The owner of ”Ginshari-ya Gekotei,” Takeshi Murashima, concentrates on scooping freshly-cooked, steaming white rice from the kettle to a wooden rice container. Born in 1930, he is 80 years old. At this age, he is still working and cooking several kilos of rice everyday, all by himself.
As you can tell from the name of the eatery, the main menu here is the steamed rice that is shiny and almost silver-colored. (Ginshari literally means ”silver rice”.) Many people travel here from a distance, just to enjoy a bowl of cooked rice. At this cafeteria-style eatery, customers line up for a bowl of rice, while they can also choose other dishes such as omelets, grilled fish and miso-soup to go with the rice. As quickly as the bowls of rice are placed on the counter, customers snatch them up to place on their trays.
Cooking the best rice possible
It is his policy to serve good-tasting and quality food to his customers. He never uses rice that costs less than 440 yen per kilo. So his cost-to-price ratio is more than 60% which is rare in the restaurant industry where the established rule is 30% at the most. For customers, this means they get more value for the price.
You can taste the rich and slightly sweet flavor of rice. It is almost aromatic. The master prepares rice in a very special way that makes it soft but leaves the distinct texture of each grain in the mouth. For 45 years, his ”ginshari (silver rice)” has been loved by many, and it is certainly a bowl of rice you should try for yourself.
