Sep 17, 2015 - 2 min read

A Taste of Tohoku

Marunouchi pulls out all the gourmet stops

By Tom Roseveare

Creative Director @ Japan Travel

Marunouchi Building is one of several locations around Tokyo Station promoting Tohoku cuisine and culture with September's Marutto Tohoko campaign.

Tempura Ohsu Iwaidori chicken from Iwate prefecture

Fried oysters from Miyagi prefecture served in a Sichuan-style spicy soup

A5 Yonezawa beef carpaccio with Italian vegetables from Kahoku-cho, Yamagata

Close-up of tempura seasonal vegetables, including maitake mushroom

Chicken tempura and the fruit-enhanced dipping sauce

Chinese medicine-inspired lighting and decor at Sekkomon

Another image of the A5 Yonezawa beef carpaccio with Italian vegetables from Kahoku-cho, Yamagata

Inside Daedoko, in the Marunouchi Building

Outside the front of Marunouchi Building

Looking out from the Marunouchi Building, towards Tokyo Station and the KITTE Building

Tokyo's Marunouchi district kicked off 'Marutto Tohoku in Marunouchi Tokyo' on 12th September 2015, which has drawn together the support of restaurants in the area to help both celebrate and promote Tohoku cuisine and culture.

Bringing North East Japan to the heart of Tokyo, Marutto Tohoku will involve special edition dishes available at dozens of restaurants, as well as traditional festivals and product fairs showcasing the best Miyagi, Iwate, Fukushima, Aomori, Yamagata and Akita have to offer.

Tempura Kikutei (TOKIA B1F) are offering Oshu Iwaidori chicken (2,160 yen inc. tax) from Iwate prefecture – tender, flavoursome and served tempura-style with a fruity dipping sauce and seasonal tempura mushrooms, including maitake, shiitake and eringi.

Sekkomon (Marunouchi, Oazo B1F) have fried oysters from Miyagi prefecture (1,450 yen inc. tax) served in a Sichuan-style spicy soup – a blend of chili oil, chilli peppers and more. It's served alongside hitomebore rice from Miyagi's Tome city. Marunouchi's Oazo restaurants are exclusively promoting Miyagi-style cuisine from this specific region.

Daedoko (Yamagata dialect for 'kitchen', or daidokoro) (Marunouchi Building 6F) brings A5 Yonezawa Japanese beef carpaccio (1,250 yen inc. tax) to the table from Yamagata prefecture. Think thinly-sliced high-grade wagyu beef alongside some Italian-style vegetables from Yamagata's Kahoku-cho, such as pumpkin and okura, served in a familiar carpaccio style, with parmesan and balsamic vinegar.