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Tori Shin, a great yakitori place off the beaten path

By on November 2, 2017

My mother and I have always been foodies, forever showing off our latest culinary finds.

On her first visit to my house I insisted we make a bit of a jaunt for dinner. My mom is a bit cantankerous and always one to speak her mind.

The whole hour+ drive down to Matsumoto from Hakuba she was berating me,

“I just can’t believe you wanna drive all this way, waste all this gas, just to eat chicken on a darn stick!”

As we slide back the door,  the onslaught of ‘irrashaimase!’  is at once welcoming and startling.  We are ushered into 2 empty seats at the counter that could easily have done well for 1 person. Drinks are ordered and an appetizer recommended.

Toriwasa

I eagerly agree to toriwasa (wasabi-seasoned chicken). In seconds, a chilled bowl of raw sliced chicken tenders in wasabi broth and sprinkled with seaweed flakes arrives. This is the only place in the world I would dare eat uncooked chicken, and I do every time without incident. Mom is skittish, tastes it gingerly at first, raises her hand and gestures for one more. Ladies are automatically given a fresh, dainty and beautifully dressed green salad. Service-desu! on the house.

In the West, chicken is pretty much just chicken. The Japanese take it to another level.  To illustrate this,  I order a 5-stick assortment, with explanations of each on the wall mounted map.

‘Shamo’ comes from the southern prefecture of Kagoshima. These roosters were originally bred as fighting cocks. The meat is dense, dark, and savory.

 ‘Kaori-dori’ is from Gunma Prefecture. The meat is rich and heavy with thick juices sweating out of the meticulously trimmed pieces.

‘Hinai-dori’ comes from the northern Prefecture of Akita. Sturdy and robust, the meat is almost akin to light duck.

 ‘Kouchin’ comes from around Nagoya. Here we’re getting into a more standard meat that is the most reminiscent of the chicken we grew up with. Were it not for Master’s unyielding diligence in applying his home-made salt – yes, it’s made in his basement! – you might think you were having a skewer of store-bought chicken breast.

 ‘Benibana’ comes from Yamagata prefecture. This is, for Western palates, the most remarkable of the varieties. Juices literally burst from each plump, white cube of succulent, perfectly seasoned meat.

To round out the meal, we finished with sasami-fry. Benibana tenders are flayed, stuffed with cheese, breaded, fried and topped with shredded daikon (white winter raddish). Watch it, it’s hot… and awesome!!

After the meal mom says,

“Well, it might only be chicken on a stick, but it sure was worth the drive!”

Tori Shin

Tel: 0263 36 9757

Address Chuo 1-2-24,  Matsumoto-shi, Nagano Prefecture 

Open everyday except  Friday, Sunday, 1st and 3rd Monday of the week

5:30 pm – 12 midnight

http://www.geocities.co.jp/Foodpia-Olive/8076/index2.htm

About Joshua Kalish