It’s located about a 10-minute drive from Niigata Station. Although located in the center of Niigata City, the Traditional Japanese Cuisine Araragi (hereinafter, “Araragi”) quietly stands on the first floor of a building just outside the hustle and bustle of the city. Daisuke Sato, the second-generation owner of the restaurant, displays his skills.
He started his culinary career at the age of 18 and worked at Gion Kawakami and Kikunoi Roan in Kyoto before returning to Niigata at the age of 28 to work at Japanese Cuisine Aragi, where he became the second generation chef in 2006. Inheriting his father's taste but breathing new life into it with his own unique style, his cuisine won a star in the "World Gourmet Guide," was the only recipient of the Chairman's Award in the "Niigata Gastronomy Awards" launched in 2023, and attracted attention when he took charge of in-flight meals for first class domestic flights of major Japanese airlines in January of the same year.
“There is probably nothing I don’t use,” says Sato, who employs a wide variety of seasonal ingredients to create his one-of-a-kind dishes. He also continues to go to learn from Takamitsu Okuda of Umeichi in Osaka to further evolve his traditional “raw ingredient cuisine,” which makes the most of the flavors of the ingredients.
Each guest is presented with a personalized menu written in calligraphy, and the plates are customized according to the guest’s tastes and physical condition. Among the most unwaveringly popular menu items are the steam shrimp dumpling in a starchy sauce made from Artic shrimp and steamed egg custard with mozuku seaweed. The steamed egg custard with mozuku seaweed, which has an exquisite, tender texture, is such a memorable dish that regular customers say they would like to have it as part of their last supper.
Although ingredients vary with the seasons, Sato believes that there are certain encounters that are appropriate for today's occasion, and he hopes that his guests will enjoy these encounters.The restaurant uses ingredients from all over Japan and does not limit itself Niigata. That said, it has been serving Niigata’s Higan sake for over 30 years and actively expresses the charms of hometown Niigata. The restaurant is as particular about the tableware and accoutrements as it is the food, such as the noren curtain by the Textile dyer Yoshioka (Somenotsukasa Yoshioka) in Kyoto and an incense container by artist Kazuo Takiguchi to highlight the changing of the seasons. The restaurant features a counter (6 seats), two tables (4 seats per table), and a 10-mat tatami room (6 seats), so the unique taste of Araragi can be celebrated with family, friends, as a couple, and fellow food adventurers, as well as for entertaining guests from abroad and other business settings.
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* The availability of this webpage does not guarantee that the restaurant presented provides services in English, unless otherwise stated. Please be aware that English services may also depend on staff availability at the restaurant.
Access
8 minutes by cab from Niigata Station on the JR Shinetsu Main Line
