We took an early morning express train from Shinjuku and finally arrived Nikko in 2 hours. A quite small but intersting station. So Japanese.
Traveling with family is fun, and it’s great when they like it too.
We stayed in a guesthouse big enough for six people. In Nikko, we noticed that restaurants close after 5 pm. So, we bought dinner from a convenience store nearby and enjoyed it back at our place.
Surrounded by many temples and shrines, most restaurants in Nikko mainly serve mountain vegetables or vegetarian cuisine.
Nikko’s vegetarian food is especially delicate and tasty. Even a simple bowl of rice with onions and egg has layers of delicious flavors.
Yuba, or tofu skin, is a special food from Nikko. We ate vegetarian all day there, and for lunch near Kegon Falls, we had this bowl of Yuba Udon with an egg. Such a simple dish, but so satisfying.
When you visit Nikko, you must try the local “Yuba dishes.” The water here is pure, without any industrial or chemical pollution, making the Yuba melt in your mouth as soon as you eat it.
For dinner, we’d like to try Nikko’s unique Yuba dishes. Nikko is famous for its tofu skin dishes, and many well-known restaurants there specialize in serving it. The most popular is “Yuba Imperial Meal,” a small, modest place by the roadside.
The store was about to close when it was just 5:30 pm. Luckily, we made it in time! It was still light outside. The shop’s decor is simple and refreshing.
The place had no fancy decorations, it was bright and clean. We sat at a table near the window.
The menu offers wild vegetable soup udon and grilled meat rice bowls. Next, there’s the tofu skin set meal. We ordered five servings all at once.
While waiting for the food to be ready, the adults decided to have a beer first. We ordered a bottle of non-alcoholic malt beverage.
The dishes are served! All the food is made from soybeans, and most of it includes fried, boiled, and stir-fried tofu skin.
The sesame tofu is super tasty and smooth! It’s as creamy and silky as top-quality ice cream. There’s also fresh tofu skin that tastes sweet after chewing, which has a nice soy flavor, served with appetizing perilla rice.
Yoyo has always liked soy products because they are juicy when bitten into. The right side shows the skin of an Inari sushi, which is filled with local vegetables and mushrooms.
A salad of cold bamboo shoots and tofu skin served with a special yuzu Caesar dressing.
The dish is prepared using a tea bowl steaming method, combining tofu skin, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and mountain vegetables in a rich broth.
The homemade coffee jelly is served with whipped cream for a truly satisfying treat.
