KOHYAMA

The story

KOHYAMA: Michelin-Recommended Japanese Omakase in Kashihara, Nara

A Couple’s Vision for Nara

KOHYAMA is the intimate project of a husband-and-wife team who wanted to share the depth of Nara’s food culture. The restaurant’s cooking is built on dashi and Japan’s fermented seasonings, blending Japanese and Western elements in a way that feels both rooted and original. The result is a style of Japanese cuisine that earned a Michelin Recommended distinction for 2026.

From Tenkawa Mountain to the Table

The chef’s hometown is Tenkawa, a village in the Yoshino district known for its pure water and UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage routes. That clear stream, called Amanogawa, produces a prized ayu (sweetfish) that changes character through the season – young and tender in June, rich with fat in July for salt-grilling, and later bearing roe or milt. Ayu appears in multiple forms across the omakase menu, which runs from June to October.

The couple also sources seafood from the port of Saikazaki in Wakayama, connected to Nara’s mountains by rivers that carry nutrients to the sea. This sense of place – inland yet linked to the coast – defines the kitchen’s approach.

The Omakase Experience

The evening course (¥9,655) offers six to seven dishes: seasonal vegetables from Nara, fish, a clay-pot rice course, and dessert. Diners can choose an alcohol or non-alcohol pairing curated by the couple. The restaurant also produces its own Nara wine, made from Delaware grapes grown in Kawai town and fermented at a local winery – a taste of the region’s terroir in every bottle.

Counter dining keeps the focus on the cooking and the couple’s quiet, precise service. KOHYAMA is open for dinner only, with a wine selection that includes bottles from their own label. It’s a small, personal restaurant that lets Nara’s landscape speak through the plate.