Izu Kashiwaya

Izu Kashiwaya sits along the Kinema Street Arcade in the Chuocho district of Ito, a hot spring town on the eastern Izu Peninsula whose waters produce some of the region's best kinmedai, the deep-water red bream prized across Shizuoka. The kinmedai nitsuke, simmered in a sweetened soy broth until the fish falls easily from the bone, is the restaurant's signature dish, served alongside an Ito port sashimi teishoku and a grilled fish set meal for diners who prefer their catch unsauced. The dining room occupies a storefront within the covered arcade, casual and neighborhood-oriented, with table seating, no particular dress code, and a quiet, everyday atmosphere rather than a tourist-facing spectacle. Drinks lean toward local sake, chosen to stand up to the richness of the nitsuke sauce, alongside beer. Ito draws steady visitor traffic from its hot springs, so dinner reservations are recommended, particularly in the evening when the arcade's restaurants fill with both residents and overnight guests.