The seasoning in imobo is very simple. Katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings), konbu (kelp), sugar and soy sauce. That’s all it is.
Ms. Kitamura reveals the process. “We rehydrate the dried cod by soaking it in iced water for a week, until it’s soft.
Then it’s put in a pot with the ebi-imo, which has had the skin peeled off in thick slices. We put in dashi stock made from konbu and katsuobushi, and simmer over a very low heat for three to four hours. Then we add the sugar and soy sauce in two or three lots. We don’t use any special brands, just the ordinary ones that have always been around. Next we remove it from the heat and leave it to stand overnight so the flavor can penetrate, then next day bring it to the boil again, adjust the flavoring and it’s done.”
Usually ingredients of different hardness wouldn’t be cooked together, since if they aren’t cooked separately the softer ingredients tend to fall apart, and the hard ones do not cook properly in the center. The secret to imobo, however, is that the ingredients don’t fall apart even when cooked together. The restaurant uses a special large pan for cooking. The cooking takes time, with the heat regulated as necessary and bitter scum carefully removed. It is said that the bitter juice that comes out of the ebi-imo softens the dried cod, and elements secreted from the dried cod prevent the ebi-imo from falling apart.
There are other secrets besides the pan. The cooking broth itself is handed down and added to. “A tiny part of the flavor in this broth may be from the Edo period itself,” says Ms. Kitamura. That is how the taste of a three hundred year old flavor deepens, creating a flavor that does indeed, as Yasunari Kawabata wrote, have longevity.
The cooked yams are soft, and can easily be broken into pieces with chopsticks. Bite into one and you can tell that the flavor has penetrated evenly. The dried cod also has a pleasing softness. The first bite tastes sweet, but is so perfectly balanced it leaves no aftertaste. This flavor has been painstakingly recreated with loving care every day for three hundred years, and is not something that a person could learn to make in a short time. The long investment of time produces a flavor that cannot easily be recreated.

A Flavor Loved by Everyone

Customers of all ages and types flock to Imobo Hiranoya Honke, from families with children to couples out on a date, but many first-time male customers seem a little bewildered. “Men tend to think of yams as something for women or children, and when they see our food for the first time, they say ‘What, yams?’ with disappointment. But once they take a bite, they realize it goes with sake and fills the stomach, so that by the time they leave they are satisfied,” says Ms. Kitamura, describing how it happens. Male customers who have been to the restaurant before might agree with her.

The dried cod used at Imobo Hiranoya Honke is Pacific cod, preserved by drying in the shade. In the past it was presented to the Imperial Court. The yams were originally brought from Kyushu in the days when they were a rarity, before there were widespread distribution networks. They were cultivated and came to be called ebi-imo (prawn yams) due to their shape and patter ning. Imobo is made by cooking the yams and dried cod in a big pan.

“I was born the second daughter of Imobo Hiraboya Honke , and ever since I was small I always watched my mother doing this work and thought that I wanted to do it too. I really enjoy meeting customers, so I was probably suited to the service industry” But it was not that Ms. Kitamura was not interested in any other vocations.
Apparently there was a time during her student years when she wanted to be a pilot. Having said she was suited to customer service, you might think a cabin attendant would be a more likely choice. But “Isn’t being a pilot a lot more interesting?” Ms. Kitamura said with sparkling eyes, “I like having adventures.”

Deciding to carry on the tradition as the fourteenth generation proprietor required a certain amount of resolution. The life of the man who became Ms. Kitamura’s husband would also be affected by that decision. “I am so grateful to my husband. He was a salaryman, so maybe he said he’d do it because he didn’t know how hard it could be running a restaurant. I was very happy that we also had the support of my husband’s family,” she reflects nostalgically. Once the children were bigger I was able to go to the restaurant everyday, and life became very busy. “I’m sure there were moments when we felt the stress. But when you’re busy you forget those moments. There’s no time for stress to build up,” she says with a laugh. If you love the work you do, it’s possible to pour everything into it.
“Carrying on a tradition means caring for the memory of your ancestors. Everybody has ancestors. I’m not doing anything particularly special. Everything is so convenient now, but in the past traveling to Kyushu could mean putting your life at stake. It was a truly great thing, I think, for my ancestor to find these delicious yams in a place he would never see again, and bring them back because he wanted to give everyone the experience of eating them.
When I think about that I can’t help but feel appreciative.”
That sense of appreciation is surely what informs Ms. Kitamura’s approach, and everything she does in her work.

“I don’t believe there’s anything special about my hospitality. Don’t do anything to someone that you wouldn’t like done to yourself, to begin with. Do whatever would make you happy. That’s all it is.”
Thus was Ms. Kitamura’s answer to a question regarding what hospitality means. Too much hospitality can have the unintended effect of making someone uncomfortable. A restaurant that you can visit spontaneously without any special preparation is one where you can feel totally relaxed and able to enjoy the food without haste. The literary figures who used to visit the restaurant undoubtedly kept coming back because they appreciated that kind of relaxed hospitality.

Imobo Hiranoya Honke is located inside Maruyama Park, to the east of the Gion district and Yasaka Shrine, a park well-known for its weeping cherry blossom trees. Cross a bridge over a small stream to reach the restaurant, built in the style of a tea ceremony house. It’s a familiar part of the park scenery. An old-fashioned Kasuga-style stone lantern stands next to the entrance, and in the courtyard flowers bloom as the seasons change and wild birds sometimes pause to rest, and red lanterns hang over the seats facing the garden, overlooking the beautiful scenery of Maruyama Park.
There is other seating in tatami mat rooms. A two hundred year-old oriental elm inside the restaurant continues growing even now, towering over the wall that is cut out to accommodate its growth.
Visitors from overseas flock to Kyoto for its unique atmosphere and scenery. In the past tourists were unused to foods such as nori and grated Japanese yam, but now many use the Internet to gather information on Japanese culture and enjoy with a greater understanding.
Being granted world heritage status is a good opportunity to spread the word about Japanese food. However, that doesn’t mean doing something new. “I try to make the traditional taste, unchanged, and offer the same hospitality as always. As the times speed up, knowing the good things about Kyoto, its history and culture, gives people a more relaxed sense of time, and the days seem to pass a little more calmly. Regardless of the times, I am happy if I can just keep something important alive and pass it on to everyone.”
It is comforting to know that Ms. Kitamura will be there in the future, waiting to welcome customers and keeping the tradition alive.

The charming red lanterns that hang from the ceiling are popular with female patrons. Seating is available on chairs or tatami mats, in semipartitioned rooms or facing the garden.