Omakase Menu Only: ¥6,500

The owner of HITOTEMA is Naoko, a fashion and food planner. She was frail and often ill from childhood, so she started making sweets for her family. Her interest eventually expanded from sweets to cooking, and she gained knowledge through self-study, including a six-year period experimenting with raw foods (raw foodist) and vegetarian cuisine.

"At HITOTEMA, we serve dishes with the theme of 'modern home cooking,'" says Naoko. "In my family, we prepared different menus every night for different generations: grilled fish for my grandparents, snacks and drinks for my father, and stews and hamburgers for us children. I draw on that experience of growing up at such a dining table to plan our menu as if I were preparing meals for my own family each day," she explains her passion for cooking.


The cuisine is primarily Japanese, utilizing a variety of Japanese seasonings. Ingredients like miso, mayonnaise, and XO sauce used in the dishes are made in-house.

The omakase-only menu is priced at ¥6,500 and consists of about seven courses, starting with an enzyme drink, followed by raw dishes, vegetable dishes, fish, meat, rice, soup, and ice cream. The menu is structured so that "you naturally find yourself having eaten a lot of vegetables by the end of the meal."

A Space with a New Concept

The interior design is by architect Makoto Tanijiri. It's a cozy space with one large table in the intimate interior.

This space, with its concept of "A TABLE," is open only one or two days a week. HITOTEMA also functions as a studio or gallery, and hosts workshops such as kintsugi (gold repair), perfumery, and cooking classes.

On the display shelves, which are made from refurbished antique furniture, are carefully selected tableware, including pieces repaired with kintsugi and items by lacquerware artists, which can also be purchased. The all-gray interior, visible through the glass, vividly highlights the people enjoying their meals, the objects on display, and the experiences created here.



HITOTEMA
Open: Every Friday
Location: Not disclosed (provided upon reservation)
Station: 7-minute walk from nearest Yoyogi-Uehara Station
*Reservations accepted via Facebook only