The Yamagata antenna shop, Oishii Yamagata Plaza in Ginza is home to chef Masayuki Okuda’s restaurant, San-Dan-Delo (see post below). It is also one of my favorite antenna shops in the city due to the variety of products available. Yamagata has some of my favorite foods, cherries, La Furansu pears, pork, wagyu, rice, sake, and a variety of vegetables. One local product to seek out is tama konnyaku, small balls of konnyaku that comes with its own flavored broth. Simmer and enjoy with some sake.

One of the great fun parts of exploring antenna shops is that discovering food products you’ve never heard of. On a recent tour with clients we came across these roasted GABA genmai (germinated brown rice), “Motto Yasai o Tanoshiku”, literally having ‘more fun with vegetables’. It’s a great alternative to croutons, super crunchy and somewhat earthy bits.

My mother is from Tsuruoka soI have grown up visiting my grandma’s home and eating lots of the food so of course there is a nostalgic familiarity with the products. But, after eating food from all over the country, Yamagata is truly a treasure chest of great foods from both the sea and the mountains. Some of the best sake comes from here (Juyondai, Dewazakura, Takenotsuyu) as well as wine.

Oishii Yamagata Plaza

Chuo-ku, Ginza 1-5-10

Phone: 03-5250-1750

http://oishii-yamagata.jp/ (Japanese)