🍜 Thousand-Year Salmon Kikkawa Izutsuya

In 2017, the first specialty salmon restaurant opened in Murakami, a city famous for its salmon, located in Niigata Prefecture. It is operated by the long-established store "Kikkawa" (千年鮭), which processes and sells salmon. The restaurant uses natural ingredients and traditional methods such as local fermentation and aging to create labor-intensive salmon dishes, enjoyed with freshly cooked white rice. Iizutoya, which served as an inn during the post town era, is housed in a building designed in the machiya style and has been designated as a national tangible cultural asset. According to records, Matsuo Bashō, famous for "Oku no Hosomichi," stayed for two nights at the inn located at the former site of Iizutoya during his travels with his disciple Sora in the Edo period, making it a historical building worth noting. The salmon set meal, which includes the basic "Eight Salmon Dishes," features the signature salmon dishes of Murakami, such as "Salmon Shiohiki" (鮭魚鹽引), sake-marinated salmon, and grilled salmon pickles.

The long-established store "千年鮭 kikkawa," which processes and sells salmon, operates a restaurant. It opened in 2017 and is the first traditional salmon cuisine specialty store in Murakami. Originally a town house that served as an inn, it has been designated as a national tangible cultural asset. The menu includes "eight types of salmon dishes," allowing guests to enjoy various parts of the salmon.