126TH YEAR | NO. 43,723

ISSN 0289-1956 © THE JAPAN TIMES LTD., 2022

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Destination Restaurants 2022

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FROM THE EDITOR
By YOSHIKUNI SHIRAI / EDITOR-IN-CHIEFT

his year The Japan Times ismarking its 125th anniversary. The first issue was publishedin 1897 (Meiji 30).
At the time, Japan had just taken
its first steps as a modern nation,
but the problem of the “unequal
treaties” with Western powers
was not yet resolved.
And so The Japan Times wasborn as a means for the Japanesepeople to disseminate information about themselves and theirthoughts to the world.
Since that time, the newspaper
has continued to practice journalism with a focus on providing information from Japan.
The spirit that prompted thecreation of The Japan Times still
exists today, and it informed thedecision to publish an annual restaurant guide that would be completely unique to Japan. Insteadof ranking restaurants based ontransplanted international crite-「ジャパンタイムズ」は今年125周年を迎えました。創刊は1897年（明治30年）。当時の日本は近代国家として新たな一歩を踏み出したところでしたが、欧米列強との不平等条約がまだ完全に解消されていない状況にありました。そこで日本人自らの手で情報発信し、日本の立場
を海外へ向け積極的に伝えていこうという考えから生まれたのがこの「ジャパンタイムズ」です。以降、日本発の情報にこだわり、ジャーナリズムを貫いてきました。

ria, Destination Restaurants’ selections capture the unique climate and spirit of the regional
areas of Japan.
We are now delighted to publish
the second annual Destination
Restaurants list.
We hope it will inspire readers toventure out into the regions,guide in hand, and experience forthemselves the depth and richness of Japan’s food and local
culture.

Yoichi Sagra
Hokkaido

その「ジャパンタイムズ」の DNA は現在まで引き継がれ、海外の評価機関を母体にしたガイドやランキング
ではなく、日本の地域の風土や精神性などを反映させた独自のレストランガイドを作ろうという考えに至りました。それがこの「Destination Restaurants」で、今回の特集はその第2回目のリストの発表です。
読者の皆さんには、このガイドを片手に、日本の食の奥深さと地域文化の豊かさを体感して欲しいと思います。

🅐

DewayaYamagata Pref.

🅑

What isDestination Restaurants?

Satoyama Jujo
Niigata Pref.

Destination Restaurants is a restaurant guide,published annually by Japan’s oldest Englishlanguage newspaper, The Japan Times, thatcompiles the best restaurants from the length andbreadth of the nation — restaurants so good thatthey might even warrant a trip to Japan.

🅔

L'Atelier de Noto

Tokyo

🅕

Akai

🅒

Hiroshima Pref.

Villa del Nido
Nagasaki Pref.

FeatureDon Bravo

Ishikawa Pref.

🅖🅘

LIST OF 2022
Destination Restaurants
give tastes of lived wisdom🅙Kanagawa Pref.

Chakaiseki Onjaku

🅗

RESTAURANTS

🅓

Kamakura Kitajima

Shizuoka Pref.

Villa Aida
Wakayama Pref.

By TAEKO TERAO

D

estination Restaurants is a list ofJapan’s best restaurants published by The Japan Times.
Started in 2021, the list is selected by
Japanese experts with an international
audience in mind. Our three judges fromlast year, Yoshiki Tsuji, Naoyuki Honda
and Takefumi Hamada, are back again
and have selected 10 restaurants from allover the country.
The selection criteria dictate that restaurants can be of any genre and locatedanywhere — except in “the 23 wards ofTokyo and any ‘ordinance-designatedcity’ (designated cities with populationsof 500,000 or more).” Tokyo is renownedfor having more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city in the world, andthe designated cities also boast fantastic
dining options. But for Destination
Restaurants those locations have been
excluded because “the real expression ofJapan’s land and climate is to be found inits regional areas, and not its cities.” Thejudges are also unanimous in believing in

Summary
土地ごとの個性的な食文化を魅力的に伝える10店を厳選

the value of “unearthing those unique talents that tend to get lost in regional
areas” and that a regional-focused list
provides an “alternative to the usual popular selections.”“We’re hoping to attract inbound customers to regional restaurants and create
an opportunity for the local economies to
get a boost,” commented judge Hamada.
Fellow judge Honda agreed: “Food prepared by regional chefs is based on the
traditional cuisine of the local area, so it
is brimming with lived experience andwisdom. I want people not just from overseas but from Japan too to experiencethat for themselves.” Tsuji explained his
interest this way: “I’m keen to convey
Japanese food culture from a different
angle to other guides by seeing gastronomy not as pleasure, but as an intellectual
pursuit.”And so this year’s 10 restaurants arebound to give you a taste of not just Japanbut also the unique, tradition-rich locales
that created them.

「Destination Restaurants」はジャパンタイムズが主催するレストランセレクション。 日本人が選ぶ、世界の人々のための、日本のレストランリスト として2021年に発足。
「Destination Restaurants 2022」でも前回同様、辻芳樹氏、本田直之氏、浜田岳文氏が選考にあたり、日本各地から10店を選出する。選考対象は「東京23区と政令都This list will make you want to pack an overnight bag and head out to Japan’s regions
for dining experiences that are truly off the beaten track.

市を除く」場所の全ジャンルのレストラン。
「Destination Restaurants」では「日本の風土の実像は都市よりも地方にある」と考えること、また、「地方で埋もれがちな才能の発掘」を目指すこと、「既存のセレクションとの差別化」を図ることから、エリアを限定した。
「地方のレストランに集客をして、地方経済が回るきっかけになれば」と浜田氏。「地方のシェフが作る料理には、郷土料理という歴史的背景がある。そこには人間が生きるための知恵が詰まっている」と本田氏。「ガストロノミーを知的な学びと捉えることで、既存のガイドとは違う角度から日本の食文化を発信したい」と辻氏。食を通じて日本を深く知ることができる10店が選ばれた。

日本語全文はこちらから

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| B3

JUNE 2022 EDITIONSUSTAINABLE JAPANMAGAZINE
BY🅐

Yoichi Sagra

Hokkaido (Italian)987-2 Noboricho, Yoichicho, Yoichi-gun,
Hokkaido
Tel: 0135-22-2800 https://sagra.jp/

