Tokyo Jizake Strolling (through the city of Atami)
By Ryuji Takahashi
Atami is a popular destination for sake fans who enjoy bar hopping. Atami, a city renowned for its hot springs and seaside resorts, used to be a popular getaway destination. The city’s popularity, which once briefly faded, is growing again as new restaurants and tourist spots attract customers, also a popular destination for sake fans.
Unlike before, increasingly more tourists to Atami are young foreigners who enjoy seafood buffets and sweets. A lengthy line of customers stands daily in front of the dessert shop Atami Pudding, waiting well before opening.
As a middle-aged man who enjoys sake, I wasn’t interested in seafood buffets or desserts, but rather, prefer to enjoy dried fish and local fish with sake. I quickly left the bustling Heiwa-dori Shopping Arcade in front of the railway station, lined with souvenir shops and restaurants targeting tourists, and headed towards Atami Ginza shopping street within a 20 minute walking distance from the railway station.
However, what’s great about Atami is that I’ll never reach Atami Ginza shopping street in 20 minutes, not when I can stop by Tokai Himono, a long-established dried food shop along the way, to enjoy a beer at their standing bar. I ordered a beer, quenched my thirst, and ordered Dried Horse Mackerel. It’s great to be able to enjoy dried fish, freshly grilled on-site!
I quickly left as I’ve always believed it’s polite not to stay long in a popular standing bar. I headed next to Atami Yamadaya, a restaurant selling fish paste, where I ordered seafood skewers with Atami beer. From there, I headed to Atami Ginza shopping street. The street along the way is lined with standing bars and restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages during the day. I didn’t want to give up my visit, so I headed straight to Atami Ginza shopping street.
There, Tokuzomaru – an operator of seafood restaurants and souvenir shops in the Izu region – opened a seafood skewer shop. I was drawn inside for the first glass advertised at half price. Of course, I ordered draft beer, cuttlefish and scallop skewers.
The freshly grilled butter and soy sauce flavor was savory; so I immediately ordered sake. The restaurant started to get busy around lunchtime, so I left and headed several restaurants down to Osakana-yaro Kiyosuke, a restaurant where the fish looked delicious. I decided to have lunch here. Atami is a great city to enjoy golden eye snappers, so I ordered the fish braised with sake Kihei from Shizuoka prefecture. The pairing was excellent, so I also ordered Junmai Atami. Just as I started to feel tipsy, I checked into the inn.
At night, I headed to Kamatsuru Japanese Restaurant, also operated by a dried food shop. I ordered Minced Horse Mackerel, Grilled Golden Eye Snapper Collar, and sake once again. As expected, I drank a lot, I thought to myself as I headed back to the inn when I spotted an Irish pub-like restaurant along the way. There, I had my last concluding drink for the night. There are so many pubs in Atami that you can’t visit them all in one day, not to mention the hot springs. Ahhhh…Atami is heaven for sake fans, I thought to myself as I staggered back to the inn.
Unlike before, increasingly more tourists to Atami are young foreigners who enjoy seafood buffets and sweets. A lengthy line of customers stands daily in front of the dessert shop Atami Pudding, waiting well before opening.
As a middle-aged man who enjoys sake, I wasn’t interested in seafood buffets or desserts, but rather, prefer to enjoy dried fish and local fish with sake. I quickly left the bustling Heiwa-dori Shopping Arcade in front of the railway station, lined with souvenir shops and restaurants targeting tourists, and headed towards Atami Ginza shopping street within a 20 minute walking distance from the railway station.
However, what’s great about Atami is that I’ll never reach Atami Ginza shopping street in 20 minutes, not when I can stop by Tokai Himono, a long-established dried food shop along the way, to enjoy a beer at their standing bar. I ordered a beer, quenched my thirst, and ordered Dried Horse Mackerel. It’s great to be able to enjoy dried fish, freshly grilled on-site!
I quickly left as I’ve always believed it’s polite not to stay long in a popular standing bar. I headed next to Atami Yamadaya, a restaurant selling fish paste, where I ordered seafood skewers with Atami beer. From there, I headed to Atami Ginza shopping street. The street along the way is lined with standing bars and restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages during the day. I didn’t want to give up my visit, so I headed straight to Atami Ginza shopping street.
