This little restaurant had escaped my notice until recently when a friend suggested the cute veggie spot in her neighborhood.
Only two minutes' walk from Sangenjaya station, I was pleased to find that not only is it vegan and macrobiotic, but that the shop makes an effort to use as many fair-trade and organic products as possible.
After entering the shop front right off of route 246 (look for the prayer flags), I found a homey space crammed floor to ceiling with health food store products, woven sculptures, and gourd crafts. The shop is decorated with driftwood and basketry, with flyers and ornaments cascading over the back of the piano.
A friendly staff person seated us at one of the half dozen wooden tables (there are also five seats at the counter), and we ordered the Ohana special of the day and a veggie burger.
The special came prettily presented with brown rice, a crisp green salad, a small hijiki salad, and several hot morsels - a broccoli tofu concoction, some kind of fried gluten with veggies in chili sauce, and a veggie and bean croquette. The special changes daily, but always comes with brown rice and salad. The veggie burger was dressed with organic greens and came on a toothy whole grain bun, a delight in the land of processed white bread. A side of corn salad and green salad accompanied the burger.
In addition to their lunch and dinner offerings, Ohana (which comes from the Hawaiian meaning "family," rather than the Japanese "flower") offers take-out lunch boxes and sweets. If you decide to dine in, take advantage of the non-smoking environment and free wi-fi.
Ohana features live music events regularly, as well as exhibitions and workshops. Some recent events include a book club, an acoustic live music set, an anti-child labor meeting, a solstice celebration, and a local politics meeting. Some events have a cover charge; check the calendar (in Japanese).
At the front of the restaurant is a shop called "From Earth" with a selection of natural food products, sometimes including vegetables and bakery products. They also run a web shop (in Japanese).
