He Ate Well

Seaweed of the forest

Restaurant Dewaya, Nishikawa Town, Yamagata Prefecture (I'm sorry I can't read the address on their Japanese card, but their website is www.dewaya.com).

A Japanese chef friend in New York told me about Dewaya, a restaurant located at the foot of Mount Gasson, a holy pilgrimage destination in the Tohoku region's Yamagata Prefecture. It started 80 years ago as a rural lodge for pilgrims, but became famous for its cuisine based solely on uncultivated vegetables when one day, as the story goes, the lodge ran out of food and had to serve the pilgrims local wild greens picked from the mountains. The response was enthusiastic. A celebrated "sansai" (wild vegetable) restaurant was born.

I was extremely fortunate to have been joined by the gracious Vice Governor Gotoh-san, her assistant Sato-san, and an English professor named Simon Reeves - who all pitched in to help translate. (Thank you again!)

We met the second-generation chef and owner in the restaurant's "kura," or traditional warehouse, a two-story rectangular box built with thick packed-earth walls. This one had been converted into a private dining room. His assistant soon arrived with two bamboo trays filled with raw ingredients, and the chef - a man passionate about his wild greens - launched into a spirited explanation.

Japan's Far North

Ever since I started traveling to Japan, I've been fascinated by the "edges" of the country -- the reaches beyond hypermodern Tokyo. I just returned from researching story assignments in Kyoto, and also Tohoku, Japan's rugged far north - one of those edges. What a trip. In Tohoku I learned how traditional food culture endures there, and how its mountainous geography and harsh climate have shaped the way people eat. I met farmers, fishermen, cooks, sake makers, Buddhist priests, moms and grandmoms who carry on food customs handed down through the generations. I learned about the role of naturally preserved fish and vegetables, wild uncultivated greens and even game in the diet. And I got to feel the soul of the place through the warmth and kindness of strangers who invited me into their homes, kitchens, barns, breweries and workshops. More to come...