Kushiro Restaurants

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Toraya is a great introduction to famous Robata Yaki style of Kushiro. Robata Yaki is said to have originated in Kushiro. The food is cooked on a charcoal grill and often served with an oar-like pole. Tora means tiger and no doubt the master of Toraya is a fan of the Tigers baseball team in Japan with memorabilia tastefully combined with the rustic feel of Robata Yaki. Robata Yaki is a great way to eat seafood but is certainly not confined to just seafood. At Toraya, customers sit around the charcoal grill and drool as they watch the food cooked in front of them. If travelling alone, this is a great place to eat as it is very easy to strike up a conversation with the staff or the friendly local customers.

Favorite Dish: I first visited Toraya because I was told it was a good place to enjoy fresh oysters. Tanaka-san the master of Toraya prides himself on selecting the best oysters from Akkeshi (An oyster farming town north of Kushiro). I wasn`t dissapointed and went perfectly with the house sake. Another not-to-be-missed dish is the grilled hokke (Pleurogrammus azonus - a species of mackerel). This fish is split open along the back bone and semi-dried before being grilled. Being a cold water fish, the oil of the white flesh hisses on the grill as it drips off the fish while being cooked. The perfectly cooked fish can just about be eaten completely starting with the soft moist flesh to the crispy skin and head. mmmm Yum.