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Nihonbashi Yukari Chef Kimio Nonaga Curates a Pop-Up Showcasing Flavors of Nara Yoshinoyama

Update-Date: Oct 27, 2025

Author: SAVOR JAPAN

Categories: Japanese Cuisine

Nihonbashi Yukari Chef Kimio Nonaga Curates a Pop-Up Showcasing Flavors of Nara Yoshinoyama

Yoshino Town is a World Heritage town located in Nara. A pop-up event will be held here, focusing on Nara Yoshinoyama food that uses copious amounts of local ingredients. The venue will be the restaurant Yoi no Zen Yoshinoyama located in MUJI room SAKAMOTOYA. Chef Kimio Nonaga will be handling the food. He works at the famous Japanese restaurant Nihonbashi Yukari and makes frequent media appearances. This is an excellent chance for guests to enjoy unique seasonal foods from Yoshino with a special menu. Guests can participate without staying overnight, making it great for those who want to try cuisine from Yoshino in Nara.

- Yoshino Town, Nara - where nature, history, and culture intersect
- Pop-Up Event Featuring Nara Yoshinoyama Food with Yoshino Town Ingredients
- 7 Limited Menu Items That Let Guests Enjoy Yoshino Cuisine
- Pop-Up Event Details and Making Reservations

Yoshino Town, Nara - where nature, history, and culture intersect

Yoshino Town stretches across central and southern Nara. It’s a town with abundant nature and is famous for its Mt. Yoshino cherry blossoms, a World Heritage. The sight of around 200 types of 30,000 cherry blossoms coloring the mountains in spring is truly amazing, and the seasonal beauty of the fresh greenery, autumn leaves, and snow scenery is also appealing. The name also appears in the Nihon Shoki, the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history, and the area has been long beloved since ancient times by the Imperial Family and military commanders.

Nara Yoshino Pop-Up Featuring a Menu by Chef Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari

Mt. Yoshino is famous for cherry blossoms. It’s known for its expansive cherry blossom scenery letting one see one thousand cherry trees at a glance, and attracts many visitors from Japan and overseas.

Tourists can enjoy nature strolls along the Yoshino River and Mt. Omine, as well as touring around historical temples and shrines. Mt. Omine in Yoshino is a sacred spot registered as a World Heritage site in 2004, and is known for being the home of the central training hall of Shugendo Buddhism. All of Mt. Yoshino is a sacred area, and is dotted with many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines such as Yoshino Mikumari Shrine, Kimpusen-ji Temple, and Yoshimizu Shrine. This area appeals to modern visitors for both the cherry blossoms and being an area that conveys the history of these faiths.

Located in Mt. Yoshino in Yoshino-cho, Nara, the Zao Hall in Kinpusen-ji Temple is the head temple of Shugendo Buddhism and the main hall for Kinpusen-ji Temple. At 34m in height, it boasts a size as a traditional wooden building that is only second to the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji Temple. It is also registered as a World Heritage and National Treasure.

The Nio Gate is Kinpusen-ji Temple’s main gate, and is an important structure standing at the entrance to the main approach leading to the Zao Hall. The existing gate is designated as an Important Cultural Property.

Zao Hall is the main hall for Kinpusen-ji Temple, and is a magnificent structure that is certified as a National Treasure and World Heritage. Many historically valuable structures are preserved in Mt. Yoshino, including the Nio Gate. Walk the approach and trace the footsteps of figures who have left their mark in history and literature.

Pop-Up Event Featuring Nara Yoshinoyama Food with Yoshino Town Ingredients

Yoshino Town is blessed by nature in every season. It’s a treasure trove of diverse ingredients, including Yoshino kudzu and log-grown shiitake mushrooms. Among them, Yoshino kudzu is a famous brand across Japan, and is an indispensable ingredient for Washoku cuisine and Japanese sweets. The disposable chopsticks made from Yoshino cedar, and the local sake, can both be enjoyed as flavors unique to this region.

The Okamoto family in Yoshino, Nara makes rare log-grown shiitake mushrooms cultivated by inoculating bacteria in sawtooth oak and oak trees raised for over 10 years. Carefully cultivated in the nature of the Yoshino forests, these amazing mushrooms feature wonderful fragrances and thick textures that really stand out.

Yoshino, with all its beautiful nature, is known for having limited options for places for tourists to eat at night. To provide a place where food can be enjoyed at the town even during the evening, a limited pop-up event that lets visitors enjoy Nara Yoshinoyama food will be held from November 1 2025 (Sat.) to November 30 (Sun.). This event is a test project aimed at separating accommodation and meals (*), so both tourists and guests who want room-only stays can participate.

