Tamahide

When one thinks of Japanese food, 寿司 (sushi) is what comes to mind. ラーメン (ramen) shops are starting to pop up across the world, and this noodle dish is becoming more and more popular. Japanese people used to have an image of eating nothing but seafood, but now with ramen and other dishes gaining popularity across the globe, it seems that there are people from a number of countries who visit Japan to eat a variety of Japanese foods.

One Japanese dish that I don’t think is that popular outside of Japan is 親子丼 (oyakodon), a bowl of rice with chicken and egg on top. The character 親 (oya) means parent, 子 (ko) means child, so oyakodon literally translates as parent and child bowl. Oyakodon is a rather easy meal to make, so you often find it at cheap 蕎麦 (soba), or buckwheat noodle, restaurants and at a number of restaurants serving cheap set meals.  Living in Tokyo I’ve eaten this dish at a number of restaurants across the city. As I mentioned, oyakodon is an easy meal to make, so I often make it myself. 

Did you know that the origin of this dish is in Tokyo? In the Chuo ward of Tokyo, in an area known as Ningyocho, there’s a restaurant that apparently first made this dish. That restaurant is 玉ひで (tamahide). Starting in the Edo period back in 1970, this oyakodon restaurant apparently uses the same sauce as it did when it first opened up, somehow topping up the sauce when it gets low. At this restaurant, you really can enjoy a taste of the Eco period, a taste of old Japan, something that’s now lost in the hustle and bustle of modern Tokyo, and lost among all the foreigners who now flock those streets. A truly special experience!





Pictured below is what's known as a 神棚 (kamidana), a small Shinto shrine that's usually set on a shelf over a lintel, to honor family guardian gods.




This photo (I would imagine) is the person who set up Tamahide, Tetsuemon Yamada.




This was the oyakodon itself, yum! The green side dish is pickled vegetables, I believe it was pickled ginger.


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