On Shinginza-dori, which extends north from the Ekimae-dori, is a lively little restaurant with a hand-written menu displayed in front. Aji No Anaba is managed by its warm and welcoming proprietress and chef. Before opening this restaurant, the owner was managing a ryokan*. When the ryokan closed, she decided to open this restaurant in 2006 to make use of all the dishes, tableware, and cooking equipment that had been used at the ryokan. “A few months after opening, the cook fell ill and had to quit. I was doing everything by myself for a while after that. I only knew how to cook a few things, so my friends would come and help me from time to time,” she said. Eventually it became too much to carry on, but just as she was thinking about closing the restaurant, a new cook came and turned everything around.

*A ryokan is a type of traditional Japanese inn.

The chef, who had always enjoyed cooking, was coaxed toward becoming a chef by a friend in his college years. Noticing his good manual dexterity and sharp wit, his friend convinced him to become a chef. Going against his parents’ disapproval and quitting school, the path before him was hard. “Most of the people around me had been training to become chefs since 15 or 16 years of age, but I started at 20. There was a lot of pressure put on me. It was hard, but I kept working at it.”

Using the discarded green tops of spring onions, at night he would stay late in the kitchen practicing his knife skills in order to overcome his disadvantage.

After becoming a chef, he continued to refine his skills in Kyoto and Kokura. After returning to Beppu he worked in many different kitchens around the city. “All I want to do is focus on my work and cook to my best ability,” says the chef. His presentation skill is considerable, delicately cutting haran leaves into beautiful shapes to garnish a sashimi boat. The chef can be quite strict with the owner from time to time, but she and the regulars who come here just laugh it off as part of his personality.

The interior of the restaurant is decorated with photos of the people who have visited here taken by the chef, who loves cameras. Aji No Anaba is characterized by its story of empathy and ongoing cooperation, and there are new smiles added to the wall of photos everyday.