Yotaro's culinary approach is rooted in Kaiseki, the artistic multi-course cuisine historically served at tea ceremonies. A master in the art of tea himself, Yotaro studied the spirit of Japanese hospitality (omotenashi) through classical Japanese gastronomy.
With a profound respect for tradition, Yotaro's cuisine is nonetheless far from conservative, featuring bold and imaginative elements. Believing that serving delicious meals made with locally grown ingredients of the highest quality is a given, he designs his dishes with seasonal delicacies and no preconceptions, mixing up complex and primal flavors that clash and fuse to create limitless new sensations.
Yotaro produces his own cured and uncured meats and cheeses, combining traditional Japanese methods with his own innovations. He avoids excess use of salt as a preservative, instead employing aokabi (blue mold)─which he believes grows in Japan’s humid climate for a reason─in an entirely original manner. Just as he does with his doburoku, Yotaro listens to the unseen voices of nature to take gastronomy to new heights.
His restaurant is hosted in a two-hundred-year-old rice storehouse, remodeled with a refined classical-modern Japanese decor. Dine on utensils and plates crafted by renowned artisans of the past, amidst elegant flower arrangements that transform each meal into a work of art.
Our restaurant can host up to eight guests.
To make of your stay a singularly luxurious experience, Yo can accommodate one party of up to six people per night. Set in a remodeled two-hundred year-old rice storehouse with a newly constructed annex, it features three double guest rooms. Breakfast and dinner are included in the room fee.
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Take in the soothing fragrance of tatami (straw mats) in this traditional Japanese guestroom, then snuggle up in soft futons handpicked by Yotaro for your comfort. |
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The deep red tones of this Western-style bedroom─featuring two cozy beds and a reclining chair─are sure to calm the spirit. |
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Western-style bedroom |
The contents of our dinner and lunch courses vary, depending on the availability and quality of seasonal ingredients, their degree of maturation and fermentation. For this reason, our rates are market based. Kindly ask for a quote when making your reservation.
A reservation is required to stay at Yo. We are sorry, but we cannot accommodate drop-in guests.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Please let us know at the time of reservation if you require special arrangements.
We ask that guests refrain from smoking entirely both inside and around the premises. No designated smoking areas are available. Thank you for your understanding.
•We ask that guests refrain from smoking on or around our premises.
•We apologize, but we cannot accommodate pets.
•As gastronomy is a core element of the Yo experience, all stays include a full course dinner and breakfast the next morning. We are sorry, but we do not offer breakfast-only or no-meal plans.
•For your safety, we ask that our guests refrain from going outside late at night.
In order to provide the utmost in hospitality to our guests, Yo has instituted a cancellation policy.
Reservations may be cancelled free of charge up to 1 month before your arrival.
Cancellations made less than 1 month before your check-in will incur the following charges:
•From 1 month to 2 days before check-in: 30%
•The day before check-in: 50%
•Same-day cancellations or no-shows: 100%
Thank you for your understanding.
Check-in begins at 4 p.m.
Check-out is by 10 a.m. on the day of departure.
Please let us know at the time of reservation if you require special arrangements.
Dinner is served starting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Payment can be made by cash or credit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, and Discover.
Free parking is available on the premises.
We are located a short seven-minute walk from Tono station on the JR Kamaishi line.
Japanese culture is deeply rooted in rice production, transformation and consumption. Yet the rapid Westernisation of Japan during the past 150 years has caused a radical transformation in many aspects of people’s lifestyles, including their gastronomic culture.
The number of rice farmers, as well as of consumers of rice, sake and traditional products, continues to drop, while the importing and consumption of foreign products has become unstoppable.
Yet Japanese identity is closely tied to rice, and it can only persist as long as rice remains at the center of Japan’s food culture.
We believe that, in order to help the Japanese understand the richness of their own culture, the support of foreign “ambassadors” is indispensable. Foreign experts that—having learned and experienced on the ground the intrinsic value of Japanese gastronomy—will be eager to share this knowledge with the world.
At Yo, we offer a short-term internship program for Master’s degree-level students from prestigious international gastronomy universities who also possess some work experience.
The program allows participants to acquire a broad knowledge of doburoku brewing and different fermentation-related processes, Japanese traditional cuisine, hotel management and organic rice farming. Visits to neighbouring miso, shoyu and sake producers are also possible.
For details and conditions of Yo’s internship program, we kindly ask you to send your profile and cover letter in English or Japanese to: info@tonoya-yo.com or renata@nextcommons.co.jp
© TONOYA YO 2019
