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  • today we are going to discover more about meiji  period

  • in one of tokyo's oldest  sukiyaki restaurants called "Imaasa"

  • "Imaasa" opened in year 1880 just couple of years  after the emperor meiji had his first bite of beef  

  • in the same year the railway opened near  shiodome where the restaurant is located  

  • while the exterior has changed  significantly

  • inside you can feel the old japan atmosphere

  • dining halls  have tatami floorings

  • andhorigotatsu”, a table that is low to the ground  and has a recessed floor beneath

  • what exactly caused a "Sukiyaki" boom in Japan?

  • Meiji era was a crucial turning point  in japanese history

  • bringing about the end of japan's feudal hierarchy

  • that was replaced by a modern nation state

  • japan ended its 200year long seclusion and  systematically introduced western culture  

  • and blended it with a japanese  one

  • this was called "WAYO-SECCHU"

  • new culture that resulted from mixing the traditional japan with the new western trends

  • naturally japanese cuisine experienced some changes too and the new ingredient was introduced  

  • beef

  • before the meiji era beef had not been  consumed for over a thousand years in japan

  • one of the main reasons why beef was not considered clean to eat ,

  • was the strong influence of Buddhism

  • however the fact that beef was one  of the key components of the western cuisine,

  • urged the emperor to add it to his daily diet

  • which then encouraged the other supporters to start eating beef as well

  • it was quite difficult  to find the same ingredients and learn the western cooking methods of beef

  • by using the "Wayo-Secchu" concept

  • this unfamiliar western ingredient was combined with the japanese style of  cooking

  • and beef hotpot, "Gyunabe" was created

  • restaurant "Imaasa" still follows the cooking method  that started in the meiji era

  • and has been passed down from generation to generation

  • thin beef  slices are cooked with japanese onion in soy sauce

  • the reason why the meat is cut so thin

  • is because in meiji people simply wanted their beef to remind them of the flesh of a fish

  • because they were more used to it

  • because the beef is hot it is dipped in  raw egg to prevent burning your tongue

  • restaurant uses top quality matsusaka beef

  • matsusaka beef has a high fat to meat ratio

  • making it really juicy and tender

  • it is however quite pricey

  • i'm gonna try tofu

  • it has been boiling there for some time now

  • this enoki just absorbs all the juices  and they just explode in your mouth  

  • finally shirataki noodles are used  to collect all the remaining sauce  

  • so that there are no leftovers at all

  • we just slide down immediately

  • nothing nothing

  • the owner and a fan of german culture akira-san  

  • told us about his family  restaurant and its history

  • Back then, the meat hαd α wild smell to it

  • so it was hard for the Japanese people to eat it

  • so many restaurants used miso base to cover it

  • but we bought high quality beef directly

  • which enabled us to make soy sauce based hot pot

  • so the base recipe hasn't change since then

  • What about the future of Imaasa

  • that's α difficult question

  • We're barely surviving

  • And I have 2 daughters so...

  • I hope they will take over the business but...I don't know

  • Now with pandemic, the number of guests are low

  • Even when this is over, we don't know what will happen

  • I'll try to continue as much as possible,

  • and hopefully for the next 100 or 200 years, we can continue

  • Last but not least, a short message from Akira-san

  • We are a restaurant with 141 years of history

  • We still keep the same style from back then

  • In the special rooms you can sit and stretch your legs

  • and enjoy the old Gyu-nabe style Sukiyaki

  • Please come and visit

  • now you may wonder how much the entire course was

  • one set of top quality beef in this famous restaurant  cost 14 000 yen per person  

  • my meal budget for the rest of the month  has been significantly reduced for sure  

  • but hey it is not every day you get to  eat at a major restaurant

  • would you try

  • you

today we are going to discover more about meiji  period

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