01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Set back from urban bustle in a Nishi-Eifuku alleyway, Fumotoya builds its identity around wild mushrooms, rustic game, and shelves packed with home-steeped fruit and herbal liqueurs. Rather than sticking to standard izakaya formulas, the menu is densely written with seasonal gifts from the mountains, pointing to an earnest approach to sourcing.
The cooking centers on hunted meats, from Yezo sika deer loin steaks and carpaccio to teppan-grilled wild boar, hot pots, and occasional bear or pheasant. Balancing the lean richness and fat of the game, dishes like sautéed mushroom medleys or grated daikon dressed with various fungi let diners compare diverse textures and forest aromas. The kitchen also branches into Western-leaning plates such as beef braised in red wine, pastas, and wild mountain greens, making it easy to assemble a spread of small plates suited to party size and drink pacing.
Equally striking are the glass jars of fruit and medicinal liqueurs lining the dining room. Jars infused with jabara citrus, trifoliate orange (karatachi), wild mountain pear, pine needles, or ginseng come with menu notes detailing botanical traits and traditional tonic properties, sparking curiosity just by reading through them. Pairing these deeply flavored liqueurs with game or mushroom dishes makes for uncommon combinations rarely encountered elsewhere.
Fitted with antique clocks, the cabin-like space holds a calm warmth suited to solo dinners as well as small group gatherings. Because the owner handles cooking alone, dishes can take time to arrive when orders pile up. Rather than a rushed dinner, it is a venue best chosen for evenings when you can savor each course as it emerges while leisurely nursing a drink.