🅑DewayaYamagata Pref. (Japanese)
58 Mazawa, Nishikawamachi,
Nishimurayama-gun, Yamagata
Tel: 0237-74-2323 https://www.dewaya.com

🅒

Don Bravo

Tokyo (Italian)
3-6-43 Kokuryocho, Chofu-shi, Tokyo
Tel: 042-482-7378
https://www.donbravo.net

🅓Kamakura Kitajima

Kanagawa Pref. (Japanese)
4-3-18 Omachi, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa
Tel: 0467-73-7320
https://www.kamakura-kitajima.jp

🅔Satoyama Jujo

Niigata Pref. (Japanese)
1209-6 Osawa, Minami-uonuma-shi, Niigata
Tel: 025-783-6777
https://www.satoyama-jujo.com

🅕

L'Atelier de Noto

Ishikawa Pref. (French)
4-142 Kawaimachi, Wajima-shi, Ishikawa
Tel: 0768-23-4488
https://atelier-noto.com

An Italian-style inn in the Hokkaido village ofNoboricho, which boasts many vineyards evenfor the Yoichi region. It relocated from Sapporo
in 2017 and became more focused on showcasing
local flavors. It specializes in pairing local wineswith the best products from the mountains andthe sea as well as produce from nearby farms.
The Japanese-style breakfast with fresh local fish
is also popular.
Founded more than 90 years ago in Yamagata
as an inn for pilgrims coming to worship at theThree Mountains of Dewa, this inn is a rarity
even in Japan for its focus on sansai, or wild
mountain plants. Based on the previous owner’s
belief that “local foods cooked by locals are
the most delicious,” it uses local ingredients,
particularly those harvested in the wild aroundthe town of Nishikawa and Mount Gassan.

A contemporary Italian restaurant in the
Kokuryocho area of the city of Chofu outside
Tokyo. Chef Masakazu Taira, who trained atseveral fine-dining restaurants in Italy, has afresh style that breaks new ground in gastronomy
while incorporating casual elements and Japanese
flavors in dishes like wood-fired pizza.

A Japanese-style restaurant in a former residence
at the foot of the mountains in the Kanagawa cityof Kamakura. Based on Kyoto-style techniquesthat owner Yasunori Kitajima picked up at Kyoto’s
famous Wakuden, it uses mainly local ingredientssuch as Sagami Bay seafood and organic
vegetables to create genuinely unique flavors.

Located in the snowy Niigata city of
Minamiuonuma, this inn offers Japanesecuisine in an old converted residence. Not only
has its food earned plaudits, but the handson experiences it offers guests for growing
organic Uonuma Koshihikari rice and its style ofreinventing local cuisine through collaborations
with chefs are also attracting attention.

A French restaurant run by Toshiya Ikehata, who
was born and raised in Ishikawa’s Noto Peninsula
and trained in Osaka and France. Many guests
come to enjoy the seafood, including crabs inwinter and rock oysters in summer, servedin local Wajima lacquerware and Suzu wareceramics. The restaurant itself is housed in aformer lacquerware workshop in Wajima.

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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: MINAKO SUEMATSU
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: YOSHIKUNI SHIRAICONTRIBUTING EDITOR: ARINA TSUKADADIRECTOR: SHINOBU YAMADAMANAGING EDITOR: MARIANGELES DEJEAN
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japantimes.com/jp

COVER PHOTO
At the top of the Destination
Restaurant 2022 list is the Italianrestaurant Villa Aida in Wakayama
Prefecture.
One of its many charms is fresh
vegetables cultivated by the owner-chefin a neighboring field.
PHOTO: KOUTAROU WASHIZAKI

You can get a copy of the latest
SUSTAINABLE JAPAN MAGAZINE
at the following locations
Auberge Toyooka 1925
En Takeda Castle Town Hotel🅖

Chakaiseki Onjaku

Shizuoka Pref. (Japanese)
6-14-12 Honmachi, Yaizu-shi, Shizuoka
Tel: 054-626-2587
http://www.all-yys.com/onjaku

Located in the Shizuoka port town of Yaizu,
famous for its bonito and tuna. The restaurant
is now run by Daigo Sugiyama, who took overfrom his father. The full-course menu using fresh
fish from the renowned Sasue Maeda Fish Shop
invokes the spirit of traditional tea ceremonykaiseki meals without the formality.

Hotel Cultia Dazaifu
Hotel VGM Resort Kyoto
International House of Japan
Lime Resort Hakone
Lime Resort Myoko🅗

Villa Aida

Wakayama Pref. (Farm Restaurant)
71-5 Kawajiri, Iwade-shi, Wakayama
Tel: 0736-63-2227
http://villa-aida.jp/english.html

Located in a residential area of the Wakayama
city of Iwade, Villa Aida’s full-course menu is
an Italian-based original crafted with local fish,game and fruits as well as vegetables and herbs
grown by owner-chef Kanji Kobayashi. One of therestaurant’s great achievements is that it makes
a virtue of using the kind of produce that might
never find its way to market.

Nipponia Fukusumi Post Town Hotel
Nipponia Hotel Hakodate Port Town
Nipponia Hotel Igaueno Castle Town
Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi
Nipponia Hotel Ozu Castle Town
Nipponia Hotel Takehara Saltworks Town

🅘

Akai

Hiroshima Pref. (French)
4-3-41 Miyajimaguchi,
Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima
Tel: 050-5488-3330
https://ya1h900.gorp.jp

Located in Miyajimaguchi, the departure point
for ferries to the world-renowned Itsukushima
Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture, this innovative
French restaurant is housed within an 80-yearold former residence. With a focus on serving
freshly prepared meals, it has just eight seats at its
counter. Locally born and raised chef Kenji Akai’smenu is inspired by the fresh ingredients available
on the day, so there are no standard items.

Nipponia Hotel
Yamefukushima Merchant Town
Nipponia Sasayama Castle Town Hotel
Nipponia Sawara Merchant Town Hotel
Matsumoto Marunouchi Hotel
Satoyama Stay Nino-machi
Satoyama Stay Tono-machi

🅙Villa del Nido

Nagasaki Pref. (Italian)313-2 Tairako, Kunimicho, Unzen-shi, Nagasaki
Tel: 0957-73-9713
https://ameblo.jp/villadelnido/

An Italian restaurant in a single-family housesurrounded by farms in the Kunimi area ofthe city of Unzen on Nagasaki Prefecture’s
Shimabara Peninsula. Chef Takafumi Yoshida,
who was born and raised locally, trained in
Italy. Able to identify the true potential of locally
produced ingredients, he expertly pairs locallysourced meals with wine and local sake.

