, hot place. I never had such an experience with heat. Then, the first day, we have to get in lines, constant lines. Then they tell you to fill up this mattress with straw.
I mean, being from the city, I had no idea what straw was or anything. It was quite an experience. So we did that. Then we're assigned certain barracks, we're l-B; we were next to Reverend Paul Nagano, do you know Reverend Nagano? I'm surrounded by all these ministers. The only bad thing I really remember about my first day in camp was the bathrooms. I mean, [that] being from a family of all women, we're so modest. Then you go into. I said, "Where's the bathrooms? There's these open stalls, not even a partition in-between them. There were like six toilets.
I said, "Oh my gosh, how are we going to do our business? Then the same thing in the showers, there's no partitions. So we would wait until like I'm not taking a bath with everyone else, you know. Those are the really bad things that I remember. And another thing, I must have been allergic to heat or something because you have to wait in line for food.
They would ring a bell, and you have to line up, and I'd faint every time we'd get in line because of the heat. So they would give me salt pills. Oh my, can you imagine, in those days, we had to take salt pills for the heat? When you enter camp, I noticed that your older sister Shizu may have been twenty-two-ish—. She was born in l So was the whole family together as a unit, your mom and five girls? Yes, just for one year or so, because right after that, they had asked for volunteers to go to Utah to work in a cannery.
Right away, my two older sisters volunteered. Oh, they hated camp. They only liked the social part of it, but otherwise—So they went out to Utah and worked in a cannery for tomatoes. They would send us packages. Oh, it was so nice, CARE packages, 9. Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere [CARE] was a private organization that collected funds and various goods to distribute to the needy in foreign countries. And how did your mom feel about the two oldest girls going out to Utah, leaving the family to go work in the canneries? My mother was a really accepting person.
She accepted anything that came along, thinking it was pause because of God, you know. She didn't feel one way or the other. She thought that's what it should be. As long as they were safe, you know that was her main concern. And she was really a great woman, now that I think of it. I didn't appreciate her then, but yeah—. And can you tell me what you and your other sisters did during the camp years at Poston?
Oh, well, we were all young so we just played. Yeah, we had so much fun, you know, playing with the other kids and—. And what was that like? Can you describe the kind of education you got there, and the facilities, and the teachers? Do you know I just don't remember any of that. I know I got tested for something, and then they said, "Well now you don't have to do sixth grade. You can go into seventh. I regretted that ever since because I feel I missed out on a lot of the math, especially, you know—I don't know square roots at all. Oh, I didn't think it was too good, you know. Especially this one teacher I remember, Mr.
He was such a jerk. And in terms of relating to kids, he was this big German guy who was like Hitler. One day, I remember I had to go to the bathroom. So I raised my hand and he said, "What do you want? You have to wait until class is over. The other kids told me later that he got so scared when I walked out that I was going to report him or something that he made it a point to send out kids to try to find me because I never returned that day. He was really full of humility the next day. But I mean I'm not going to soil myself in school. That's the only remembrance I have of camp, I mean, school.
Other people have described camp years as being pretty much fun because they might have been kids who remember the social activities—. So when you're in camp, maybe you enter as a year-old or so, preteen. What were camp years like for someone your age? I was on the cusp. I wanted to be with the older people.
Like my other sister Yuri would go to dances. I'd sit at the door and look in like I wanted to be in there. And yet, I'd go home and I'd play with paper dolls. I mean, it was really a time of change for me. So it was nice and yet I regretted not being a little older, although we had fun. I was an athlete, even in those days, and so I used to play baseball and basketball. No, I'd never been exposed to any of that, being from the city. It was mostly the people that were from the farm countries.
They were so good in athletics and they're the ones who started most of the, I don't think they were leagues, but you know, pickup games. So were there boys' teams and girls' teams, or were there co-ed teams. Or do you remember how the teams went in camp? Ah, mostly it was from blocks, you know. Each block had their own team or something. I can't remember any organized teams like that. I was playing—this Pop Nagano used to be a semi-pro. He's Paul Nagano's father, in Canada.
And so he would say, "Come on, Aiko, I want to teach you how to play baseball. We would just have like a pickup game. They taught me a lot. Yeah, they were really good baseball players. No, they were more feminine. I was the only tomboy. No matter what, I was always the "mean one. I don't think that, I don't think that's true at all, Pat. Let's see, for some Issei women, camp wasn't a hardship. How was it for your mom?
