As Kakunodate town is dubbed as "Little Kyoto of Tohoku," there are many historical buildings in the area. You can find several houses built a few hundred years ago, when the area was a castle town for the Satake Clan. The samurai houses are great examples of such buildings made into a museum and shops.
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| Nishinomiya-ke's souvenir shop |
The Nishinomiya Residence （西宮家） is one of the most popular samurai houses for visitors. Besides the museum and souvenir shop, the residence has two restaurants in slightly different styles. Restaurant Kita-kura （レストラン北蔵） is more modern Japanese style where you can eat at table, but for more Japanese feeling, you can choose to eat at Omoya （母屋）,where you sit in Japanese tatami mat with low tables!
Here is a bento box your group can enjoy in the old building. This building was constructed during the mid-Meiji era (around 1880-1890). The quietness in the o-zashiki room on tatami mat is perfect to enjoy this delicious lunch box!
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| Well-balanced and delicious Nishinomiya-ke (The Nishinomiya Residence)'s Lunch Box for 1575Yen |
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| Very soft pork with delicious ftuity sauce.
You will know how delicious the dish is, even though it is served cold. You may even wonder if it was meant to be served cold. Don't worry, a bento is such thing.
A Bento Box may bot be so familiar to you - It is a traditional way to serve a meal in Japan. Oftentimes, a bento box is made to go, but you can also enjoy it in a house like this. Typically, it features many different kinds of okazu (side dishes) to accompany with a serving of white rice. Here, the Nishinomiya-ke served slices of pork, fried salmon, simmered vegetables, pickled vegetables, etc.
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The items may vary depending on the availablitiy of ingredients and seasons. One double decker bento box comes with a bowl of miso soup and hot barley tea. The price is 1,575Yen per person and available for a group of more than 2 people. Reservation is required.
