Premises

Konomichi is a small cozy restaurant in the affluent neighborhood of Yamate, Yokohama.  Built in the early 1900s, the premises were originally the residence of the movie director Koreyoshi Kurahara.  It’s used to be a hideaway for movie stars. 

Inside the building, the gallery, which was designed by architect Susumu Takasuga , is used for the lounge.  And the original Japanese room is now our dining room.  You can see the craftsmanship of Japanese carpentry.  Also you can enjoy the décor with Japanese art which were collected by the former owner.

The garden is a “dry landscape “Japanese garden, which creates various scenery by drawing sand ripples on white gravel.  Also the plants play an important role to show the season

History

In 1970, Yumiko Miyagino opened “Konomichi”, a creative cuisine restaurant at the Koreyoshi Kurahara’s resident.

In 2013, Fumiko Umezawa, daughter of Yumiko Miyagino, took over the restaurant and her son, Satoshi Umezawa became the head chef.  The restaurant reopened as “French Kaiseki Konomichi”

Yumiko Miyagino

After working as a Takarazuka actress (1943-1951) and as a movie actress, she married Koreyoshi Kurahara.  She was inducted into the Takarazuka Revue Hall of Fame 100 in 2014.

Koreyoshi Kurahara

He debuted as a film director in 1957 with the movie “I’m waiting” starring Yujiro Ishihara.  In 1983, his film “Antarctica Story” received worldwide recognition.  To commemorate his success, a memorial plaque for “Antarctica Story” was placed at the entrance to the restaurant in 2017.

Fumiko Umezawa

“Madam” of “Konomichi” the proprietress who does everything.  She welcomes the guests in Kimono.  She has a wealth of knowledge about Japanese culture, i.e. Food, Tea ceremony, Kimono, Pottery and other arts and crafts.  She is a master of Japanese harp “Koto”.

Chef

Satoshi Umezawa

He was trained at Le Cordon Bleu School in Tokyo and was the former head chef at San-Poo-Loh in Obuse. He was a lecturer at both the Tokyo and Paris schools of Le Cordon Bleu.