The Mystery of Izu Kogen

I once saw an architectural program called “The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes” broadcast on the BBC in England on a flight to Denmark. On a small hillside in Izu Kogen, a very unusual tent-like, pointy-cone-like building appeared. It has a rather novel shaped roof. Surrounded by woods, the mysterious group of buildings looks like the setting of a fairy tale. Even after watching the show, I had no idea what the place actually looked like or what was available to eat, and my interest only deepened. There is no website, no Instagram or other social networking accounts, and very little information. I really wanted to know, so I decided to pay a visit to Izu Kogen.

To a mysterious building with a pointy roof

We passed Oiso Long Beach and headed from Yokohama to Izu Kogen with a view of the ocean. From the entrance, we walked up a path through the woods and saw that pointy-roofed building. We circled around the swirling shell-like building and entered. I saw guests relaxing while eating their meals.

At-home restaurant with home-style cuisine from around the world

jikka is a restaurant run by two women in Izu Kogen. When you enter the restaurant, you are greeted by a woman (Ms. Fujioka) who is moving back and forth between the kitchen and the guests, enjoying conversation with them while serving the food. jikka serves home-style cuisine from around the world, with no menu, which is determined by the ingredients available on any given day. Suma, who works in the kitchen, had lived in Houston when her husband was transferred there. The day started with oven-roasted vegetables, followed by salt marinated local horse mackerel and Spanish mackerel with tomatoes, a lovely pink potato salad with beets, piroshki, Izu beef borscht, chestnut rice, and finally chiffon cake and oven-roasted apples for dessert with a choice of coffee or tea. All seven dishes are elaborate and hearty.

Arched windows cut through the greenery and light pouring in from the ceiling windows illuminate the kitchen, creating a sacred atmosphere.

Rabbit-like chairs prepared for children.

Assorted appetizers with plenty of vegetables. Delicious mushroom sauce.

I’ll never forget how impressed I was with the salt marinated horse mackerel.

Potato salad with a lovely pink color caused by beets.

The sticky piroshki is filled with boiled eggs and herbs.

Izu beef loosely melts in your mouth.

Chestnut rice with natural sweetness. This quantity is also good.

Chiffon cake and sour baked apples are the best combination.

Reason for the mysterious building

It is more than a restaurant; it is a private home and a place to live. Originally, “jikka” was not set up as a restaurant. It is still a private home for the Fujioka and Suma families. The unique house was conceived by Mr. Suma’s son, architect Issei Suma, who built it on this land as his final home. Currently, the restaurant is open four days a week, and only during lunch hours. The only notice of business dates and times is a calendar entry on a handwritten board hanging along the wide street down the path. It is a modest notice that only locals would notice. Yes, “jikka” was originally started as a dining place for local people.

 “jikka” like a family home and a new way of life

The name “jikka” comes from the couple’s desire to make the place as homey as their parents’ home and to make use of things from their parents’ home. While serving the food, Fujioka and Suma explain the dishes and say a few words to the children, and when leaving the restaurant, they see you off at the front door. It was a comfortable place, like visiting a family home or the home of a close friend. In this mysterious building in Izu Kogen, there was a new attempt by the two to live while sharing time and space with others.