Satoyama Villa Honjin
Satoyama Villa Den
Tobira Onsen Myojinkan
Wokuni New York

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NAOYUKI
HONDA
From personal favorites to the chefs with the biggest potential —the judges’ robust deliberations covered many topics and spanned
several hours.
PHOTOS: KOUTAROU WASHIZAKIYOSHIKI TSUJI

FeatureMINAKO SUEMATSU ischairperson and publisher,
The Japan Times Co. Ltd.

ICOMMITTEE
Judges assess progress— and potential

地域に根ざし、哲学をもつ料理人が日本の未来を変える

TAKEFUMI
HAMADA

By TAEKO TERAO

n mid-April, the selection meetingfor Destination Restaurants 2022
was held at the headquarters of The
Japan Times in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward.
Judges Yoshiki Tsuji, Naoyuki Honda
and Takefumi Hamada, who had beenout and about sampling restaurants allover Japan since last year’s edition, commenced their deliberations with a carefully selected shortlist of just over 60 restaurants. The 10 restaurants chosen lastyear were ineligible.
“Great sushi restaurants have existed
in regional areas for a long time, but recently the regions boast even great
French and Italian restaurants, and so
the options for choosing a restaurant at
your travel destination are growing,”
commented Hamada during the discussion, and sure enough, the names ofWestern-style restaurants dotted from

Summary

RESTAURANTS

Hokkaido to Kyushu cropped up frequently. High praise was reserved forrestaurants whose innovative chefs draw
on locally developed cooking methods
and ingredients, such as Hokkaido’s Yoichi Sagra and Nagasaki’s Villa del Nido,
which offers an Italian sublimation ofJapanese ingredients like native rice varieties and iriko (dried baby sardines).
Honda pointed out an interesting
trend: “In the past, it was the chefs whoraised the level of the local producers,
but recently the opposite is happening,with producers raising the level of therestaurants in their area.” One restaurant that was highlighted in this regard
was Chakaiseki Onjaku in Shizuoka,
which serves fish from the high-quality
purveyor Sasue Maeda Fish Shop. Lively
discussions continued in this vein forseveral hours, with the judges agreeing

4月中旬、千代田区にあるジャパンタイムズ本社にて「Destination Restaurants 2022」の選考会が行われた。辻芳樹氏、本田直之氏、浜田岳文氏の3人が、対象店（昨年選出された10店は除外）を60店強まで絞り、議論が始まった。
「昔から地方でも寿司の名店はあったが、最近はフレンチ
やイタリアンも目立ってきた」と浜田氏。札幌から余市に

to prioritize “restaurants that will growin the future” and restaurants where “astory is told through the food.” Eventually they arrived at a final list of 10.
The next task was to decide on the
Destination Restaurant of the Year 2022,
and the unanimous choice was the Italian restaurant Villa Aida in Wakayama
Prefecture. Tsuji said its chef, Hiroshi
Kobayashi, is “currently one of the top 10
most accomplished cooks in the country
and has a solid culinary philosophy. He
has a powerful voice with dishes that are
deeply rooted in his region. He is like Michel Bras in France.”
And of course, even with this year’s
decisions made, the food culture of Japan’s regions, including the 50 or sowonderful restaurants from all cornersof the country that missed this year’s selection, will continue to evolve.

移転した北海道「余市 サグラ」や日本の食材をイタリアンに昇華させた長崎「ヴィッラ デル ニード」などがランクインした。また、「生産者が中心となって地域の飲食店のレベルを上げる例が見られる」という本田氏の発言に当てはまる、「サスエ前田魚店」の魚を主力に扱う静岡「茶懐石 温石」も入選。
「食を通して物語を感じることができ

The judges referred to data on each of thecandidate restaurants.

る店」を基準に、今後の期待も込めて10店を選出。そして、満場一致で和歌山「ヴィラ アイーダ」が「The Destination
Restaurant of the year 2022」に選ばれた。
「小林寛司シェフ
は現在、日本で10指に数えられる技術力をもつ料理人で確固とした哲学を持っている」と辻氏。こうしている間も、日本各地ではレストランがさらに進化を続けている。

日本語全文はこちらから

|Comments by the three judges
YOSHIKI TSUJI

NAOYUKI HONADA

TAKEFUMI HAMADA

Headmaster of Tsuji Culinary Instituteand president of Tsujicho Group

President and CEO,Leverage Consulting Inc.

CEO, Access All Areas Inc.

W

I

I

Yoshiki Tsuji heads schools
in Osaka, Tokyo and France
that groom would-be foodprofessionals, sending over
140,000 graduates into the foodservice industry in Japan as well
as abroad. At the G20 Osakasummit in 2019, he served as
executive producer of a dinner forheads of state. He has contributed to the developmentof food culture, serving on a committee screening
nominees for the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries’ Ryori Masters (Masters of
Cooking) award program. He has also lectured invarious places in Japan and overseas. Tsuji wasawarded France’s National Order of Merit in 2018.

Based in Hawaii and Tokyo,
Naoyuki Honda leads a life underthe motto of mixing businesswith pleasure, traveling aroundregions across Japan and Europe,
as well as other parts of theworld. He has written over 75
books, which have sold over 3
million copies. Notable titles
include “Naze Nihonjin Shefu wa Sekai de Shobu
Dekita no ka” (“Why These Japanese Chefs Have
Been Successful in the World”). He daily pursues food,whether it is from street stalls, local cuisine or dinnerat three-star restaurants. Honda has produced events
such as “Dream Dusk,” featuring multiple leading
chefs, and “Inspire by Relux,” an event in which
participants stay at a luxurious ryokan inn Japanesestyle hotel.

