Il Mare — Restaurant in Yakushima

We enjoyed some unexpectedly good meals while visiting Yakushima, and this restaurant was another delightful surprise. I know from past travel experience that Japan can be quite legit with their Italian food, but I wasn't sure what I was going to find in a place as rustic as Yakushima... Thankfully, Il Mare easily measures up to any of the best Italian restaurants we've tried on the mainland.

Their pizza crust is intentionally "pumped up," so a bit larger than your usual Neapolitan pizza, but otherwise still appropriately airy, and basically the same as what you would get in Italy.

Some of the pizza toppings on offer were fairly unorthodox, featuring ingredients distinct to Yakushima (venison + gorgonzola pizza, anyone?). But we just stuck to the standard margherita. The pizza had some structural issues with drooping a bit in the middle (which we have experienced elsewhere in Japan as well), but otherwise, it was fantastic.

The dessert menu tempted us quite a lot - especially the green tea ricotta cake - but we already had other dessert plans, so we could not partake...

There are a few different culinary products you can purchase to take home with you (like spices, olive oil, etc.). I left with some acacia honey, since it was cheaper than what I've found locally.

The inside of the restaurant was not overly spacious, but it was very charming. The ceiling is vaulted with exposed wooden beams. Various photographs of the owner visiting Italy (and particularly Sicily) adorn the walls.

The seats nearest the windows offer a seaside view with your meal, but those were already taken when we arrived. It looked like there was also a bit of outdoor seating, for when the...

Great food location on Yakushima Island. There aren't too many places open for lunch on the island, but this is one of them, and it's located right next to the airport as well so it's pretty easy to access on your next trip to the island.

Japanese chefs seem to do a pretty good job with Italian Food for whatever reason, and this place is no exception. Both the pizza and pasta here is fantastic and uses local ingredients from the island where possible.

It'll cost you around 1,600 for a pasta or around 2,000 for a pizza; I'd recommend trying both if possible. The views from the restaurant are also nice, being located right near the ocean.

When we arrived here they had a sign outside the restaurant saying 'Closed', but I think they just forgot to turn the sign around as it was definitely open. The food takes a little while to come, at the time we visited this was due to staffing issues where the owner was basically running the kitchen solo. It's worth...

To the owner who patiently listened to two walk-in customers that came without reservations, who had enough materials to make just one more pie, who decided to not turn them away and offered to make us a pizza pie to go, we are truly grateful 🙏🏿🤙🏿

He explained to us that you would need to make a reservation and that he was fully booked the next few nights, but lunch you don't need to make a reservation.

As for the pizza, we got the shiitake mushroom and veggie pizza. It was the best pie I've had on the island and in Japan. I could taste the truffle, the fresh slices of shiitake, and the slight bitterness of the greens all combined for a great tasting pizza. Honestly, he saved us from a night of instant noodles.

Grateful for the owner's patience, for his skill in making a good pie, and for his mercy on two hungry souls....