Kotobuki Shokudo in the shopping arcade in front of Okayama Station
It's great to have a bar where you can have a quick drink before boarding a bullet train or plane. Fukube in Yaesu and Hashimoto Sake Shop in Shin-Osaka are examples of this, but places like Maruhachi Sushi in Nagoya, Genzo Honten in Hiroshima, and Marusho in Sendai are also open from noon, so you'll likely plan your schedule around drinking time right from the start.
In Okayama, Tsuruya, a restaurant at the entrance to the shopping district where you can drink from the morning, closed in 2020, and we lost our standard place to stop by before boarding the Shinkansen. However, Okayama is a place of generosity! Kotobuki Shokudo, a restaurant in front of the station that has been in business for over 60 years, is located just a two-minute walk from the station. It opens at 10am!
Chicken liver and heart simmered with ginger
There are two axes: a display case for snacks and a menu stand for meals. I was aiming for oden, but it was still early autumn. I started with a lightly stewed liver and heart.
Kirin Lager bottled beer (small bottle)
Since it's morning, I'm feeling weak and just have a small bottle of bottled beer. Just a little chat, in Kanto they say large bottles (obin) and small bottles (kobin), while in Kansai they say daibin and shobin. What about Okayama? It seems either is fine... sorry, I'd like a small bottle please!
Mackerel
Pickled mamakari fish, a specialty of Okayama. It's what we call sappa. The seasoning makes me suddenly want to drink sake. Mmm, give me some hot sake!
hot sake
Okayama's Fujita Sake BreweryKaneko Kama" This is a type of alcoholic drink.
I'd never heard of it before, but it was refreshing and just right. I asked the proprietress, and it seems like it's a drink that's not often seen even in Okayama.
Udon noodles for the finale
The menu is extensive, with dishes like rice bowls, udon, and yakisoba, and the atmosphere makes you want to finish off with some carbohydrates. Here, I simply ordered egg udon. The gentle broth and gentle udon noodles leave you feeling gentle.
word used after one has been treated (esp. used after a meal)
Both the owner and the proprietress are elderly, so we hope they will continue to serve as long as possible without overdoing it. They are open from the morning, so please give yourself plenty of time to come before boarding the Shinkansen. It takes 3 hours and 10 minutes to get to Tokyo, so you can board the Shinkansen with a kind heart.
menu
Store Information
[Kotobuki Restaurant]
Address: 1-1-10 Ekimae-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, 700-0023
Time: 10:00 AM
Closed: Thursdays
English
Japanese
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