For my mom, it was almost luxurious because she didn't have to work hard. Everyday, she worked in the kitchen.
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Everybody got the same amount of money. I go to work three times a day, come back, and relax. Oh, speaking of food, the food was something to be—terrible food. Mostly I subsisted on apple butter and bread because I couldn't stand the food. We had to sit family style, so we sat with this family of all boys. They were like pigs. They would grab everything and just throw it on their plates, and there would hardly be anything left for us women—girls, at that time—and so we ate apple butter and bread most of the time.
Yes, and so you would sit with your sisters and mom. Did that change over time? Like, by the end? Yes, by the end, you could sit anywhere you wanted. You can, you know, sit with your friends, anywhere. By then, my sisters, my two older ones were out of camp. Yeah, I guess the three younger ones, we would sit together but not with the family that we sat with originally. Can you tell me about when your family leaves camp? You mentioned that your two older sisters go out.
Do you know what year they went out to work in Utah? Oh, ; that's right. They must have gone to Utah in , but then they come back. It was seasonal work, so you sign up for maybe a three-month period. Then they come back. Then they went again to another place. And then they're able to leave for good. It must have been around And they come out to Chicago, the two of them.
So Shizu and Sumi are the two that leave first? They come to Chicago? Do you know how they chose Chicago, why Chicago? I think it was that a lot of their friends were coming here. And they heard that Chicagoans are really nice. I mean, they don't care if you're Japanese or. You always have that in the back of your mind, if you're going to be accepted or whatever. So that's why they figured that they'd be closer.
Well, again, you know, she was very accepting. In fact, they came back once from Chicago, just to visit for about a week. Brought us presents, which we always liked. Then, I think they finally sent for us when they were starting to close the camps. But, there again, we were the last to leave—the three younger ones and my mother.
And, for some reason, my sister Yuri, who's right above me, comes out alone. Then my mother and my little sister come about a month or two months apart. I know, and I came out alone. But the whole train was full of the same, Japanese Americans, you know, so they were all friends. No, I can't remember why. Oh, I know why I came out alone, because my sister and my mother were supposed to come with me. But my mother gets sick and so she tells me, "You go ahead and I'll come later. Because arrangements were already made, I guess she didn't want to make waves.
So you're probably about, maybe, fourteen-, fourteen and a half, when you're coming out on the train. What are your recollections of that train ride from Poston?
Oh, gosh, I was dirty. I mean, I got so dirty; and there's no facilities to shower or anything, you know. So I have these two pigtails. I'm blacker than the ace of spades because of camp. I get off the train, and my sister Shibby, Shizu is her name but we called her Shibby, meets me and she says, "Oh my gosh.
You look like an Indian. So she rushes me home, scrubs me up, and says, "I'm going to take you out to lunch. Lincoln and Fullerton, there was a Woolworth's there. I thought that was the best place in the world. I was so happy there. Yes, right on the corner of Lincoln and Fullerton. Oh, that was such a treat for me. And did your other sister Sumi come down to meet you, too, do you remember?
No, she was working. My sister Shibby and her, they took turns. I think they said Sumi picked up Yuri when she came. And then it was her turn to pick me up. And then both of them, maybe, went to pick up my mother. Do you remember getting any news about your older sisters' early reception in Chicago? Where did Shibby and Sumi find housing? How did they find jobs? Where did they work?
Where did they live? I think that was—Oh, probably, the Friends. They were real up on the Friends, Quakers, you know. I think they got housing on Winthrop. It was a rooming house, and mostly the women went there. So they had a ball. They really enjoyed that kind of life because they were with people of their same age. Most of them were their friends from camp or from Los Angeles. And then by the time you arrived, maybe a year after they initially arrive in Chicago, where do you first live with your sisters? Oh, by then, they had changed to North Seminary, which was a beautiful building.
It was so nice. But it was broken up into, it must have been twelve apartments in this, originally it must have been a two-flat. So we had the attic for our family. It was one bedroom and a living room. We shared a bath with the persons in back, which was a "poor" couple in the back. They had to share with all six of us. Poor things, when I think of that, I think—oh my gosh. And we all stayed in the one bedroom, except my sister slept in the front room, I guess, on the couch.
