The restaurant has a very welcoming, family-like atmosphere. The chef is meticulous and elegant in his preparation, and was happy to explain the dishes. We had the best tempura and soba; every dish was exceptional and unique. The tempura is light and very crispy. It was a culinary experience we will remember forever.

After 4 nights in Rausu, this was by far the most impressive and delicious meal we had! This is a cash only place, with an intimate bar like setting (do not expect to fit a large party here). However the tempura was excellent (albeit on the small side), the vibe and atmosphere of the place was very class considering how cheap the prices were. The best part however was the tempura chef, a young master who is clearly interested in mastering his craft. He is literally a one man army and it was very interesting to watch him work. My fiance ordered a different meal set from me, while I ordered the tempura set. We were immensely happy with both of orders. He literally cooked each piece of tempura for me fresh as I finished one after the other that way everything was always fresh out of the fryer. I felt very pampered. Note you will not find a 5 star meal here but you will however find a 5 star value meal which is both memorable and tasty. Although the place is fancy, I deeply appreciate how accommodating he was even though we did not have a reservation. My recommendation to further improve is to provide an English menu. My fiance and I are familiar with Japan and are tech savvy thus we had no issue ordering, however an elderly couple came in who could not speak Japanese had a lot of questions and because he is doing everything (cooking, while taking orders, and doing the dishes), this unnecessarily takes up his time. Just print out AI generated translations of your menu and this will greatly help you out! We will most definitely be back!

+2

If you’re looking for an intimate, authentic dining experience, this is it. It’s a simple, cozy 8-seater restaurant run entirely by a single chef. Since it's a one-man show, the food takes a little time to come out, so pack some patience! We ordered the tempura don with the soba set and the tempura mori set. Every piece of tempura was light, crispy, and fried to perfection. Watching the chef work is half the experience. Highly recommend if you don't mind a short wait for quality food!

This soba/tempura shop is highly recommended! Although it was manned by only a single chef, he made sure that our food was freshly and well prepared. You could see how he put his heart and soul into his food preparation. Although you may need to wait, good food is worth waiting for. He was willing to entertain my silly question on how he made his Tsuyu sauce so tasty with the soba despite my lack of knowledge in Japanese. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply me. My wife wanted to joke with you if you want to hire more staff 😂

Honchō Kihachi – A Hidden Gem in Rausu Tucked away in a small fishing town on the Shiretoko Peninsula, this tiny counter-seat restaurant run by a single chef delivers one of the most memorable meals I’ve had in Japan. The tempura is prepared fresh in front of you using local Rausu seafood caught that morning — an experience closer to omakase than a typical tempura lunch. The burdock root alone was a revelation. We loved it so much we came back the next day. If you’re anywhere near Rausu, don’t miss it. Reservation strongly recommended.