The early hints were subtle. Maybe it was the cup of spring-green matcha, hand-whisked with water heated over charcoal in a traditional brazier and paired with a sphere of miso gelato. Or maybe it was the warm musubi, crafted to order at what could be mistaken for a high-end sushi counter and served on a woven bamboo tray. Or was it the sushi bowl crowned with Hokkaido scallops and translucent ikura pearls?
At some point, the separate arrivals coalesced into a new reality: Japanese eateries in Honolulu have ushered in a new wave. No longer bound by the familiar genres of big-menu teishoku restaurants, ramen chains or our post-pandemic sushi omakase surge, players around the city are taking Japanese food in different directions. Some elevate familiar dishes with new levels of craft. Others reflect individual quirks and passions. Most are tiny, run in some cases by couples or even lone proprietors.
Given Japan’s reverence for kodawari, a pursuit of craft that can span a lifetime, quirk and passion have long spurred eateries in the motherland. Japanese chefs who brought kodawari into Hawai‘i kitchens have worked mostly in sushi and other high-end cookery. Its recent conjunction with humbler foods here may date from late 2023, around the time Gyoza Studio Kubota opened on Kapahulu Avenue. In 2024, other outside-the-bento-box establishments followed:…