Atami is the hot spring town people living in Tokyo drop by on a whim, and it’s the best-known place on the Izu Peninsula. Even Hakone or Nikko are hard to enjoy for their hot springs without a car. It’s famous as a sightseeing spot too, so I’d actually planned to spend most of my time here, but stopping at the beach in Shimoda threw the schedule way off. We left the beach later than expected, and it’s over 50 km away, so by the time we reached Atami it was already dinnertime.
After agonizing over what to eat, we decided to just park anywhere and look for a place nearby. The whole town is a tourist spot anyway, so going somewhere from a guidebook wouldn’t guarantee it’d be any good.
The place we happened to walk into was Gottsuoya Maaru, a creative cuisine spot on Atami Ginza. It’s a very ordinary-looking izakaya. Creative cuisine plus Chinese food on top of that made me hesitate at first, but it was late and there didn’t seem to be any better option, so in we went.
Aji tataki
The gills are still flapping. All the flesh has been filleted off and it’s still alive. Japanese sashimi is usually about enjoying aged fish, so live sashimi isn’t that common, but aji is the exception. You get that firm, bouncy Korean-style sashimi texture. Maybe because it was insanely fresh, it was really chewy. It showed what aji tataki is supposed to be.
Rice and miso soup
Nothing special.
Simmered kinmedai
This guy is Izu’s local specialty. They sell it everywhere in Izu. I ordered it without expecting much, and it tasted amazing. Probably because it was so fresh. With fish like this the flesh is great, but the part around the gills is the really tasty bit. I was busy picking the fish clean when I ordered another bowl of rice.
Dried fish – grilled himono platter
This one was just so-so for the price. Nothing special, but not bad either. So we got to try Izu’s specialty three ways – raw, simmered and grilled. It wasn’t very expensive either, so overall it easily gets a passing grade.
A glass of sake
A bit pricey. I had to drive, so I didn’t taste it.
The building
It didn’t come out right. The battery died while I was shooting. We were short on time too, so we just headed back. Lots of good food and plenty of memories – it was an Izu trip to remember. I’d like to go back when I get the chance. Though going with just the guys like this time is something I’ll have to rethink..