Oita Hanasansho

Located just a few minutes from Oita Station, this kappo restaurant offers a fun and entertaining window into traditional Japanese food without the prohibitive price tag of full-blown Kyoto-style kaiseki. This doesn’t mean that kappo cooking required any less skill! At Oita Hanasansho, there’s a huge range on display. The chef ages some ingredients to draw out their flavors, and works a charcoal grill with the best of them. The menu changes regularly, but features dishes like grilled Bungo beef with yuzu pepper, seafood rolled in tofu skin and fried, pickled eggplant, and traditional sweets called manju. The delicious little packages are made with rice flour and filled with seasonal ingredients such as bamboo shoots or prawns.