Shika Jaya

Shika Jaya is a traditionally decorated Japanese restaurants specializing in two things: tofu and tororo, a sticky paste made of grated yam. The set menus here came with printed descriptions and were served course by course as a tasting menu of sorts. The Shika Tokizen menu came with nearly every dish on offer, starting with Nama Yuba (soy milk skin) and Wasabi Miso Yakko (cold tofu topped with a paste of sesame, wasabi, and miso), which was my favorite tofu dish thanks to its custardy texture. Next came So-un Tofu, a warm dish of tofu topped with grated yam, showcasing both specialties of the restaurant in one dish. The grated yam had a fascinating sticky texture but was almost completely flavorless. The Yamaimo Isobe Yaki were two round pieces of grated yam wrapped in nori and sautéed, and the yam had a drier, chewy consistency. The Su No Mono was grated yam topped with a cube of raw tuna and seasoned with sake, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar.

The last few dishes all came together to complete the meal. The Tofu Steak consisted of firm cubes of tofu in a pan served over a flame. The tofu was seasoned with soy sauce and topped with scallions, bonito flakes, ginger, and a cube of butter. The Tororo was straight-up grated yam seasoned with dashi and miso, meant for mixing together with the Muginesi, or rice cooked with barley. The rice was also served with soup and tsukemono (Japanese pickles), thus completing the meal! Overall, this was a great place to try two local Japanese specialties, and though the flavors felt redundant at times, everything was prepared with care and with quality ingredients. The service was super friendly as well and made for a cozy, homestyle dining experience!

Great atmosphere in old style tea house. Service is top notch and both friendly and professional, and for the price it is great quality, served in beautiful urushi (lacquer ware) and a good amount to fill you up. I went for the course with everything. Really enjoyed each course, each with its own subtle differences and subtle flavours. If you love tofu and tororo (sticky grated yam), give it a go!

True authentic Japanese cuisine and not very expensive,
Forget the western expectations and indulge yourself with Japanese taste and style.
Great handmade Tofu,
Great vegetarian dishes.
Warmly recommended.

Tofu & Japanese yam restaurant in hakone not far from the train station. We went for lunch our first day and really enjoyed it. Not a budget place but a truly lovely experience. The Tofu steak was one of our fave dishes on our trip so far.