Long-established 'Shima-ya,' founded in Taisho 2, challenges the redefinition of Japanese cuisine. Counter-style Japanese restaurant 'Takarazuka Shimakusu,' where 'Modern Master Craftsman's skill' and 'youthful sensibility' merge, opens on Friday, May 8.

Shima-ya Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture; Representative Director: Hidetaka Oshima), a long-established Japanese cuisine and shabu-shabu restaurant founded in Taisho 2 (1913), will open a new Japanese restaurant, "Takarazuka Shimakusu," in Takarazuka, its birthplace, on Friday, May 8, 2026.

The restaurant will be led by Ryoma Kusumoto, a beloved disciple who inherited the spirit and techniques of Kenji Ueno, Shima-ya's honorary head chef and recipient of the "Modern Master Craftsman" award, starting a new form as head chef.

While based on solid traditional techniques, we propose a new dining experience that is not bound by existing frameworks.

We will provide a blissful moment that stimulates surprise and the five senses, along with the live feeling of cooking unfolding across the counter.

To commemorate the opening, we will be offering "Individual Tasting and Photo Session Guidance for Media Representatives Only."

In addition to tasting the menu, adjustments can be made for in-store photography and interviews.

Please contact the person in charge to arrange a convenient date and time.

Our concept is "Orthodoxy, lightly."

We value the fundamentals of traditional Japanese cuisine above all else.

"Each dish, without sparing effort, faithful to the basics."

Serving such "cuisine that adheres to orthodoxy" is our pride.

On the other hand, we also feel that the high barrier to entry unique to Japanese cuisine is one of the reasons for customers and future generations of chefs moving away from it.

Without undermining the foundation of Japanese cuisine, we want our customers to relax and enjoy themselves without feeling stiff.

We want to deliver a "dining experience" that makes your heart dance with the encounter of an unseen dish. With this in mind, we launched our restaurant, which lightly creates the value of Japanese cuisine.

Message from the Representative: "Giving back to Takarazuka and revitalizing the city."

This opening is driven by a strong desire to "give back to Takarazuka, where I was born and raised."

Shima-ya, our roots, was founded as a ryokan (Japanese inn) with cuisine in Taisho 2, and has walked hand in hand with the city's development. Since 1993, we have continued to preserve traditional flavors, supported by local residents, within the "Takarazuka Washington Hotel."

However, in recent years, Takarazuka City has faced challenges such as a decrease in tourist influx. In this situation, we decided to revitalize this area again with "Japanese cuisine," which is our foundation.

Our goal is to be "a restaurant that people would go out of their way to visit, even from afar."

This will create a cycle of tourism, leading to improved environments and education for chefs, and the creation of new employment. We are confident that this cycle will contribute to the revitalization of Takarazuka.

We hope that "Shimakusu" will become a new attraction in Takarazuka and help bring vitality back to the city.

Thoughts of Head Chef Ryoma Kusumoto:

My cuisine is not flashy.

However, I thoroughly pursue the "unseen techniques" that are the essence of Japanese cuisine, dedicating my heart and soul to each dish so that customers can deeply feel "it was delicious" after eating.

Japanese cuisine is an astonishing accumulation of "troublesome tasks."

For example, even for a single simmered dish, optimal pre-treatment is applied to each ingredient, pots are changed for each process, and flavors are added in stages. We believe that this accumulation of uncompromising craftsmanship completes a delicious "food story" that you will never tire of.

On the other hand, while preserving traditional flavors, we incorporate new pleasures into the distance with our customers.

At the counter seats, where you can closely observe the kitchen, you can enjoy watching ingredients grilled over charcoal while relaxing and conversing with the chef.

Authentic Japanese cuisine, backed by solid techniques, made more accessible and enjoyed to your heart's content.

We deliver a comfortable moment to savor the authentic in everyday life.

Head Chef: Ryoma Kusumoto Profile

Born in Kagawa Prefecture. After training locally, he studied under Kenji Ueno, a leading figure in the Japanese culinary world and a "Modern Master Craftsman." He inherited traditional techniques as the head chef of the renowned restaurant "Shima-ya" and has now been appointed head chef of "Takarazuka Shimakusu." He received the Osaka Governor's Award in the "Japanese Cuisine Contest." With his outstanding skills and sincere craftsmanship, he breathes new culinary value into Takarazuka.

"Three Commitments" that constitute Shimakusu:

1. "Cuisine" that feels the orthodoxy and the changing seasons

Seasonal Appetizers (※Varies by season)

A dish that symbolizes our restaurant and marks the opening of the course is the "Seasonal Appetizers."

We carefully select the freshest seasonal ingredients that shine brightest at that time, and maximize the natural flavors of the ingredients using "orthodox" techniques that leverage the power of dashi and fermentation. To allow visual enjoyment, we express the "changing seasons" within a single dish. We capture the four seasons of Japan in the limited space of a vessel, utilizing height, depth, and even negative space in the plating. The moment you see it, a seasonal scene comes to mind, and when you taste it, the breath of the season spreads. A "food story" to be savored with all five senses begins here.

2. "Space" and "Tableware" where traditional beauty and modern merge

Counter