Where the racoons’ favorite Japanese dishes lie: the hideout of the racoons

Heartwarming yet gullible, constantly tricked by foxes, racoons provide comic relief in traditional Japanese folktales. In Kitashinagawa, there’s a hideout that the tanukis – the racoons always go to. It’s a special hideout that no one knows about, except if you’re part of the tanuki family. Tanuki, hidden in Tokyo’s unheralded neighborhood of Kitashinagawa is the home to many, but also the home to numerous delectable Japanese dishes. 

The first impression of the restaurant is quite ordinary; from afar it looks like a typical Japanese home. But the closer you get, the voices of joy fill the air. The large raccoon statue kindly greets you, and as the wooden glass doors open, the light smell of old tobacco and sake evokes the smells of Japanese childhood. It’s never a pungent smell, always light, almost not even there, like an atmosphere. Then, the welcoming voices of Irasshaimase! — come on in! fills the room. Booths are a sanctuary to those whose hearts long for comfort. Finding comfort in each other, knowing that they never stand alone, that they have a family here, even for a little while. Swifty breaking apart the bamboo chopsticks, unrolling the steamy towel, and the sounds of the small Japanese-style plates clatter. The head of this restaurant, Tanuki Mama, first asks if there is anything that you can’t eat or don’t like. Her heartwarming smile is just like a mother, bringing trails of comfort and love everywhere she goes. 

The special menu is Ganmo, a Japanese-style fritter with lotus roots, carrots, tofu, burdock root, and other secret ingredients that Tanuki mama uses. Everyone asks for the secret to this delicious fritter, but the answer is always the same: “It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, right?” 

The fried tofu fritter is a taste of wonders. It’s like an adventure in the forest; every step of the way is a new experience. The slightly stinging taste of ginger first hits, eyebrows slightly scrunching. But soon, tastebuds sing of the gentle flavors of dashi shoyu and tofu. Like a lullaby putting a baby to sleep, the crunchy outside compliments the fluffy inside — it’s the perfect harmony. 

Tanuki mama has been running this restaurant for over 20 years. Her happiness comes from her customers, and the customer’s happiness comes from her and this very restaurant. The teasing voice of “Oi! Don’t wipe the soy sauce with the towel! It stains!” and “Mama, can you make this for me?” brings a sense of family. Snug and content in the hideout, there is nothing more anyone could wish for. Just the company of each other, sake, and Japanese dishes will fill their hearts with bliss.