Yeah, or maybe two, maybe it was a pull-out couch. It could have been where two of them slept there. And then the four of us were in the one bedroom, very tight quarters. So you were telling me about Mr. Schinkel [the landlord for their place on North Seminary] and the three-flat that's made into a unit place. Can you describe all of the other tenants in the building? They were all Japanese persons.
All of us came almost at, well, some of them must have come about the same time as my sisters, but there were young couples, there were singles. It was such a nice mix. We were the only family in there—my mother, my sisters, and my sisters' friends. They were all filled with their friends, so it was really nice. Either that or they got to know them well after.
The sharing of the bath was the worse thing about it. I would help Mr. Schinkel take out what's called "clinkers," because in those days, it was coal, heated by coal. He would say, "Your job is to take out clinkers. It's like the residue after the coals are gone so you have to clean those out from the boiler. Yeah, I had a great time doing that because I had never seen clinkers, you know. So was this, did your other sisters have apartment chores?
Or were you the only one that had them? Usagi asks him to stay with him and Misaki says yes. They spend the night together in a private sleeper car. The next day Misaki sees that they are in Sapporo. Usagi says it is a birthday present for Misaki. The episode ends by revealing Usagi's small obsession with Marimo. This episode the backstory Hiroki and Akihiko friendship. They met in Hiroki's private hideaway on Akihiko's family estate when they were ten years old, and the two became classmates and friends. Akihiko spends a lot of time with Hiroki, and when Hiroki breaks down in tears due to all the pressure from the clubs he's in, Akihiko kisses him to calm him down.
Afterward, Akihiko sleeps over at his house. Soon after, Hiroki is taken to Akihiko's house and it becomes clear that Akihiko does not have a very good relationship with his parents. In Akihiko's room, Hiroki sees some notepads filled with stories and ends up reading one of them.
Akihiko comes back and tries to snatch the pad away from Hiroki, but Hiroki tells him it's really good and asks to read the rest. Akihiko agrees and the two form a pact that only Hiroki can read his stories. The episode ends with young Hiroki freaking out at the fact that he could be in love with Akihiko.
The episode opens up with a love confession that teenager Takatsuki Shinobu makes to his ex-brother-in-law, Miyagi Yo. The episode flashes back to three years prior, when two thugs tried to mug Shinobu, and Miyagi ran them off. They both ended up at the same marriage arrangement meeting for Miyagi and Shinobu's sister, Risako. Back in the present day, it is revealed Miyagi has divorced Risako, and Shinobu returned from studying abroad when he heard the news. When Miyagi is asked to house Shinobu, the two form an uneasy relationship. Miyagi challenges Shinobu's earnest declaration of adoration by making a sexual advance, but the plan backfires when he realizes that the younger man is serious.
He retreats to his office, but Shinobu finds him. Finally, Miyagi tells Shinobu to try hard in school, because people who are not serious do not interest him. In the Omake, Miyagi teases Hiroki about his homemade bentou packed lunch as Shinobu looks on. Miyagi and Shinobu's story continues. As Miyagi walks to his car Risako arrives to get one last item, and comments that she felt Miyagi should have been more honest with her about his feelings. When she leaves he has a flashback of staying by someone's bedside and an empty wheelchair.
His ruminations are interrupted by Shinobu's arrival home. Miyagi tries to make a hasty exit and in the process, drops a photo he'd been looking at. Shinobu presses him for details but Miyagi tells him to mind his own business. Shinobu once again declares his feelings, but Miyagi dismisses them. Shinobu then challenges Miyagi to sleep with him to show how serious he is. Miyagi makes an aggressive advance on Shinobu, but stops when Shinobu starts to cry. Shinobu leaves soon after. Driving home from work he reminisces about a teacher that he had loved, the woman in the picture.
At home he finds Shinobu leaving, they talk and Shinobu reveals that he'd loved Miyagi even before they'd met during the attack. The next day, Shinobu's father calls and during the discussion it is revealed Shinobu is leaving to return to Australia. Miyagi rushes to stop him and gets there just in time.
