Oozushi

Address: Miyagi-ken, Sendai-shi, Aoba-ku, Honmachi 1-10-15, Saito Bldg 1F
Tel: 0022-263-0886
Open time: 11:00～14:00
(last order 13:30)
17:00～23:00
(last order 22:30)

Oozushi is a sushi restaurant located in Sendai.
Its chef has a long experience and like sushi.
Working in a sushi restaurant was a calling which came to him when he was very young and he started to work in a sushi restaurant at the age of 16.
Then he founded his own restaurant in Kokubunchou 10 years ago. After six years of activity, he decided to move his restaurant to Honchou. The chef attaches great importance to the freshness of his products. The fish are kept in a small tank in which water is changed daily. The fish are sold within 2 days. They can be kept longer (up to a week) but they lose their freshness and cannot be used anymore to prepare sushi.
Chef has a special message for foreigners:
≪If you're visiting Sendai, do not eat only the Gyuutan, but come to my restaurant and enjoy delicious sushi!≫

The oozushi factory is divided in three sections: Sendai food shop, museum and art gallery, and Tanabata Gallery.
The Sendai food shop has many goods produced in the area of Sendai. There is also a special corner to gyutan (grilled beef tongue) and another to sasakama. In this part of the factory it is also possible to take a sasakama cooking class. The class lasts approximately 45 minutes and, of course, you can eat the sasakama you cooked. Although there are many classes through the day, there is a limit to the number of participants, so reservations are needed.
In the museum and art gallery, it is possible to find sculptures, paintings and also a huge panel about a fairy-tale underwater world. There is also a small factory showing how the sasakama is made. Other than that, you can rest at the cafe lounge after the visit.
Lastly, there is the Tanabata Gallery. Tanabata is the most famous festival in Sendai. It happens in August and lasts three days. During this festival, the city becomes adorned with many special decorations. In the Tanabata Gallery, there are some of these, going from the first Tanabata decoration model to the one found nowadays. This part is especially fun for children, since there is a section where they can make drawings and origami (reservation needed).
Going to oozushi is an opportunity to do many nice things in just one place: tasting (and also cooking) sasakama, seeing many interesting art objects and learning more about one of the most beautiful festivals in Japan!

01/12/2010　Antoine Lachaud