Sankouin

Shōjin ryōri, vegetarian Buddhist cuisine, has a rich history in the Japanese food culture. One of my favorite places to try it is at Sankouin temple in Koganei. The temple was founded in 1934 and is in a quiet residential part of Western Tokyo, north of Musashi Koganei Station on the Chūō line.

There is one seating and the meal does not start until all of the guests have arrived. Groups are seated at separate tables in a large room with glass windows overlooking the bamboo garden. 

It’s a lovely multi-course meal with vegetables and tōfu in a variety of forms including a signature smoked tōfu which is like a cheese. The current abbess and head chef, Kōshin Nishii, is the author of shōjin ryōri cookbooks (in Japanese). She has many fans and I have run into the same guests on return visits. 

A staff member explains each course in Japanese. Sometimes there is an interpreter who will explain the dishes in English, but she is not always there.

http://sankouin.com/en/vegetarian-dishes/

Reservations are required. I highly recommend if you want to explore Japanese vegetarian cuisine. 

Sankouin

Tōkyō-to, Koganei-shi, Honchō 3-1-36

With my dear friend Carolyn. We met at the French Culinary Institute.🥰

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