Manga Writer, Japanese Matsuri, Delicious Yamanashi Houto Udon
We call him “Master” and that honorific describes him with a “T”. A restaurant owner in Japan is often referred to as “Master” or in the Japanese pronunciation “Masuta-“.
Hint Senpai! When you don’t know how to address a restaurant or bar manager in Japan, feel free to use “Masuta-“.
When Sin-san’s parents (originally from Yamanashi Prefecture) were ready to end their restaurant in one of the more “Shibuya-like” areas of Shibuya, Sin-san was the angel who came to save the day.
There are relics and icons throughout the warm wooden restaurant. Kamen rider figurines, pro wrestling masks, a shogi set from days gone by…these are little things that Sin appreciates. Sin is also what we would refer to as a “Nippon Danji”, basically a “Man’s Man” in Japan. The aura of his Samurai roots is evident in his upright posture, the fluid confidence in his dialogue, and the focus he observes as he works behind the counter. There were various aspects of this night and Sin-san that I consider some of the reasons why people all over the world love Japan.
First, Sin-san is one of those guys who wears a traditional coat and attire to hold the highly prized, portable shrines for Shibuya’s annual September Matsuri. Sin is the Matsuri leader and organizes a group of 200, all dressed in their jackets scalloped with ocean blue insignia. They hold 14 different shrines and parade through the streets of Shibuya, making it even more meaningful and exciting than usual…if that’s even possible.
Second, Sin-san himself is a magnet for interesting people and his knowledge of the entire Shibuya area is enormous. If you can find their SinKaya restaurant on the second floor of the SG building just down the street from Dogenzaka after passing under the bright red Torii adorned with the words “Hyakkendana”.
Direction tip: Let’s say you have the Scramble Crossing behind you. If you look around, you will see Shibuya’s super-famous “109” commercial building at the fork of two roads. Take the one on the left. Go up with Hooters on your right and TOHO Cinema on your left. Soon you will come across the big red torii on your right. Turn right and walk under the Torii up the street, pass the perfume shop on your left and you will see a building on the corner. It looks old and it’s hard to find the entrance… but that’s the SG building. The address is 2-17-3 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0043 (there are no English markings for SinKaya, but if you look up to the second floor you should see the Heineken sign). Go! Go! Go! You can find it!
We were there for about an hour and learned about some cool clubs and hot spots nearby and then out of nowhere we met and had a lively chat with a popular Manga writer. This writer specializes in the Bakumatsu theme (Ruroni Kenshin and Shinsengumi might be close to what she does) and is one of Sin’s many friends. Many SinKaya regulars are part of Japan’s pop culture base.
Third, it is the only place in Tokyo where you can eat authentic homemade Houtou Udon noodles. As you know, Yamanashi Prefecture is located at the foot of Mount Fuji and the frigid winters taught the people of yore how to survive on the warm broth and sweetly boiled vegetables in this Udon delicacy. Sin-san actually hits the homemade noodles once every two days, leaving them just a bit to emphasize the body of the noodles, and then tossing them into Yamanashi’s delicious special soup to complete the Houtou dish.
I am a big fan of the Chronicles of Narnia books and this dish made me imagine what a Japanese Edmund would consider a delicious “Turkish Delight” in Yamanashi.
Sin-san is a vegetarian so most of his menu is friendly to non-meat eaters and while local Japanese may think Yamanashi is only an hour’s drive outside of Tokyo…it’s more of a challenge for us internationals.
More… right down the street you have Shibuya’s infamous “Scramble Crossing”, a plethora of clubs and shops, one of the most interesting “pink” areas, and plenty of entertainment hotels to gawk at. . Yes, this is Shibuya at its most authentic and pure. Join Sin-san at SinKaya and learn the ins and outs of Pure Shibuya from scratch.