Takefumi Hamada has been therestaurant reviewer ranked No.
1 for three consecutive years
as determined by Opinionated
About Dining’s OAD Top
Restaurants, having dined at thebest restaurants in 120 countries
and regions around the world.
He is an adviser to businesses
in entertainment, food and hospitality, as well as
an investor in food technology startups. Hamada
has a background in finance, starting his career as
an investment banker before moving on to private
equity. He holds a B.A. magna cum laude (with greathonor) in political science from Yale University.

hile it is true that regional restaurants
will often be difficult to access, that is
all the more reason to cherish thescenery you encounter on the way there andback. Whether it is coming across a butterbur
sprout in the snow, or just feeling the season
with all your senses, the journey constitutes adelight in itself that city restaurants simply cannot offer. And of course it makes the joy of actually eating the food that much stronger.
Fortunately, in the last 15 years or so, there
has been a renaissance in food that has greatly
refined the offerings of regional Japan, withtechniques from all manner of genres adopted.
But this didn’t happen overnight. The concept ofgastronomy as an art form, which is consideredobvious in France, was finally accepted in Japan, and as a result cooks and producers spontaneously started pursuing better products
based on their own local histories and climates.
It’s wonderful to be able to tell people about
this change through Destination Restaurants.
You can’t advance food culture just by talking
about your own personal taste. For example,
take a regional chef like Ishikawa, who is a
graduate of our Tsuji Culinary Institute. With
his L’Atelier de Noto, the chefs and the customers there will be thinking about questions like:Why this region? Why these ingredients? Why
this dish? What kind of philosophy is behind it?
True gastronomic tourism is possible only whenboth cook and eater are thinking about thesethings. That’s how you get the authenticity of
the region, and how you establish the ideal
place for the chef to show off their skills. It’s still
early days right now, but there’s potential here
to sell Japan’s delights to the world.

was still out there eating two days before
the selection meeting. Before COVID-19,
I would spend five months of the year in
Hawaii, two months in Asia and Europe, andthe rest in Tokyo and other places in Japan,
but since being involved in the first Destination Restaurants last year, I’ve had a strong
desire to learn more about Japan.
I spent half of the past year in Tokyo andhalf in regional areas, and once again I wasable to experience the richness and depth ofJapanese food culture. For example, I learned
that the fermentation technique used at Satoyama Jujo in Niigata was born from traditional techniques to preserve food in remotevillages that became snowed-in during winters. So today’s chefs are learning the techniques and ingredients that were born fromthese local climatic necessities and reinventing them in contemporary dishes. I also
learned that fermentation and preservation
methods differ between extremely cold andmilder regions. You don’t realize that sort ofthing unless you actually visit these places.
So it is not just that the restaurants are
tasty, it’s that they serve to satisfy our curiosity. That is how they are able to convey foodculture. It’s true that with many regional restaurants there will be drawbacks, like they
are difficult to reach by public transportation, or they have a poor selection of alcohol,or there are no good accommodations nearby. And yet restaurants like Dewaya in Yamagata Prefecture give you a sense of experiencing their evolution firsthand, and that’s
what makes them attractive. You just knowthat they are going to get better and better.

n the period of one year, I visited 700 restaurants — 300 of them were overseas,
200 in Tokyo and 200 in regional Japan— and I can tell that nowadays, social media
makes it easier to disseminate information,so even if a restaurant is in a remote location,
if it is good then someone will post about itand potential diners will learn about it immediately.
This is good news for people running restaurants in the regions, given that without moneypaying guests a restaurant simply cannot sustain itself. Partly because of this, the numberof ambitious regional projects by young chefs
has increased in recent years, such as Akai in
Hiroshima. Likewise restaurants like Don Bravo in Chofu, a city that is located in Tokyo but
outside the 23 wards, and as such is not thateasy to get to and is generally excluded fromcity restaurant guides.
In Destination Restaurants, I am also keen
to shed light on restaurants in the suburbs ofTokyo (including Chiba, Saitama andKanagawa prefectures), which are often
overlooked because they are neither in thecity center nor in regional areas. Too close tovisit by shinkansen but far by regular train,
they are at a disadvantage. Then there arerestaurants like Kamakura Kitajima. The cityof Kamakura is known as a tourist destination, but not really for its restaurants, andnow a restaurant comes along that in thespace of one year has proved so popular it isbooked out three months in advance. With asingle restaurant attracting people like that,
it is bound to contribute to invigorating the
economy.

| B5

B6 |

Feature|Left: Blanched zucchini with house-made limoncello is topped with thinly sliced squid and servedwith mixed grains. Right: Anise flowers, baby shiso and cream-cheese sauce top butterbur withcaramel and nasturtium.

RESTAURANTSRESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Pushing boundaries with cuisine rooted in place
By TAEKO TERAO

V

illa Aida, winner of the Destination Restaurant of the Year 2022
award, is located in Wakayama
Prefecture, half an hour by car from Kansai International Airport or a train ridewith several transfers from Osaka. It isn’tsurrounded by great scenic beauty ornear any famous sites. Instead, it is tucked
among clothing shops and restaurants on
the main drag of a residential neighborhood that few travelers would likely goout of their way to visit unless they were
headed for this restaurant. Since there
are no luxury hotels nearby, most diners
finish their meal and head straight backto the airport or train station. But if they
arrive an hour or so early, they can tour
the gardens where chef and owner Kanji
Kobayashi lovingly grows the vegetables
for the restaurant. The place where thezucchini and corn ripen. The greenhouse
crowded with colorful edible flowers andherbs like thyme and rosemary. They may
find chef Kobayashi harvesting something, scissors in hand. What dish will it
become? This, you see, is where the meal
begins.
Filled with anticipation, guests step inside the restaurant, which occupies ahouse decorated in the style of an Italianvilla. The floors are wood and the walls
are white plaster. Outside the windows,
The restaurant Villa Aida is surrounded by a mix of houses and farm fields.

Summary
自ら育てた野菜を主役に洗練された世界観を創造「Destination Restaurants 2022」ベストオブザイヤーに輝いた『ヴィラ アイーダ』は近くに大自然も観光地もない
住宅地にある一軒家のレストラン。以前はイタリアンを標榜していたが、現在、あえていうなら 和歌山風味と小林寛司シェフは言う。
料理はランチ、ディナーともに19,800円のおまかせコー

スのみ。サブテーマは5月なら「初芽豆々」。シェフの父が育てた米のチップスに摘み立てのお茶の新芽を合わせたアミューズからスタート。
「涙豆 サリエット」は採れたてゆえの薄皮の繊細さ、風味の鮮烈さに感動せずにはいられない。都市部のレストランでは決して真似できない料理だ。メインは近隣で飼育している猪豚、デザートは

和歌山名産の柑橘類を使って。最後の小菓子まで、一見、意表を突くような取り合わせであっても、それはすべて
その日、この土地で必然性をもって出会ったもの。
マダム、有巳氏の接客やワインのラインナップも相まって、土地の魅力に現代的なセンスが加わる。土くささ、
自然の恵みは洗練されて、はじめて世界を振り向かせる。

日本語全文はこちらから

|

Left: An amuse-bouche of kinuhikari rice chips with ponzu sauce, topped with fresh tea buds.
Right: A flavorful slice of inubuta pork paired with hummus of flowering baby zucchini.

