Edomasa Open Again!

This past Saturday, July 3, I went to my favorite yakitori place, Edomasa, tiny shop in Higashinihonbashi that has been around for nearly 100 years.. They had been closed since the start of the most recent so called state of emergency was imposed as it just wasn’t worth opening up to do take out only yakitori, especially when their most famous item, nama (raw minced chicken) can’t be sold for takeout, at least not when the weather is warm.

I arrived at 4:20 expecting to be able to get in when the doors open at 5:00. But I was the thirteenth person in line, which in pre-corona restriction days would not have been a problem. But on this day, as it has been for too long now, only twelve customers were allowed into the tiny stand and eat shop. So I had to wait. And wait some more, until the first group of customers finished eating, which was around 5:35. But the wait was worth it.

I didn’t eat a lot during this visit, just some nama and a couple of skewers of yakitori, washed down with a bottle of Asahi Superdry and a small cold sake. I had been craving some nama; I think eating raw chicken is good for my digestive system, something my family back in Oregon would consider crazy if not disgusting. The yakitori seemed especially delicious, with the chicken bigger than in the past. Or maybe it was just my imagination, the size altered through the fog of memory.

Let’s hope Edomasa and other restaurants will be able to remain open, even with reduced hours. But with the Olympics about to start I have a feeling it is going to soon be back to short hours and no alcohol. And that would mean another period of closure for Edomasa.