The episode opens with Misaki sprawled out on the floor, apparently thanks to Usami. To convince Takahiro to let Misaki stay with him, Usami has told outrageous lies, all of which Takahiro believes. The next day, Keiichi tells Misaki to congratulate Usami for winning the Kikukawa Prize, but Misaki worries suddenly it might be for one of the explicit BL books. When he gets home Usami, Isaka, and Aikawa talking about preparations for a celebration party. The manager mentions that Haruhiko, Usami's older brother will be present, which troubles Usami.
The two adults rush Usami off to the press conference, leaving Misaki feeling a little hurt he hadn't known. He decides to do something for Usami when he is interrupted by a delivery of flowers from Usami's brother. Later that evening, Usami returns and Misaki expresses the sadness he feels from being excluded. Usami finds it charming and decides to take Misaki to bed. Things are changed slightly, when Misaki tries to take the initiative, but is too embarrassed. He'd gotten the idea because Usami previously said that his BL books were a mix of hobby, profit and fantasy. It gives Usami ideas and he gives Misaki the rest of the BL collection and tells him to study it, which embarrasses him further.
Usagi doesn't want to attend an awards party for the Kikukawa Prize, but Isaka tricks him into it by saying Misaki wanted to go. On the way to the party at a hotel, Misaki runs into Usagi's older brother Haruhiko. He does not realise the relationship until they arrive at the hotel and Usagi and Isaka see them together. A confrontation between Usagi and his brother ensues and Misaki surprises everyone by losing his temper defending Usagi. Isaka explains to Haruhiko that Misaki is Usagi's special someone. Usagi is very happy that Misaki got so angry for him. The next day Misaki receives some flowers from Haruhiko which surprises and bothers both him and Usagi.
After Misaki receives the flowers from Usagi's brother, Usagi confronts Misaki because he has never said that he loves him, but Misaki avoids the subject. While preparations for the party are being finished, Isaka takes Misaki aside and tells him not to let anyone know that he and Usagi are together to avoid any scandal. At the party Isaka makes sure that Misaki and Usagi are kept apart. When Misaki leaves the party to go to the bathroom, he runs into Usagi's brother.
In Haruhiko's room, Misaki thanks him for the flowers but asks why he sent them. When Misaki goes to leave Haruhiko grabs his arm and says he is going to steal him away from Usagi and claims he loves Misaki. Misaki flees to his room and runs into Usagi. Usagi is angry when he hears what happened, and Misaki has to stop him from confronting his brother.
The next day Misaki receives strawberries from Haruhiko. Misaki is now receiving strawberries from Usagi's older brother everyday. Because of this Usagi has started to buy Misaki strawberry products everyday as well. Misaki can't stop Haruhiko sending him strawberries, as he has no way of getting in touch with him. When leaving the university the next day, Misaki runs into Haruhiko who was driving past hoping to see Misaki. Misaki wants to ask him to stop sending the strawberries but ends up being taken to Haruhiko's house. Usagi sees Misaki getting into Haruhiko's car. When they are at Haruhiko's house Misaki learns from the butler that Usagi and Haruhiko are half brothers, from different mothers.
Haruhiko tries to persuade Misaki to stay at his house rather than return to Usagi, but locks Misaki in a storeroom when Usagi arrives at the house. Usagi is told that Misaki has already left but the dog leads him around to the side of the house where Misaki is attempting to escape from the room by climbing out of the window. He falls and sprains his ankle. Usagi then tells Haruhiko that he won't let him steal Misaki and kisses Misaki in front of him before leaving. Misaki ends up being carried piggy back style to the house while thinking "I just kept thinking that I needed to get back to Usagi Nowaki is feeling insecure about his relationship with Hiro and he wants Hiro to be more proactive.
Nowaki is not even sure whether Hiro likes living with him. While he is thinking about this, Hiro calls and asks Nowaki to bring some materials to him at the university. At the gates Miyagi turns up and teases Hiro, calling him Hiroki, which annoys Hiro. Nowaki asks Hiro if he can call him Hiroki, thinking it is something special, but Hiro says no, and Nowaki is hurt by this.
Hiro meets Nowaki at work the next morning and while they are walking Akihiko pulls up in his car. He calls Hiro Hiroki which annoys Nowaki and he drags Hiro away. Later back in their apartment it is revealed that Nowaki still feels insecure about the gap between him and Hiro. Hiro tells him that it doesn't matter and he could never let Nowaki catch up to him anyway, because his pride would not let him.