PHOTOS: KOUTAROU WASHIZAKI

Villa Aida
As the restaurant’s cuisine became more natural and expressive of
terroir, the interior design was adjusted to match.
● 71-5 Kawajiri, Iwade-shi, Wakayama
Tel: 0736-63-2227 http://villa-aida.jp/english.html

dappled sunlight flickers. In a setting thatis neither rural nor urban, the restaurant
is a world apart. It is also an epicure’s
Mecca. There is only one table, for six. On
chef Kobayashi’s ideal day, a pair of diners from the city join a pair from the local
area and pair of farmers or artisansaround the table, engaging in a conversation that leaves all of them inspired by thetime they leave.
The only option for either lunch or dinner is a set omakase menu for ¥19,800($150). In Japanese, it is called Wakayama Flavor. Since its opening, Villa Aidahas advertised itself as an Italian restaurant, but year by year it has come to fit
less neatly in that category. If pressed,
chef Kobayashi describes his style as
Wakayama flavor. Or better yet, “mycooking.”
The omakase menu includes eight ornine plates, two desserts and a sweet
served with tea. In May, the theme was“shoots and peas.” The meal began with
an amuse-bouche of chips made fromkinuhikari rice grown by the chef’s father
and fresh tea buds picked that day. The
tea buds, seasoned with a citrus yuzu
ponzu sauce made in-house the previous
winter, were slightly bitter and green-tasting, but not at all acrid. Their fresh flavor
filled my mouth as I chewed. Next wasbutterbur with caramel and nasturtium.
Butterbur, or fuki, is a traditional wild
food deeply associated with Japanese as
well as Wakayama cuisine, but the pairingwith sweet caramel sauce was entirely
novel, creating flavors that could only be
experienced here.
In another plate, succulent new onions

were pickled and served with a compoteof lemon blossoms and a third item, daikon radish pods, that is rarely used outside of Villa Aida. Daikon is left in the
ground over winter to flower in spring andform the tender young seed pods that are
harvested for this dish. Their crunchy texture and bracing flavor, which tastes as
green as they look, tied the whole plate
together. Next was a plate called GuisanteLagrima Sariette. The larger of these “tearpeas” were pureed and the smaller ones
were arranged raw in a generous moundof unbelievably sweet orbs bursting withjuice. Only freshly picked peas have suchdelicate, thin skins and vivid flavor. No urban restaurant located far from its suppliers could make a dish like this.
The main dish showcased inobuta, ahybrid of wild boar and domesticated pig,
raised in the nearby town of Susami. A
pork loin from near the shoulder was prepared sous vide and seared to bring out
its flavor, then served with a hummus offlowering baby zucchini from the restaurant’s garden. Dessert featured citrus
fruit, a specialty of Wakayama. Even the
final sweet was unexpected yet perfectlyin tune with its moment in time and locality. Each element of the meal felt like anessential encounter bringing new insightto the meaning of delicious food.
From the unaffected service provided
by Kobayashi’s wife, Yumi, to the lineup
of natural wines, Villa Aida offers a contemporary take on the appeal of this region. Rustic pleasures and natural bounty
are sophisticated, and they have power toreveal the world anew. Few chefs knowthat better than Kanji Kobayashi.

| B7

B8 |

|

The larger beans and peas sold on the market often have amealy texture, but small ones are sweet and succulent.

Just-harvested herbs and vegetable flowers from the restaurant’s fields
PHOTOS: KOUTAROU WASHIZAKI

KANJI KOBAYASHI
Born as the eldest son of a part-time farmer in Iwade, Wakayama Prefecture,
Kobayashi traveled to Italy in 1994 and learned about the attitude of earnest
engagement with local ingredients. In 1998, he cleared his family’s field
and opened Ristorante Aida. When he and the restaurant’s manager andhost, now Yumi Kobayashi, married in 2007, they added an accommodation
facility and renamed the establishment Villa Aida. Since 2019, Kobayashi
has been visiting various regions, making connections with people, andreflecting these experiences in his cuisine while continually proposing new
possibilities for farm-based restaurants.

FeatureRESTAURANTS

INTERVIEW
Chef Kobayashi changing Japan’s restaurants

Kanji Kobayashi in his field. Working on the land, he became captivated by the vegetable-growing process.

By TAEKO TERAOT

he restaurant Villa Aida has been
unanimously selected as Destination Restaurant of the Year 2022.
Its culinary philosophy holds the power tochange the values of Japan’s chefs andfood producers.
tables comprise 80 percent of the ingredients used by Villa Aida’s owner-chef,
Kanji Kobayashi. He and his wife, Yumi
Kobayashi, grow nearly all the produce
themselves in a 0.7-hectare area that includes the fields immediately surrounding the restaurant and three greenhouses
within a few minutes’ walking distance.
Kobayashi said: “For about the first
three years after opening the restaurant, I
Flowers, fruit, stems — each part of the plant isused differently in the restaurant’s cuisine.

