What I ordered this time🍽️ Otoshi Homemade tofu with nameko sauce Assorted sashimi Fried horse mackerel with tartar Awaodori chicken karaage Shinshu oroshi soba To a kappo izakaya where you can leisurely enjoy carefully made Japanese food in a calm atmosphere🍶✨ This time I had the otoshi, homemade tofu with nameko sauce, assorted sashimi, fried horse mackerel with tartar, Awaodori chicken karaage, and Shinshu oroshi soba. The homemade tofu with nameko sauce is a dish of soft, fluffy tofu gently coated in thick, silky nameko sauce. The moment it hits your mouth, the umami of the dashi slowly spreads, and you can feel the care typical of kappo cooking. The assorted sashimi clearly conveyed the freshness of the fish. You could taste the aroma and sweetness of the ingredients just as they are—so good it makes you want to pair it with sake. The fried horse mackerel with tartar has a light, crispy coating and is fluffy inside. The egg-loaded tartar brings out the umami of the horse mackerel, and it's very satisfying. The Awaodori chicken karaage is bite-sized and easy to eat, with an appealing spiced, crispy texture. It also went great with the Tanqueray gin sour—a flavor that keeps the drinks flowing🍻 The closing Shinshu oroshi soba goes down smoothly with a clean aftertaste. With the freshness of grated daikon, you can happily finish it to the last bite. A somehow nostalgic, calming space where a friendly owner welcomes you. A place to enjoy quality ingredients and careful work rather than flashiness📌✨

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At Kappo Hannan, I leisurely savored carefully made Japanese food. Homemade tofu with nameko sauce, fresh sashimi, crispy-fluffy fried horse mackerel with egg-loaded tartar, bite-sized Awaodori chicken karaage—all gentle flavors. Finished off lightly with Shinshu oroshi soba. A place made comfortable by the friendly owner and a somehow nostalgic air.

Sakaihigashi, just before noon. From the Nankai Koya Line station, a short walk north, Kita-Kawaramachi. A very Sakai sort of neighborhood, where offices and old shops mingle. “Kappo Hannan.” Out front, there was a sign with a photo of a kaisendon. And, in front of it, the okami was standing, and she called out to me. Kaisendon, 900 yen. And, ara-jiru, 100 yen. ——Ara-jiru, 100 yen. At that point, I was, already half convinced. A shop that serves ara-jiru for 100 yen is, as a rule, a shop that handles its fish properly. Having ara (fish trimmings) means, the shop is breaking down the fish itself. The flesh of the filleted fish goes on the bowl, and the trimmings go, into the soup. It makes perfect sense. The time, 11:30. Right, at opening. I slid open the door, and there was no one, inside yet. A counter, and tables in the back. I walked past the counter, and was shown to a table. It seemed to be run by just two people, the taisho, and the okami. The kaisendon, arrived. ——Ooh, I said, out loud. On top of the vinegared rice, sashimi was piled on, as if to say, how's this. Squid, first-of-season bonito, striped jack, amberjack, firefly squid, salmon, flounder, sardine, splendid alfonsino. In the center, a shiso leaf laid down, and on top of it, marinated tuna. Wasabi and gari on the side, and yellow chrysanthemum petals, lightly scattered. First bonito, that's the season. May, the early-run bonito. The colors, already, make a picture. But this is not a picture made to look good online. The sheer number of varieties is, in itself, proof of the selection. First, dissolve the wasabi, in the soy sauce. Then, drizzle it in a circle, over the top of the bowl. The classic way, to eat a kaisendon. And then, starting from the very top, the marinated tuna. ——Delicious. The soy sauce has soaked into the zuke, just right. Only the surface has taken on flavor, while inside, the succulence of the red tuna remains. I bring it to my mouth, with the vinegared rice. The acidity of the rice, cleanly cuts through the fat of the zuke. Next, the first bonito. May bonito still has little fat, and is light. But, for that very reason, the firmness of the flesh, and bonito's distinctive blood aroma, stand out sharply. So this is first bonito, I think, confirming the season, with my tongue. Striped jack, amberjack. Two fish with refined fat, even among the blue-backed fish. A firm texture, that pushes back against the teeth. Firefly squid. This too, is a messenger of spring. Inside its little body, the rich umami of the innards, is packed tight. The squid, translucent, and sweet. The flounder, mild, and delicate. The alfonsino, a faint fattiness, at the skin. The sardine, the powerful umami, of blue fish. The salmon, melting away, in the mouth. When I lifted a few pieces of sashimi, underneath them, shredded nori, had been laid out. The briny aroma of nori adds, one more layer, between the vinegared rice and the sashimi. It's this kind of unseen touch, that makes the difference. Nine kinds, or more. Piece by piece, each time the type of fish changes, the scenery in my mouth, changes. To be able to wander through this many varieties, within a single bowl. And that, for 900 yen. And then, the ara-jiru. A lidded lacquer bowl, black and red. Lift the lid, and there's a solid miso color, darker than white miso. Scallions, and yuzu peel, float lightly. The aroma of yuzu, first, rises through my nose. One sip. ——This, sinks in. Into a stomach still holding, a bit of last night's drinks, this miso soup, seeps in. The dashi, is carefully drawn. On top of it, the umami of fish from the trimmings, is layered over and over. The strong miso slowly warms the hungover stomach, from the inside. There are big chunks of fish in it, too. On my way out, I asked, the taisho. What goes into this ara-jiru. The taisho, kindly, explained. Into carefully drawn dashi go striped jack, salmon, alfonsino, amberjack——the trimmings of those very sashimi, that were on the bowl. From them, the stock is drawn, one step further. In other words, the kaisendon I ate, and this ara-jiru, came from the same fish. The flesh, to the bowl. The trimmings, to the soup. Serving a whole fish, without waste, to the customer. This is, this shop's, work. A 100-yen, ara-jiru. But, this 100 yen holds, the shop's entire philosophy. Not cheapness, but sincerity. The stance of a cook, who doesn't throw away, what would be thrown away. When you suddenly crave fish at lunch, just come here. Kaisendon 900 yen, and ara-jiru 100 yen. All told, exactly 1000 yen. A lunch this satisfying for a single thousand-yen bill, doesn't come along often. A shop of two, the taisho and the okami. If they do this kind of work at lunch, then at night, it must be, quite a place. Next time, I want to come, at night. Sit at the counter, order a few dishes of sashimi this fresh, and slowly, tip back some sake. That kind of night, surely, suits, this shop. That has become, my homework, for next time.

If you want Japanese food, this is the place! An impressive sashimi platter✨ The moment it appeared, everyone burst into applause👏👏 The head chef always says my Insta is nothing but sashimi photos but it's seriously beautiful✨ Whatever you eat, there are no misses A place that always has delicious seasonal dishes and drinks a place I want to go back to

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The dashi and the soy sauce are 👍🤤😳 So I recommend everything.