There, Tokuzomaru – an operator of seafood restaurants and souvenir shops in the Izu region – opened a seafood skewer shop. I was drawn inside for the first glass advertised at half price. Of course, I ordered draft beer, cuttlefish and scallop skewers.
The freshly grilled butter and soy sauce flavor was savory; so I immediately ordered sake. The restaurant started to get busy around lunchtime, so I left and headed several restaurants down to Osakana-yaro Kiyosuke, a restaurant where the fish looked delicious. I decided to have lunch here. Atami is a great city to enjoy golden eye snappers, so I ordered the fish braised with sake Kihei from Shizuoka prefecture. The pairing was excellent, so I also ordered Junmai Atami. Just as I started to feel tipsy, I checked into the inn.
At night, I headed to Kamatsuru Japanese Restaurant, also operated by a dried food shop. I ordered Minced Horse Mackerel, Grilled Golden Eye Snapper Collar, and sake once again. As expected, I drank a lot, I thought to myself as I headed back to the inn when I spotted an Irish pub-like restaurant along the way. There, I had my last concluding drink for the night. There are so many pubs in Atami that you can’t visit them all in one day, not to mention the hot springs. Ahhhh…Atami is heaven for sake fans, I thought to myself as I staggered back to the inn.
東京地酒散歩(熱海散歩)
今、酒を飲み歩ける町として人気なのは熱海である。熱海は温泉場や海水浴場として有名で、ひと昔前は、慰安旅行の人気スポットであった。その人気も一時期、陰りを見せていたのだが、ここ最近は観光客も増え、新たなお店が増え、酒飲みとしては嬉しい場所となりつつある。昔と大きく違うのは、外国人の観光客が増えていることと、若い人が増えていることである。外国人にはやはり、海鮮丼や海鮮バイキングが人気とのこと。若い人にはスイーツが人気らしい。熱海プリンなる店前には大行列が連日出来ている。しかし、酒飲み中年オヤジ的には海鮮バイキングもスイーツも全く興味が無く、やはり干物や地魚で一杯やりたいわけである。駅前の観光客でごった返したお土産物屋や観光客向けの飲食店が並ぶ平和通り名店街は早々に抜け出し、徒歩20分くらいで駅から辿り着く熱海銀座商店街を目指す。しかし、20分では辿り着かないのが熱海の良いとこ。道中に有る老舗の干物販売店東海干物で立ち飲みが出来るのだ。ビールを頼み、喉を潤し、鯵の干物を注文。その場で焼きたての干物が食べられるのがなんとも嬉しい。人気立ち飲み店は長居無用と勝手に思っているので早々に出て歩き始め、今度は熱海山田屋という魚のすり身を売っている店で串に刺さった彩り揚げを肴に熱海ビールを飲む。そこから熱海銀座商店街までまだまだ立ち飲みや昼飲みが出来る店が有るのだが、本当にたどり着けなくなるので、後ろ髪を引かれる思いで熱海銀座商店街へ。そこで伊豆地域でお土産物店や飲食店を数多く運営する徳造丸が海鮮串焼きの店をオープンさせており、しかもビールが最初の1杯半額というサービスを行っていたので、吸い込まれるように店内へ。当然生ビールを頼み、イカやホタテの海鮮串を注文。焼きたてのバター醤油味が最高ですぐに日本酒を注文。お昼時で混んできたので、店を出てその数軒隣に、お肴野郎清介というこれまた魚が美味そうな店を発見。お昼ご飯はここで腰を据えてということで入店。熱海と言えば金目鯛でしょうと煮付を注文。酒は静岡の酒で喜平。最高に酒が進むので、追加で純米酒あたみを頼み、程よく酔っ払い一旦宿にチェックイン。夜はこれまた干物店が運営している海幸楽膳釜つるへ。鯵のたたきや金目鯛のカマの塩焼きを注文し、またしても日本酒を飲む。流石によく飲んだなと宿に戻る途中でアイリッシュパブ風な店を発見してしまい、締めの1杯。1日では回り切れないほどの酒場があり、温泉がある。あぁ、熱海は酒飲みの天国かもしれないと思いつつ千鳥足で宿に戻った。