Hiro also tells Nowaki he loves him. Whilst they are making up Nowaki realises that the reason Hiro has not been more proactive with their relationship is that he is shy. Hiro also points out that he has a very special name that only one person calls him: Since spraining his ankle, Misaki feels smothered by Usagi. Misaki wants to help his friend Sumi at the college festival but Usagi forbids it.
This leads to a confrontation between Usagi and Misaki. Usagi tells Misaki that Sumi is after him, which Misaki doesn't believe, and Misaki says some harsh things. After their confrontation, things between Misaki and Usagi are very strained. Misaki helps out at the festival and afterwards goes back to Sumi's as it is already quite late.
After Misaki has fallen asleep, Sumi calls Usagi and tells him Misaki is there. Usagi turns up and receives a confession of love from Sumi. Sumi says this is why he got close to Misaki, and then twists Misaki's words to sound as if Misaki doesn't like Usagi. Misaki suddenly bursts into the room, having heard everything, and pulls Usagi away from Sumi while stating that Usagi is his.
Usagi tells Sumi he doesn't love him, and he and Misaki leave. Back at their flat Usagi tells Misaki that he loves him and he is never going to let him go. The episode starts with Hiroki discovering Nowaki asleep half-naked on his apartment floor with Tsumori, Nowaki's senpai from the hospital where he works also half-naked. While Nowaki is trying to explain to Hiroki that nothing is going on, the latter is paged to the hospital and tells Nowaki that he is needed as well.
Nowaki is out of the door when Tsumori walks back into the apartment to collect the watch that he left inside. There, he informs Hiroki that Nowaki has plans of moving out 'sometime soon'. Hiroki is surprised, and after thinking about it, concludes that Nowaki was tiring of him. He goes to the hospital to bring Nowaki his bag from home. Tsumori purposely hugs Nowaki to make Hiroki jealous. Infuriated, Hiroki smashes Tsumori to the floor and rushes out. Nowaki follows him, and then asks Hiroki to move in with him into the new house, which was meant to be a surprise.
Quintessence is a Michelin three-star restaurant under the direction of chef Shuzo Kishida, who refined his skills at L'Astrance in Paris. His dedication to serving the freshest seasonal ingredients led him to offer only one fixed-price carte blanche chef's choice menu daily — seven courses at lunchtime, 13 at dinner.
This hidden gem , specializing in the Kyoto-born kaiseki experience, is a favorite among diners looking for a special-occasion experience. Diners can opt to sit at the warm and inviting counter, which has a minimalist approach and soft lighting that fosters calm, or in private dining rooms that offer either tatami-style or normal seating.
The particulars of the meal change constantly, but expect such fare as Hokkaido uni with horse crab and eggplant, dashi soup with shrimp ball and matsutake mushrooms, octopus with pumpkin and winter melon, and excellent sashimi. Located in Akasaka, across the street from the U. While the spotlight may currently be on Sukiyabashi Jiro for many visitors to Japan, it's important to remember that there are many other fish in the sea.
Master sushi chef Takashi Saito has worked hard to earn his three Michelin stars, and the fact that his establishment has only seven seats and is located in a parking garage hasn't deterred diners from seeking out a meal here — a relative steal, considering the quality.
If available, try the three tunas: At the foot of Higashiyama Mountains, Kikunoi is an elegantly appointed restaurant lacquered wood, delicate screen paintings, contemporary variations on traditional Japanese seating , with a cuisine tied intimately to the seasons. The kyo-kaiseki menu, typical of Kyoto, offers a balanced progression of exquisite dishes, both classical and innovative. From sake-steamed sea bream milt and sea eel and yuba rolls to vinegared firefly squid with wild vegetables and pea soup with shrimp balls, a meal here will be an unforgettable experience.
Chef Yoshiaki Takazawa opened his restaurant as a two-table hideaway in , dubbing it Aronia, the genus name of two species of chokeberries — powerful, highly astringent, antioxidant-rich, deciduous North American berries used in some wines, jams, syrups, juices, and teas.
In , he renamed the place after himself, but still serves only 10 diners an evening. This sushi spot has definitely had enough time to earn its beloved status: