Kyoto: Landmark Chinese Restaurant Maintains Traditional Design of Vories' Building As Well As Taste
Tohkasaikan Honten is a long-established Chinese restaurant serving Beijing-style cuisine. The restaurant is famous for its delicious dishes as well as having one of the oldest elevators in Japan, making its building a Kyoto landmark.
The exterior of the entrance is adorned with sculpted sheep reliefs with elaborate horns, open-mouthed fish and stone pillars with traditional Japanese patterns. Gazing up at them, I was overwhelmed by their detail and diversity.
Based on a 'Spanish Baroque' style, influenced by both Christianity and Islam, the decorations also adopt Buddhist and traditional Japanese designs.
'I believe our restaurant was able to fit in well in Kyoto thanks to the city's receptiveness to diversity,' said Shuchu U, 54, manager of the restaurant.
The building was designed by William Merrell Vories (1880-1964). The U.S. architect designed various buildings in Japan, including schools, churches and residences, but a restaurant is rare.
Vories was asked by Western-style cuisine restaurant Yaomasa to design a building in 1924, completing it two years later. But the Western cuisine industry later took a hit due to World War II and U's grandfather, Eizen, took over, having been friends with the owner.Opened in December 1945, Tohkasaikan has five stories and a basement floor. It has also been used as a venue for events like weddings and as a setting for a novel. The exterior and interior, as well as the flavors of the restaurant's dishes, are etched in the hearts of many Kyoto residents.
In his childhood, U's grandfather told him, 'This is an important building, so we have to protect it.' However, maintenance is difficult. The exterior walls, floors and windows are prone to damage, air-conditioners need to be replaced and restrooms need to be repaired.
The family always struggled with how to allow customers to enjoy their meals comfortably while preserving the original atmosphere. U's father, Junsei, who passed five years ago, instructed him to 'make sure you preserve the original appearance when you refurbish the building.'
He has repeatedly conducted renovations but said he 'never loses sight of the basics,' even restoring the original lighting from the time of the restaurant's opening.
'If I understand why it looks the way it does, I can always go back to the basics and preserve tradition,' said U. 'The same can be said for cooking.'
The renowned restaurant suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they had fewer customers, making it difficult to stay open. Then, long-time regulars showed their support, saying, 'Let's protect Tohkasaikan.'
'I felt strongly that our restaurant is being protected like a treasure by the people of Kyoto and being kept alive thanks to them,' U said. 'I believe my mission is to preserve this place.'
Travel back in time with manual elevator
The elevator in the Tohkasaikan Honten building was made in the United States in 1924, making it one of the oldest existing elevators in Japan. It has an old-fashioned collapsible gate and requires an operator to manually control it with a lever.
The elevator's car has doors on the right and left sides. On the fourth floor, people use the right door, and on other floors, they use the left one. As it is two years older than the building itself, the elevator is thought to have been designed by Vories himself. 'Vories may have designed it together with the building and ordered it to be made by sending blueprints to the United States,' U said.Above the elevator door is a semicircular dial, with hands like those of a clock to indicate floor numbers. To balance traditional design with safety, regular inspections and updating major components such as the motor and brakes, which are placed in hard-to-see places, are essential.
It goes up and down smoothly, and when the door opens with a creak, it evokes the feeling of standing in an old movie, like a time machine.
Popular Beijing-style cuisine
Tohkasaikan is known for Beijing-style cuisine. Beijing cuisine is rooted in Shandong cuisine, one of the four major styles of Chinese cooking. The dishes feature rare ingredients from various regions, including dried shark fin, abalone and sea cucumber, and are characterized for their elegant, nutritious salty taste.Course menus are priced between ¥6,600 and ¥27,500 per person plus service fees. Some include high-end delicacies like Peking duck, simmered shark fin and bird's nest soup.
Among the a la carte dishes, spring rolls made with thinly fried egg with fried pork and vegetables, are popular. The price is ¥2,200 per plate.
TohkasaikanHonten main restaurant at Shijo Ohashi Bridge is a short walk from Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station or Keihan Gion-Shijo Station. Opening hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays, and 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends. Closed one day a week irregularly.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
3 hours ago
Vlas Kobara: Japanese Language Education Breaks Down Barriers for Foreign Children in Japan
I was born in Khabarovsk, Russia, in 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but moved with my mother to Japan when I was five years old. We lived in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, at first. A family story goes that when I entered nursery school, I insisted on wearing sunglasses and jewelry. Looking back, I suppose I was struggling in my own way to fit into Japanese society. When I was little, there was one person, a man I met in a park in Himeji, who made a strong impression on me. He called me over and gave me candy and we talked. When I spoke about myself, I copied what my friends called me and said 'Vlas-kun is...' but he corrected me, saying, 'You don't use 'kun' when you talk about yourself.' He also taught me the Japanese words for 'bench' as well as 'baseball,' pointing to a nearby game to explain a little how to play. You might say he was a nosy old man, but when I think back now, he was only trying to bring me into the community of that park using simple Japanese. I was very lucky to meet someone like that and for the subsequent friends I have made, who helped me become part of Japanese society. Foreign children can feel isolated, and I believe that Japanese educational spaces should create room for them to join and talk with people outside their families so they can get to know others in their community. Sharing Dreams I head the organization Supporting Foreign Children to Attend School, which provides 100 hours of free online Japanese language education to children who cannot yet speak Japanese well. The aim is to give them the minimum level of language ability to participate in school lessons. Our basic financing is through crowdfunding, with lessons being run with the help of students from Reitaku University. An online session to support foreign-born children in Japan to enroll in Japanese school. (© SFCS) The children often struggle to simply introduce themselves, and sometimes break into tears during the lessons. But they learn words quickly. After around 30 hours, they can talk about their favorite anime and tell us about their marks in school. After 100 hours of lessons, some children are even able to describe what they want to be when they grow up. Of course, 100 hours is not sufficient to master Japanese. But it is enough to make Japanese friends and to give people the confidence to say, 'It's all right for me to be here.' Children typically do not have a say in their parents' decision to move to Japan. In the country, they suddenly find themselves face to face with a language barrier that makes it nearly impossible to communicate with their peers and others around them. Imagine being in a class where you are the only student who does not understand the words being spoken. It goes without saying that it is a stressful experience. That is why we need to create environments where children are not isolated and are able to express their thoughts. The SFCS was established in 2021, and I became director in 2022. I am charged with raising awareness of the need for Japanese language education for foreign-born children and supporting and interacting with our students, including speaking at the program's graduation. Acquiring Japanese language skills is a comprehensive process that cannot be easily divided into areas like study or play, which is why instructors need to be clever in their approaches. A letter of thanks decorated with origami from a child who went through the SFCS Japanese lessons. (© SFCS) Lack of Understanding Builds Up As Japan's foreign population increases, there is talk of closed communities of, say, only Vietnamese or Chinese resident, who isolated from their Japanese neighbors struggle to come to terms with Japanese society and share their grievances to blow off steam. If there is not a way for such groups to communicate with Japanese people directly to learn how they see the world, then such foreign communities run the risk of growing ever more polarized and the views of members becoming more extreme. If Japanese people can learn more about the reasons behind foreign residents' behavior, though, we can find better balance. The bridge spanning those two sides is the Japanese language. The Japanese government has said that there are over 8,600 school-age foreign children in Japan who are possibly not attending elementary or middle school. Children who do not attend school or learn Japanese will not make Japanese friends or become attached to Japan as a country, leading to fractures in society. I have read numerous articles about immigration issues in Western countries that describe how many second-generation children who did not go to school ended up grouping together and forming gangs. Such stories negatively impact the immigration issue, fueling anti-foreigner sentiment and bolstering support to remove immigrants. The value of learning Japanese for foreign residents in Japan is that it breaks down barriers. Being able to understand and answer someone or making friends with Japanese people are experiences that help open children's minds, and I believe can lead to a society that is better for everyone, foreign and Japanese alike. Vlas Kobara recording a podcast. 'If you look at reality with clear eyes, you soon see what's needed right now.' (© Almost Japanese) 'We Have to Live Together.' Anti-immigrant sentiment is growing in Japan and around the world. But what if in this country we could go back to earlier times, before such negative views had gained a foothold and ask people whether they wanted to reject immigrants. I think the majority of people would not be anti-immigration and be open to taking in foreigners. This is because immigration is an economic necessity. Japan's population is falling and foreigners support Japanese society by working, paying taxes, and paying into the national pension. For better or worse, we are in a time when we have to live together. As the foreign population grows, we frequently hear phrases like 'cultural diversity' and 'coexistence.' These are important ideas, but Japan does not have to embrace every aspect of foreign culture brought by immigration. It is not necessary nor possible to understand everything about each other. Rather, people should find those aspects that they can embrace, and distance themselves from those that are hard to accept. What is important is to strike a balance. I want foreigners coming to Japan to know that the country is not suited to everyone. There tends to be a rosy image of Japan being warm, open, and peaceful. I agree that it is a wonderful country with lots of great people, but there are certain types of individuals and points of view that are hard for foreigners to come to grips with. Similarly, there are Japanese people who have no interest in understanding foreigners' points of view. This is a reality that must be accepted, making it all the more important that foreign residents strive to communicate with Japanese people in their own language. Private Sector Taking Action I am uncertain what official measures Japan is taking to support immigrants, but there are many individuals in the private sector who are taking action. When we put out the word looking for cooperation in Japanese language education, we had lots of people volunteer to help or support our crowdfunding efforts. The current situation is less about waiting for the government to take the lead and more centered on private citizens and organizations taking action because they see a need. One problem, however, is a lack of coordination among different projects. To bolster collaboration there needs to be more information sharing and integration among the different support organizations. I want to help foreign children learn not to be afraid of interacting with Japanese people and the broader society by giving them the skills and experience to communicate effectively. I want more foreigners to be able to express themselves, and to create an environment where they can feel comfortable with the way of studying in Japan, attending Japanese schools, and being a part of a society where friends from different backgrounds can accept each other. This starts with the simple joy of having someone understand what you are saying. A diary page written by a foreign-born child who learned Japanese through SFCS online program. (© SFCS) I believe that a society where any child can feel like they belong benefits everyone, Japanese and foreign resident alike. It is important to discuss what is working and deal with ongoing issues. It is not enough merely to point out that there are children who are struggling to fit in at schools. It is vital to show that there are children who are succeeding and have found their place in Japan. I believe that sharing positive examples builds the desire to change society. (Originally published in Japanese, based on an interview by Matsumoto Sōichi of . Banner photo © Ochi Takao.)
Japan Times
5 hours ago
- Japan Times
Hong Kong scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoos
Above the teeming shopping streets of Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district, a fight to save one of the world's most endangered species is unfolding high in the branches of a decades-old cotton tree. Nestled among its sprawling boughs is a nest box designed for the yellow-crested cockatoo, of which only 1,200 to 2,000 remain in the world. Although the birds are native to East Timor and Indonesia, one-tenth of those left are found in Hong Kong — one of the "largest cohesive remaining wild populations" globally, according to Astrid Andersson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong. Their future now hangs in the balance, due to habitat loss and, some suspect, a black market for the rare birds. The cockatoos' numbers have stagnated, with far fewer juveniles than when Andersson began monitoring almost 10 years ago. The birds don't make their own nests but depend on natural cavities in trees — about 80% of which have vanished in recent years, because of typhoon damage and government pruning. The nest boxes set up by Andersson are an attempt to rectify this, designed to resemble the hollows sought out by the birds. A yellow-crested cockatoo raises its crest as it rests on a tree branch at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong | AFP-JIJI She plans to place about 50 around the city. "Without the nest boxes, I believe that the cockatoos will have fewer and fewer opportunities to increase or replace individuals that die in their population," she said. The boxes will also allow observation of their reproductive behavior, which has never been comprehensively studied. Human-wildlife coexistence The cockatoos' existence in Hong Kong has been "a very positive story about human-wildlife coexistence," said Andersson. The population in Hong Kong is an introduced one, with one urban legend recounting they originated from an aviary set free by the British governor of Hong Kong before surrendering to the Japanese in 1941. There is no evidence to support that story, however — the modern flock's ancestors are in fact believed to be escaped pets. Hong Kong's urban parks, full of mature trees bearing fruit, nuts and other food, became a "sanctuary" for them, Andersson said. Urban animal habitat designer Harry Wong climbs up a cotton tree at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, to install an artificial nest box for yellow-crested cockatoos. | AFP-JIJI The cockatoos are now part of the city's fabric, their loud squawks echoing through the sky at nightfall. Perched on streetlights, they sit calmly observing the humming traffic along city flyovers. Many people don't realize they are looking at an endangered species in their neighborhood. "We genuinely thought they were just like an average parakeet," said resident Erfan, who lives near a flyover. Yellow-crested cockatoos are often mistaken for sulphur-crested cockatoos, commonly found in Australia rummaging through bins. The two are genetically distinct though, and the Australian species is not endangered. Black market? Merchants at Hong Kong's bird market certainly know the difference. When reporters visited, sulphur-crested cockatoos were openly displayed, while yellow-crested ones were only shown upon request. Several yellow-crested cockatoos rest atop a light pole in the Sai Ying Pun neighborhood in Hong Kong. | AFP-JIJI A 1-year-old bird was being sold for a whopping 56,000 Hong Kong dollars ($7,000), while a 2-month-old chick could sell for HK$14,000. It has been illegal since 2005 to trade wild-caught yellow-crested cockatoos. Selling ones bred in captivity is allowed, but the breeders must have valid licenses under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). There are no such registered breeders in Hong Kong. Sharon Kwok Pong, founder of Hong Kong Parrot Rescue, believes there may be a "black market." "There have been people that find out where these birds are, they raid them," she said. Captive-bred cockatoos should have a ring on their leg and documentation proving their origin, but these can be falsified. "I think we need a crackdown," Kwok said. "If you want to protect a species, so unique in this environment, I think a lot of things need to fall into place." 'A backup population' Andersson has developed a forensic test that analyses a cockatoo's diet to determine whether it was recently taken from the wild. She hopes this will help enforce the ban on illegal sales. In their native habitats, poaching, rapid habitat loss and climate change have devastated the cockatoos' numbers. The financial hub's birds may one day be able to help revive them. "Hong Kong's population could have genetic lineages that are now gone," she said. It could function "as a backup population for the wild Indonesian counterparts."
The Mainichi
10 hours ago
- The Mainichi
In Photos: Okinawa island locals accused of 'spying' for US military at end of war killed
Image 1 of 8 Eef Beach, where the U.S. military landed on June 26, 1945, in the final phase of World War II, is seen in the town of Kumejima, Okinawa Prefecture, in this photo taken on Aug. 4, 2025. The Japanese military's Kayama unit began to kill local residents after the U.S. military's landing, and the atrocities continued until late August that year. (Mainichi/Shinnosuke Kyan)
