Genshiyaki Maruhide

Genshiyaki, Traditional Japanese Style BBQ at Izakaya Restaurant

You may experience something slightly different at an Izakaya restaurant. The restaurant is in a crowded street just five-minute walk from the exit of Tachikawa station. That is Genshiyaki! What kind of food is it? Let’s ask about the special ingredients, the restaurant and more!

The twelve seats at the counter in the open kitchen are very comfortable sofa seats. The quiet and cozy space is where adults can relax and enjoy watching food being prepared in front of a custom-made Japanese grill.

Genshiyaki requires the skill of a chef to cook fish by adjusting the heat of charcoal fire. It is not easy to grill fish slowly over charcoal fire, but the surface is crispy with a good smell and the inside is juicy. Since the fat from the fish doesn’t fall down to the charcoal and smoke doesn’t come up, the fish isn’t smoked and the freshness is preserved.

Look! What a rich and nutritious cuisine! From the top of the left side of the picture; Renko sea bream Genshiyaki is 1,320 yen. A plate of assorted sashimi for two is 1,980 yen. Large Japanese pilchard Genshiyaki is 418 yen. Genshiyaki of a king oyster mushroom, an eggplant and a yam is 418 yen each. (All prices include tax.)

Private rooms are also available for banquets. The restaurant is decorated in the style of an old private house, with old woods from an old private house in Hida. The beams were brought from Nara, and the wallpaper was applied with Japanese paper by hand.

From the left: Mr. Nobuto Goto is a vice president and runs more than ten restaurants including Genshiyaki Marufuji. Mr. Shota Hatamura is a manager of the restaurant.

Maruhide opened in 2013. “Hide” means being excellent and outstanding in English. The name of the restaurant reflects Mr. Goto’s thoughts. He wants to use the freshest seasonal ingredients and the freshest fish directly from Toyosu and Hachioji markets. He drives to the markets to buy these foods. He was born and raised in Tachikawa. Naturally he hoped that his restaurant could revitalize the city. He learned the know-how of charcoal grill cuisine from Maruhide and then opened another grilled restaurant and then another. While running these restaurants, he also works for the shopping district of the city and volunteers in the Rotary Club.
“Our company motto is to work hard and to enjoy life. We go overseas and go camping together. We are a very energetic company.”
Running a company is half joy and half pain. Mr. Goto smiled and said, “I am very glad to see my staff members growing and making success.” He trains part-time workers directly to teach the work ethics for their future work. He is like their father. His credibility and generosity is just the name of the restaurant.

※The content of the article is as of the time of publication. (Posted in February 2024)