The Itameshi phenomenon

In Japan, an interesting phenomenon is taking place: despite the predominance of French cuisine, Italian restaurants have spread over a very large area. Their history began by chance. The first Italian restaurant opened in Japan in 1881. Pietro Migliore, from Torino, was a component of a French equestrian circus and due to a serious injury which affected him for a long time, he decided to Italia-ken (“Casa Italia”). It soon became Niigata’s mundane location.

Later, this time because of “chances” linked to the war, some more Italian establishments were founded, namely Antonio and Donnaloia in Kobe, Amore Abela in Takarazuka… The deliciousness of Italian cuisine was more and more appreciated by the Japanese, fascinated by the work of these “preachers of taste”. When later on the Japanese economy began to grow and spread, many restaurants were born too, not only run by Italians but gradually by Japanese too, who had acquired experience in Italy. This is the time of the ita-meshi, the Italian meal in Japan. Japanese chefs such as Toshiaki Yoshikawa and Tsutomu Ochiai opened their restaurants in Tokyo, as soon as they were back, following their enthusiasm.

Ochiai is still the most popular Italian cuisine chef in Japan: he has published very many books and participates in various television programmes. Even the return of Yoshimi Hidaka marked and excited the local scene: the most demanding gourmet go to his Acqua Pazza. His specialty? Acqua pazza, of course, a simple and tasty dish which thanks to him is as popular in Japan as pasta carbonara. His cuisine evolved thanks to the wise addition of Japanese products.

In Kyoto, the capital of refined Japanese cuisine, Yasuhiro Sasajima of Il Ghiottone stands out (he was among the speakers at Identità Milano 2006): his Italian cuisine is based on typical vegetables from Kyoto but he’s not afraid of using some techniques that belong to Japanese traditional cuisine. It’s a continuous evolution. The leitmotif of traditional cuisine continues, becoming stronger and more modern in an intelligent way. Akira Nigorigawa of La Primula has his forte in the Cialsons alla friulana. Daisuke Nishiguchi of Volo Cosi composes his Antipasto della Laguna with saor and eel which is marinated directly in Veneto. In Nara, the most ancient capital of Japan, it’s Junichiro Horie of I-lunga who stands out: he makes Agnolotti del plin alla piemontese, while Taichi Murayama of L'Asse offers Lombard cuisine.

The last category is formed by those chefs who express a great personality in their interpretation of Italian cuisine. Sinji Harada of Aromafresca, Tosei Hayashi of Acca, Tomofumi Saito of Prizma and Koji Kobayashi of Fogliolina della Porta Fortuna (now called Antica Trattoria Nostalgica) in Meguro. A few years ago the latter moved to Karuizawa, a posh holiday destination. He’s a creative chef who surprises his guests thanks to an intriguing style. And he’s got a peculiar characteristic: he only accepts one reservation per day.