Summary
和歌山にこだわるからこそ
都会のゲストを集客できる

used ingredients imported from Italy andserved dishes patterned after the cuisine
at the starred restaurants in Italy where
I’d trained. At the time I wanted to attract
local people and made dishes that werequite ‘fancy,’ but business gradually decreased. I realized I couldn’t keep goingthat way, and changed my approach. I
thought about the restaurants where I’dtrained in Italy — restaurants like Don Alfonso, outside Naples. They were all located one or two hours by car or train
from urban areas but drew customers
from around the world. So I decided touse food products from the Wakayama region and try to attract people from cities.
Since I turned my attention to local ingredients and started growing crops to saveon storage costs, I made a shift to using
lots of vegetables, including herbs.”
These vegetables have uncommonlyhigh sugar content even by international
standards, and are very different from theuniformly shaped produce generally distributed in Japan.
“I think many urban restaurants buy directly from growers, specifying vegetables’ size and sometimes even sugar content,” said Kobayashi. “This is good for
growers’ business, and it’s certainly one
way of thinking, so I won’t say it’s wrong.
But after growing produce for about 20「Destination Restaurants 2022」のベストオブイヤーには『ヴィラ アイーダ』が全会一致で選ばれた。オーナー
シェフ、小林寛司が扱う食材の8割は野菜だ。そのほとんどを店に隣接する畑で妻の有巳とともに育てている。
「開店当初は地元客向けに、修業先であるイタリアの星
つきレストランのコピー料理を出していたのですが、都years, I’ve realized that vegetables havedifferent aromas and wonderful flavors at
every stage — when they’re not fully mature and still a bit unripe or, on the contrary, when they’re a little overripe, oreven when they occasionally grow shootsor flowers. How could I not use them?
Currently we grow about 150 types ofvegetables, including herbs, but considering that we use them in different stages ofgrowth, there are actually hundreds.”
While his process is simple, the rich flavors of Kobayashi’s cuisine can truly becalled nature’s bounty. But things aren’t
all on the plus side — agricultural work
involves many hardships, too. When a typhoon comes, for instance, the crops canbe destroyed.
“You might say we’re able to keep going because our work is so rewarding.
How to combine the things that are currently growing in the fields, how to cookthem — nature teaches us everything. It
always turns out to be something original.
I don’t need to rack my brain. There’s theland of Wakayama, the ingredients andthe culture — what I’m combining withthem is not so much technique as my own
experience, including my time in Italy.”
Kobayashi said there was a time when
they raised ducks and kept bees themselves and aspired to be completely self-

会の人をターゲットに変更。地元食材に目を向け、仕入代を浮かせるためにも畑を始めました」
彼らがつくる作物は日本で一般的に流通している野菜とは様相を異にする。「未熟なものやトウが立ったもの、さまざまな段階での風味、おいしさがあることに気づいたのです」100% の自給自足を目指した時期もあっsufficient. But they realized that creating
their own self-contained world would
keep them from engaging with other people. Since then, they have endeavored tolive and work with the local community.
“I also grow blueberries and figs, but
for other fruits like citrus and peaches —and things we haven’t had much successin cultivating, like root vegetables — weuse other farmers’ products. We also obtain fish, game meat like deer and boar,
farm-raised boar-pig hybrid, Kumano
beef and other foods from local producers.”
Recently, with the attention his restaurant has garnered, Kobayashi has had
more occasions to meet with urban chefs.
“When I introduce chefs from Tokyoand Kansai to producers in this region, I
organize get-togethers and invite young
local chefs, too. There are young chefs
who want to pursue careers in the region
but don’t know how to go about it, so I
hope to create situations that inspire themto think, ‘This is what I want to do.’ Goingforward, I’d also like to travel around different areas, including other countries,
and create dishes in collaboration with local restaurants.”
Chef Kobayashi lives with the land, andhis culinary philosophy will surely spreadto lands across the sea.

たというが、周りとの関わりがなくなることに気付き、地元の生産者からも食材を仕入れ、共生を目指す。また、
最近では都会のシェフたちとの交流も増えてきた。そんなときは地元の若手シェフたちにも声をかける。今後は海外も含め、各地を回って、料理をつくるのがシェフの夢だという。

日本語全文はこちらから

|

| B9

Destination Restaurant
2021

Cuisine régionale L’évo
Toyama Pref. (French)https://levo.toyama.jp

FeatureChimikepp HotelRESTAURANTS

Hokkaido (French)

LIST OF 2021
Looking back at the ﬁrst
Destination Restaurants

https://www.chimikepphotel.com/

Nihonryori Takamura
Akita Pref. (Japanese)
https://www.akita-takamura.jp/

The Japan Times’ special issue featuring
Destination Restaurants 2021

C

Restaurant Uozen
showcase Japanese food culture as chosen by Japanese people.
The Destination Restaurants judges,
back for a second year, are Yoshiki Tsuji,
Naoyuki Honda and Takeshi Hamada.
All are familiar with both domestic andglobal restaurant trends and, more thananything, love restaurant culture. They
decided that the chief criterion for the
new list would be to exclude restaurants
located within the 23 wards of Tokyo or
Japan’s 20 designated major cities. They
had three reasons. First, they believethat the true expression of Japan’s landand climate is to be found in its regional
areas, not its cities. Second, they think it
is important to unearth those unique talents that tend to get lost in regional areas. And, finally, they believe that a regional-focused
list
providesanalternative to the many other popular
restaurant rankings.
In recent years, The Japan Times has
paid close attention to the efforts of people and communities in Japan’s regional
areas and has introduced readers to
many of their activities. When considering the sustainability of economies and海外の評価機関を母体にしたレストランガイドやランキングではなく、日本の風土や精神性などを反映させた、「ジャパンタイムズ」が日本発信のレストラン・セレクションをできないか。そ
地方レストランに注目する理由。 んな考えから生まれたのが、日本人が選ぶ、世界の人々のための、日本のレストランリストである。今年第2回目の選定も含め、選考は、辻芳樹、本田直之、浜田岳史

Summary

Iwate Pref. (Japanese)
http://tonoya-yo.com/

By TOSHICHIKA IZUMI

ouldn’t we make a restaurant
guide here in Japan that really reflects the Japanese climate, spirituality and values, rather than have torely on guides and rankings that are run
by organizations from other countries?
From this simple question was born Destination Restaurants, a list of the best
restaurants in Japan selected by Japanese experts with foreign diners in mind.
These days we are told, for example, thatTokyo has the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. And yet, the truthis that those restaurants are chosen on
the basis of international criteria and values, and it is hard to avoid the conclusionthat they don’t really capture the minutiae of Japan’s highly nuanced cooking
methods, its ingredients and the regional
diversity of its restaurants. The Japan
Times, which was first published in 1897,
was born from a concern that the English-language newspapers of the time
were only conveying what foreigners
saw in Japan, and not what Japan itself
wanted to convey. Adopting that samephilosophy, Destination Restaurants
kicked off in 2021 with the desire to

Tonoya-Yo

the environment, the role of regional restaurants cannot be overstated. Restaurants capable of attracting diners fromall over the world have a tremendous impact on local economies, with the benefits even flowing through to local agriculture and fishing. In addition to theeconomic aspects, such restaurants also
help preserve local food cultures and thenatural richness of regional areas for future generations, and even help people
regain their local pride.
Japan, which stretches broadly from
north to south, is 70% forested and has
the sixth-longest coastline in the world.
The country’s climate, flora and fauna
are highly diverse. In this rich naturalenvironment, it is possible to derive great
pleasure not only from the wide range of
unique dishes you can find, but also fromthe unique scenery you might witness on
the way to a restaurant, or from the creativity of the chef. Covering all these aspects of the dining experience, Destination Restaurants is your total guide to
Japanese food culture. Each year we will
select 10 must-visit restaurants. We hope
you will enjoy them.