*Separate accommodation and meals mean that accommodation facilities such as Japanese ryokan inns and hotels separate the fees for the stay and meals. This initiative aims to allow guests to use restaurants in the hotel in addition to nearby restaurants.

The food is handled by chef Kimio Nonaga of the famous restaurant Nihonbashi Yukari in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. This event lets guests enjoy a special menu prepared by this skilled chef, active in both Japan and overseas, who conveys the charms of Washoku cuisine through media appearances and overseas exhibits.

Chef Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari handles each dish with the utmost seriousness

"I want to contribute to Yoshino’s future as a chef"
――How Kimio Nonaga Sees the Significance of Separating Accommodation and Dining

Even though Japanese cuisine has become an Intangible Cultural Property, younger people are eating less Washoku and local producers and chefs are having major problems finding successors. Facing this reality, Mr. Nonaga decided to participate in this demonstration event in Yoshino, Nara, based on his desire to be useful to the region as a chef.

“The goal is not to make food, but to leave systems for local people to preserve their food culture and pass it on to the next generation. For that, it’s important to carefully consider the opinions of people in the area,” says Mr. Nonaga.

His theme is “Learning new lessons from the past.”
He is driven by his desire to value traditions while conveying Japanese food culture to future generations in a way that suits the times and area.

The venue for this event is Yoi no Zen Yoshinoyama, located in MUJI room SAKAMOTOYA, a community centered accommodation facility run by Muji.

A dining hall on 1F of MUJI room SAKAMOTOYA. For this event, they serve food under the name Yoi no Zen Yoshinoyama. 20 seats (4 seats x 2 = 8, 2 seats x 6 = 12)

7 Limited Menu Items Created by Chef Kimio Nonaga That Let Guests Enjoy Yoshino Cuisine

Nara Yamato Pork Yoshino Japanese-Style Curry Rice

Comes with Yoshino kudzu creamy miso soup, 1 small side dish, and Nara pickles 1,800 JPY

Ingredient: Yamato Pork

Japanese-style curry that brings out the delicious flavors in Yamato Pork, a brand pork from Nara. It combines traditional seasonings such as plum vinegar and sake, soy sauce, and cooking wine, the “broth of life,” and has a deep and mellow flavor. A dish one can thoroughly enjoy to the end, thanks to the sourness of the plum creating a sharp aftertaste.

Nara Yamato Nikudori Yoshino Butter Chicken Curry Rice

Comes with Yoshino kudzu creamy miso soup, 1 small side dish, and Nara pickles 1,800 JPY

Ingredient: Yamato Nikudori Chicken

This dish features hearty cuts of Yamato Nikudori chicken finished in an Asian style with spices and coconut. The fragrant spices and mellow coconut flavors create a perfect harmony, enhancing the delicious flavors of the juicy chicken. An amazing, filling food with addictive flavors.

Nara Yamato Nikudori Yoshino Miso-Fried Chicken

Comes with Nara-Mai rice, Yoshino kudzu creamy miso soup, 1 small side dish, and Nara pickles 2,500 JPY

Ingredients: Yamato Nikudori chicken, Yoshino miso from Umetani Brewery

Special fried Yamato Nikudori chicken marinated in Yoshino miso from Umetani Brewery, a long-standing store in Yoshino. The delicious flavors of the chicken are maximized by the depth and fermentation of the miso, creating fragrant and sophisticated flavors. This dish truly shines with the chef’s skill, with slices carefully cut so that they’re evenly heated, and finished with a crispy outside and juicy inside.

Nara Yamato Nikudori Yoshino Chicken Miso Marinated Nanban Kudzu Udon

With 1 small side dish and Nara pickles 2,500 JPY

Ingredients: Yamato Nikudori chicken, Yoshino miso from Umetani Brewery, log-grown shiitake mushrooms, kudzu udon

A limited-edition autumn bowl of udon featuring kudzu udon kneaded with Yoshino kudzu, with an added combination of Yamato Nikudori chicken, log-grown shiitake mushrooms, and Yoshino miso. The “cold start” cooking style, with the at-first cold udon carefully boiled, draws out the delicious flavors in the ingredients, and the mushroom and chicken flavors blend together to make a deep-tasting, warming soup. This dish lets guests feel a Shojin ryori-style (Buddhist cuisine) sophistication.

