250 Year Old Japanese Restaurant is Older Than America

The Japanese restaurant Tamahide has been in business for more than 250 years!

That makes this restaurant older than:
Early automobiles (1886)
Perforated Toilet Paper (1880)
Photographs (1814)
America (1776)

Tamahide is an Edo era (1603 to 1868) restaurant that has always been popular. Think that through, this restaurant has been popular for more years than America has existed!

Anyone familiar with Japan has seen probably seen this iconic print.

Well, here's a fun fact. It was made by one of the most prolific Japanese artists, Katsushika Hokusai, who was born in 1760 and Hokusai didn't create this woodblock print (named The Great Wave off Kanagawa) until 1829. That's 69 years after Hokusai was born and long after Tamahide first opened for business in Tokyo.

Tamahide even invented a popular Japanese dish. The restaurant started out serving Japan's unique Shamo (a breed of chicken), then expanded into serving sukiyaki, and then invented the famous oyakodon during the Meiji Period (1868 - 1912).



Oyakodon is named for 'oyako' meaning 'parent and child' and 'don' like 'donburi' meaning a rice bowl dish. Parent represents the chicken and child represents the egg, which are both simmered in a sukiyaki-like sauce with other ingredients before being served over rice.

Tamahide is now run by the 8th generation owner, chef Yamada Kosuke, who focuses on keeping the traditional recipes alive but not being afraid to modernize. This video showcases the beauty and artistry of Tamahide and traditional Japanese cuisine.

If you're visiting Tokyo, be sure to stop off here for a taste of traditional Japan!

Address: 1-17-10, Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo,103-0013​

 

Would loveeee to go there!!!

 

@jmriz I'd like to go there as well, but only when there isn't a 4 hour long line to wait in. I'm sorry I don't care how great your food is I don't have that tolerance to wait in a line for 4 hours for said food.

 

If it was the best oyakodon in Japan, I would def wait for hours!! It would be different if I was waiting for my food for hours.

 

Guess they dont take reservations then? Shame.