という、国内外のレストラン事情に精通し、何よりレス
トラン文化を愛してやまない３氏が行っている。
「ジャパンタイムズ」では近年特に、日本の地方の人や街の取り組みに着目し、その活動の一旦を紹介してきている。持続可能な社会や環境を考えるうえで、地方にあるレストランの地域社会に対する役割は重要である。なNiigata Pref. (French)
http://uozen.jp

Kataori
Ishikawa Pref. (Japanese)
https://levo.toyama.jp

MekumiIshikawa Pref. (Japanese)

Nihonryori Yukimoto
Nagano Pref. (Japanese)
https://yukimoto-hanare.com/

PescecoNagasaki Pref. (Italian)https://pesceco.com/

État d’esprit
Okinawa Pref. (French)
http://www.konpeki.okinawa/

ぜなら、世界中からゲストを集めるレストランが地域経済に及ぼす経済効果は大きく、その存在は、地域の農業や漁業に刺激を与え、活性化を促す作用があるからだ。
また、それは経済的な側面だけではなく、その地域が持つ食文化や自然の豊かさを次世代に残し、その地域に住む人々の誇りを取り戻すことにも繋がる。

PARTNERS

authentic-japan-selection.japantimes.com

日本語全文はこちらから

B10 ||

Leaders & ReadersThis article was published on May 23
in The Japan Times

German superstar Peter Gruss leads ‘extraordinary’ OIST in Okinawa

New technologies, pure science made in paradise
By TIMOTHY SCHULTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

O

During annual conferences, Peter Gruss
always encourages students to be curious as an
approach for life.
PHOTO: HIROMICHI MATONO

Prolific scientist, top administrator
Peter Gruss grew up in Hessen, the rural
heartland state of Germany. He began hisacademic career as a doctoral candidate at theGerman Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg,
where he earned his Ph.D. studying oncoviruses.
He continued his research in the U.S. at the
National Cancer Institute in the National
Institutes of Health, then returned to Germany
in 1982 to join the University of Heidelberg’s
Institute of Microbiology.
In addition to being one of the most productive
scientists in his field, he was offered the
directorship of the Molecular Cell Biology
Department of the Max Planck Institutefor Biophysical Chemistry, one of the mostprestigious research institutes for basic science inGermany, and left the University of Heidelberg.
He gave up his own research in 2002 when he
was elected president of the entire Max Planck
Society, responsible for 86 Max Planck institutes.
Whenever he can enjoy some down time, Gruss
likes to go for a swim and snorkel five minutes
away from OIST at a place he considers to be thebest in Okinawa.

Summary
沖縄科学技術大学院大学、10年で国内トップの研究機関に

n the main island of Okinawa, alittle-known graduate university
has quietly become one of Japan’s most innovative institutions. To findit, fly south until you get to paradise, thenhook a left. You will arrive at a small cluster of modern buildings looking over thesea. Walk the grounds, and you will noticemany of the professors are young, andmore than half are non-Japanese. Ask a
few people what they are working on, andover the sound of the waves you will hear
the future being read to you, one discovery at a time. The Okinawa Institute of
Science and Technology (OIST) isn’t whatmost people expect. That is exactly what
its president and CEO, Peter Gruss, waslooking for before he joined.
Gruss is a tall, blue-eyed German gentleman, the kind of man who skiedthroughout his 60s and still whistles up
mountain trails. He came to OIST five
years ago, after a superstar career in research and administration, where he became Germany’s most prominent and celebrated science administrator. Imagine if
an ambitious Japanese movie studio convinced a semi-retired Steven Spielberg tobe their CEO; that is what his arrival musthave felt like at OIST.
Gruss was attracted to OIST by threerare factors: ample government funding,
independent oversight and a commitment
to cutting-edge research. “What mattersto the top minds is working near othergreat minds being supported by what I
call ‘high-trust funding.’ OIST has that,”he said. This is the research funding model that Gruss had championed at the Max
Planck Society, which he ran for 12 years.
“It is the opposite of grant-based funding.
Instead, candidates are evaluated basedon what they have done so far. It allows us
to identify great scientists, and help themdo the extraordinary.”
At OIST, extraordinary results have followed, and Gruss is exuberant about his
new home. “It is a wonderful, young university that has grown in recognition in
the past 10 years. OIST is now the No. 1
research university in Japan, and one of
the top three in the world.” He qualifies
the statement in simple terms. “Of course,

沖縄科学技術大学院大学（OIST）は創立から10年で日本および世界トップクラスの教育・研究機関へと成長を遂げた。OISTの学長兼理事長を務めるピーター・グルース氏は母国ドイツの最も著名なサイエンス・アドミニストレーターと称され、研究支援において華々しい経歴を持つ。また、独マックス・プラン

the overall impact of places such as Tokyo
University or Caltech are much higher.
But think of our tiny size. Normalize thepublications by the number of professors,and you’ll see the difference.” Gruss wastalking about scientific publication, andthe citations each publication receives;
ground-breaking papers are frequently
cited by peers, while unexciting papers
are simply ignored. “If you want to evaluate the quality of a scientist, you can[evaluate] the impact of their publications
by the number of citations. By this measurement, the overall Japanese grantfunding is the least efficient among theG20. Sadly, it means that this government
funds mediocre research.” Gruss tutted,
and shook his head. “OIST is quality overquantity. That is the key for success!”
As the leader of OIST, Gruss lobbies forchange at the highest levels of government and corporate leadership. His firstmessage: Publicly funded research is not
optional, but necessary. “Look at the
numbers. The U.S. commits about 0.9% of
its GDP to research (including the government sources and private foundations), Germany 1%. Japan pays only
0.6%!” His second message: This research
is not a subsidy. It is an investment, onethat must be carefully made, and inyounger scientists. “In Germany, we reward smart young researchers with hightrust, five-year research plans,” he said.
“These are researchers who are around35 years old, and their title is often ‘assistant professor.’ Mind you, they are doing
their own research! But in many Japanese
universities, the assistant professor… isactually the assistant to the professor!”
Gruss threw his hands in the air with frustration. “When did many Nobel laureates
do their Nobel Prize experiments? In
many cases they were under 42. The
brightest young Japanese scientists arelosing this opportunity!”
While he is a passionate advocate forchange in Japan, his real eloquence is reserved for the research done at OIST. The
institute does enable tech transfer, buttakes pride in doing more theoreticalwork, where researchers solve problems
that are only just emerging, or find new

