Kitcho is one of the founding myths of Japanese cooking. Its founder, Teiichi Yuki, set out to make Japanese cuisine a treasure of the world, and in the whole Kitcho line only one house outside the family was ever allowed to carry the name: Ajikitcho. Ajikitcho Bumbuan holds that line directly. It opened in 1970 under Yuki's own supervision and was given the name in 1972 — not an ordinary kappo (counter cooking served as the chef works), but a living branch of the Kamigata tradition of Osaka and Kyoto.
The setting is held to the same standard. The house sits in the Hommachi business district and keeps a sukiya-style garden below ground: stone paving, stepping stones, bamboo fences, water and green light, restored beneath the center of the city. Five private rooms seat about 24 guests in all, so small and mid-size parties alike sit in garden rooms that are formal and secluded at once. The cooking runs the main line of Kamigata kappo on produce in season from Osaka, Nara and Kyoto, and the turn of the year shows in every course. The house holds One MICHELIN Star.
As a dinner, this is a crescendo. When the most important guests have to be received inside the orthodox line of kaiseki, Ajikitcho puts nothing on display. It puts forward the legitimacy of the only name Kitcho ever granted outside the family, and the stillness of a private room facing a garden. Hospitality becomes a formal statement of culture, and the core flavors of Kamigata go to the guests who most need to be treated seriously.