TSUYAMA, Okayama -- Tamago-kake gohan, or raw egg mixed with rice and seasonings, is being used to attract customers to a restaurant in Misaki, Okayama Prefecture, run by a semipublic firm in which the town is one of the investors.
Shokudo Kametchi, operated by "third-sector" company Misaki Bussan, celebrated its 10th anniversary on Jan. 21 with a commemorative event. The restaurant introduced new menu options at the event in the hope that the dishes will help to further boost interest in the area.
Misaki has one of the largest poultry farms in western Japan, where fresh eggs are produced everyday. And the town also has picturesque tanada rice terraces.
A Misaki local and famous journalist in the Meiji era (1868-1912) played a key role in connecting the two elements of poultry farming and rice cultivation. Ginko Kishida (1833-1905) is believed to be the first Japanese person to mix raw egg with rice and he is known for popularizing the simple dish across the country.
Misaki Bussan established the restaurant on Jan. 22, 2008, to celebrate the town's historic connection to tamago-kake gohan.
As of the end of November last year, about 720,000 people had visited Shokudo Kametchi from both inside and outside the prefecture, making it a popular destination for the town.
The anniversary event was held at an open space in front of the restaurant. Cooking expert and TV personality Yukari, 29, had created some new dishes for the anniversary and prepared them in front of attendees.
One of the new dishes is a carbonara-style tamagokake-gohan, which includes onsen tamago soft-boiled egg and Western-style sauce on top of rice along with cheese and bacon.
Omuraisu-style fuwafuwa tamagokake-gohan (meringue-style tamagokake-gohan) is characterized by the fluffy texture of whipped egg whites on ketchup sauce, topped with an egg yolk.
Amid an increase in the number of tourists from Taiwan and across Asia, the new menu also includes dishes that feature ingredients popular in Asia, such as buta no kakuni (pork squares simmered in soy sauce and other seasonings) tamago-kake gohan with fresh coriander and takana mustard leaf, and yurinchi-style tamago-kake gohan, with deep-fried egg and a special sauce made using vinegar, soy sauce and garlic.
Yukari's tamago-kake gohan set allows customers to choose side dishes that go well with the main dish, such as slippery nametake mushrooms and ika no shiokara salted fermented squid.
The five new items Yukari created will be served at the eatery in April.
Karin Koyanagi, 21, a medical service worker from Kurashiki in the prefecture, went along to the food-tasting event with one of her friends and ordered fuwafuwa tamago-kake gohan.
"This tastes interesting as it has a texture like meringue that is completely different from normal [tamago-kake gohan]. I want them to continue inventing various kinds of new dishes," she said.
"Misaki has few sightseeing attractions, so I'm very happy that so many people visited, and that the restaurant has been running for 10 years. We also want to expand the profile of tamago-kake gohan around the world," said Masashi Kawashima, 50, a municipal government official.
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