ク学術振興協会会長時代から十数年以上に渡り、「ハイトラスト・ファンディング（業績を評価し研究資金の交付者を選定する制度）」を支持してきた。グルース氏は、「トップレベルの研究者にとって大事なのは、ハイトラスト・ファンディングを受けながら、他の優秀な研究者たちと密接に働ける環境だ」とし、「OIST

uses for barely understood technologies.
He touched on computing: “We call it‘post-quantum cryptography.’ A quantum
computer will be able to break any currently available mathematical code. So if
we don’t understand how to deal with this
now, before the first quantum computer isavailable, then we will be in a very badplace.” Later he shifted to genetics. “It isthe combination of big data and AI thatwill change everything. AI will be able totake the entire population’s genetics —down to the molecules — and comparethem to the health outcomes of each person. This will finally give us an understanding of polygenic traits — traits controlled by more than one gene, and by
more than one chemical affecting thosegenes. This is only 10 years away.” And
don’t get Gruss started on stem cells,
which fall under his own scientific expertise. “For some time now, scientists havebeen able to grow organoids — very simple brains, or any organs — from the cellsof any part of a human body. Now theseare getting more complex! Soon you will
be able to test drugs against entire humanstructures!” With Gruss at the helm, OISTis exploring all of these areas and more.
It was the end of our meeting, andGruss had barely touched on the many
discoveries being made in Okinawa under
his guidance. “No other generation has
lived at a time like this, with the amountof dramatic change that is coming. There
will be upheaval in every way that makes
us human, from anti-aging to CRISPR
therapies to quantum computing.” Looking back, it could have been a chillingstatement. But coming from Peter Gruss,
it sounded downright cheerful.

Peter Gruss

President & CEO, Okinawa Institute of
Science and Technology

URL: www.oist.jp
Hometown: Hessen, Germany
Years in Japan: 5にはそれがある」と話した。OIST はすでに多くの素晴らしい成果を上げており、既存技術の移転を可能にするだけでなく、多くの理論研究に取り組んでいる点が自慢だ。さらに、グルース
氏の指揮の下、OIST は量子コンピューティングやオルガノイド培養など、多様な最先端研究を行なっている。

|Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi giving a
congratulatory message

PHOTOS: HIROMICHI MATONO

Guests listen to one of the speeches and congratulatory messages.

Nomura Holdings’ Ross Rowbury and Marybeth
Boller, Caroline Kennedy’s former chef

On the occasion of
our 125th anniversaryT

he Japan Times, in commemorating its 125th anniversary on thisspecial page, expresses gratitude
for the consistent support and encouragement it has received from its diverse
stakeholders, including readers, over theyears.
This paper was established as Japan’s
first English-language newspaper with apurpose of bringing Japanese and nonJapanese people together in closer union
through interpretation of Japan and Japanese things. For a century and a quarter,

The Japan Times has faithfully followed
this objective and grown to not only
unite people but also to think together
with the general public what can be done
to make the world more sustainable inevery respect.
We once again take this opportunity tothank everyone, and will continue our efforts to be a reliable source of information in the belief that acquiring knowledge and insights can open doors tosolving many of the pressing concernsthat the world is facing.

A toast led by James Kondo, chairman of The International House of Japan.
The guests were able to enjoy premium sake donated by Makoto Kambara,president of the Tsuneishi Group.

FUMIO KISHIDAPRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN

From left: Ambassador of Ukraine Sergiy
Korsunsky, Ambassador of Croatia Drazen Hrastic
and Ambassador of Colombia Santiago Pardo

Above and above right: Attendees look at theexhibit about the history of The Japan Times.

Summary
創刊125周年を記念して、レセプションを開催
2022年３月に創刊125周年を迎えた英字新聞の The Japan Times は、
在日大使館、各分野でのリーディングカンパニーの方々、普段からお世話になっている皆様をご招待し、国際文化会館でレセプションを行いました。当日は60名を超える各国在日大使をはじめ、約300名がご参加くださり、ジャパンタイムズと日本の歴史を振り返るパネル展示などを楽しみました。

Kishida:New world turning pointOn the occasion of the 125th anniversary of The Japan Times, with somany people gathered for its celebration, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to The Japan Times’ chairperson andpublisher, Minako Suematsu, and all the
stakeholders.
I hear that The Japan Times was established in March 1897. At the time, our country was at a major turning point. Japan was
struggling to form a new system to protect its
independence in a harsh international environment while learning a great deal from
Western countries and reinforcing its foundations as a modern nation.
I would like to offer my renewed respect for
the timely and visionary endeavor of launching the first English newspaper published by
Japanese with the significant goals of letting
the world know how things really are in Japan and promoting mutual understanding.
It is easy to imagine that The Japan Times’
dissemination of information to the rest of
the world contributed significantly to the creation of the new Japan.
Today, we face yet another important turning point. We are witnessing a rush of events
that will go down in history, including the

COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition, no time should
be wasted in tackling political challenges
such as achieving sustainability of the economy and society. No country can overcome
these difficult issues and challenges alone.
Now that we are facing various hardships,
we should learn much from the attitude ofour predecessors who sought a better future
through opening the nation and connectingwith the world.
To do this, it is indispensable for nations tocorrectly understand each other — this, I believe, has not changed since so many years ago.
One of my jobs is to do my best in communicating Japan’s situation to the world fromthe vantage point of the Japanese government.
I sincerely hope that The Japan Times continues to pursue the difficult mission of showing the real Japan to the world, preserving
the philosophy and ideas inherited from thetime of its establishment.
I believe that each effort we make will help
nurture mutual understanding with othercountries and increase the strength of Japanand the world in paving the way for a new era
even in the face of various challenges.

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