Shika Jaya — Restaurant in Hakone

Shika Jaya is a traditionally decorated Japanese restaurants specializing in two things: tofu and tororo, a sticky paste made of grated yam. The set menus here came with printed descriptions and were served course by course as a tasting menu of sorts. The Shika Tokizen menu came with nearly every dish on offer, starting with Nama Yuba (soy milk skin) and Wasabi Miso Yakko (cold tofu topped with a paste of sesame, wasabi, and miso), which was my favorite tofu dish thanks to its custardy texture. Next came So-un Tofu, a warm dish of tofu topped with grated yam, showcasing both specialties of the restaurant in one dish. The grated yam had a fascinating sticky texture but was almost completely flavorless. The Yamaimo Isobe Yaki were two round pieces of grated yam wrapped in nori and sautéed, and the yam had a drier, chewy consistency. The Su No Mono was grated yam topped with a cube of raw tuna and seasoned with sake, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar.

The last few dishes all came together to complete the meal. The Tofu Steak consisted of firm cubes of tofu in a pan served over a flame. The tofu was seasoned with soy sauce and topped with scallions, bonito flakes, ginger, and a cube of butter. The Tororo was straight-up grated yam seasoned with dashi and miso, meant for mixing together with the Muginesi, or rice cooked with barley. The rice was also served with soup and tsukemono (Japanese pickles), thus completing the meal! Overall, this was a great place to try two local Japanese specialties, and though the flavors felt redundant at times, everything was prepared with care and with quality ingredients. The service was super friendly as well and made for a cozy, homestyle...

Acquired taste alert! I liked my yuba zen set 1900¥ which comes in neutral tasting flavours and pickles for the kick. But the others ordered something with Japanese yam and be aware that the yam comes in a slimey gooey mashed texture (imagine baby food) which we really disliked and didn't touch more than 2 mouthfuls. As long as you know what you're ordering, the ambience is really traditional and quiet, with amazing and friendly waitresses who teach you how to enjoy your food as it comes in multiple courses. I see mostly locals...

I was recommended this place by a Japanese friend and it didn’t disappoint me. You can find tofu and other less known traditional food including some other soya derivatives. Best deal in a rather touristic spot where you see crowds flocking at other perhaps more renowned places. Not English speaking staff although menus are in English and you can manage to order what you want. Felt very...