Mushroom Jjigae with Copious Amounts of Nara Yamato Pork and Yoshino Tofu

Comes with Nara-Mai rice, 1 small side dish, and Nara pickles 2,000 JPY

Ingredients: Yamato Pork, tofu from Hayashi Tofu, log-grown shiitake mushrooms

A hearty jjigae stew packed with ingredients such as Yamato Pork, tofu from Hayashi Tofu, abura-age tofu slices, and log-grown shiitake mushrooms. The thorough stewing in a “cold start” style melts the delicious chicken and mushroom flavors in the soup. An addictive dish that warms the body with its spicy soup and can be enjoyed at the end in a rice-porridge style.

Yoshino Country-Style Fried Tofu and Seasonal Vegetable Assortment with Yoshino Kudzu Starchy Sauce

Comes with Nara-Mai rice, Yoshino creamy miso soup, 1 small side dish, and Nara pickles 2,000 JPY

Ingredients: Country-style fried tofu from Hayashi Tofu, Yoshino kudzu powder, log-grown shiitake mushrooms

Modern-style shojin cuisine with country-style fried tofu from Hayashi Tofu, Yoshino kudzu, and log-grown shiitake mushrooms. It takes advantage of the delicious flavors of local ingredients to create a healthy and satisfying vegetable-only dish. An assortment of comforting vegetables with a gentle aftertaste.

Chef’s Choice Assortment of 5 Specialties from Yoshino, Nara

1,500 JPY *Picture is for illustration purposes only

Serving of 5 items that change daily - including Soy Sauce-Boiled Sweetfish, Persimmon Leaf Sushi, Boiled Japanese mustard spinach and Mushrooms, and Log-Grown Shiitake Mushrooms Tossed in Kinzanji Miso

A daily assortment of 5 appetizer platters packed with traditional foods from Yoshino, Nara. Includes a lineup of beautiful and incredibly delicious options, such as Soy Sauce-Boiled Sweetfish, Persimmon Leaf Sushi, Boiled Japanese mustard spinach and Mushrooms, and Log-Grown Shiitake Mushrooms Tossed in Kinzanji Miso, Yoshino pickles, and sesame tofu. These dishes reflect old-fashioned preservation techniques and knowledge of flavors, letting guests truly feel the depth of Japan’s local cuisine.

Yoshino Masamune - a sake that goes incredibly well with Yoshino cuisine

With this Nara Yoshinoyama cuisine pop-up event, both hotel guests and tourists on day trips can enjoy the unique ingredients and seasonal flavors of Yoshino Town, Nara. Guests can spend luxurious moments at this event experiencing the seasons and history of Yoshinoyama while enjoying amazing local foods from the special menu prepared by chef Kimio Nonaga - including Yoshino kudzu, log-grown shiitake mushrooms, and Yoshino miso.

Details of the Pop-Up Event Featuring Nara Yoshinoyama Food

Restaurant Name: Yoi no Zen Yoshinoyama
Dates: Saturday, November 1 - Sunday, November 30, 2025
Hours: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm (L.O. 7:30 pm)
Closed: Tuesday, Wednesday
Facility Name: MUJI Room SAKAMOTOYA
Location: 952 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara

Access:
・By public transportation
20-minute walk from Yoshinoyama Station on the Yoshino Ropeway
・By car
Around 1 hour 30 minutes from Osaka Station, around 2 hours from Kyoto Station (via toll roads)
15 minutes by car from Yoshino Station on the Kintetsu Yoshino Line
*Please use the Miyasaka Parking Lot (free).

Phone: +81-746-32-3051
*Guests can visit without a reservation
*Guests who wish to make reservations should do so the day before their visit during business hours.

Unit price: Around 1,500 to 2,500 JPY

■How to Reserve
Reservations are accepted by phone only.
Reservation: +81-746-32-3051

■About This Event
This event is part of the Kinki District Transport Bureau’s “Project to Improve Productivity in the Accommodation Industry Through Separation of Accommodation and Food”, with the goal of improving efficiency in the accommodation industry and revitalizing the local economy.

■Facility Information
Facility Name: MUJI room SAKAMOTOYA
Address: 952 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara
Phone: +81-746-32-3051 / +81-70-3176-2366
https://stay.muji.com/en/room/sakamotoya/

■Chef Profile

Mr. Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari
The third owner of the long-established restaurant Nihonbashi Yukari. After training at Roan Kikunoi, he inherited his family’s business at 25 years old. He gained attention throughout Japan with his overall victory in Iron Chef JAPAN CUP 2002, and has promoted Japanese cuisine at Expo 2015 in Milano and Expo 2025 in Osaka. Through his media appearances and activities overseas, he works tirelessly to spread the word about Washoku cuisine.

Creators of this article
Photography by Yumiko Mitsuhashi / Interview and Text by Akiko Shima (Hitosara Editorial Department)

Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.

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