Hanao

The Aki area of Hiroshima is a mountainous, wooded region to the east of the main city area. Drive up through the fields and forests, then up a narrow road on a hillside. You’ve arrived at Hanao, a converted barn housing one of Hiroshima’s best Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurants. From the moment you step through the door, it’s clear that the journey was time well spent. A classic high-roofed interior — all white plaster and wooden beams — makes for a uniquely charming surrounding which is only possible out here in the countryside. Chef and owner Satoshi Ozaki has four decades of culinary experience, and studied tea ceremony — the conceptual foundation of kaiseki dining — for much of that time. He chooses the fish and vegetables used in his dishes from the market every morning, then transforms them into delicious traditional dishes. There’s a clear-sightedness in his approach which is derived from his experience in the Zen-inspired tea ceremony, and it shows in the dishes themselves — the goal being to reveal the base flavors of ingredients in their most focused and delicious forms. Hanao only takes a few reservations per day, so the ranks of people who have enjoyed Ozaki-san’s cooking is quite an exclusive club, and one well worth joining!