Nagai Shinai
獅子宿 燻亭
Rustic Farmhouse and Fearsome Black Lion
This restaurant is housed in a restored traditional farmhouse building. The first thing that strikes you when you drive into the parking lot is the huge, tiled roof and traditional structure. Its worth coming here to eat just for the ambiance created by the building.
The next thing which is impossible to miss is the huge Black Lion head sticking out at the end of the building. What is it doing there? What animal is it supposed to be? And why does it have so much nose hair? These questions and more stir a sense of curiosity to know more as you enter into the building.
The interior of the building is a striking step back in time to the aesthetic of the Edo period, as well as into the exotic world of the Japanese mythological imagination. Fine lacquered tables, elegant flags with calligraphy, and strange masks and figures line the floors and walls.
Soba and Mochi Sets
The main attraction of the farmhouse restaurant - being that it is a restaurant and not just an eye-catching old building - are the mochi and soba sets. The menu here includes 6 different type of mochi to choose from and offers sets of 1,3, or 5 mochi together with a box of cold soba and some pickled sides. You can see a picture of the menu offerings below.
Mochi options are on the top-left, soba to the right. Soba includes hot and cold options - but mostly, cold.
On this set I ordered below (for example) there was cold soba, dipping sauce, two pickled sides, and radish mochi, walnut mochi, and edamame paste mochi. I also got a little glass stopper with what I assume was meant to be a special sauce for the radish mochi (center top), since that was the only mochi of the three that didn't come already-sweetened. The sauce reminded me of a sort of molasses.
soba (bottom right) is meant to be dipped, little by little, into the black sauce (bottom left).
This second set was mostly the same, though my friend ordered the red bean paste mochi instead of the radish.
It's not Japanese until it has red beans in it, somewhere
The waitresses also seem to be the cooks. The whole business is clearly family-owned, and probably has been for years. The kitchen, which is in the back-side of the building opposite the entrance, is close enough to the dining hall that you can softly hear them preparing the soba and mochi in the background. When it's finished, one of the ladies hand delivers them to you. You can watch your soba and mochi slowly make its way to your table in the soft light and shadowy, dream-like atmosphere created by the combination of traditional rice-paper planters, the cold and dark of the farmhouse, and the stunning artwork all around the room.
Its a very cold farmhouse, but its worth it to get this atmosphere
Black Lion Museum
Another striking feature of the restaurant is that it doubles as a museum for the Black Lion Festival. Hence, the reason for all the Black Lion sculptures and figurines. The museum is somewhat spread out through the whole building, but the main exhibit is clearly in the last room in the back, where a full reproduction of the Black Lion Festival in miniature sits on display.
The Black Lion festival occurs annually in Nagai, in May.
Of course, the centerpiece of the festival is the Black Lion himself (or herself?), who is represented by a large black mask for the head and a long, flowing blue cloth for the body. The Black Lion is passing through what I believe is meant to be some sort of Tori great marking the entrance to a shrine. He is flanked on either side by some lantern bearers and a few other people whose function isn't clear from the figurines. One of them is just standing there scratching his neck. His job must not be very important.
Not sure what to do, little guy there on the bottom right?
The facial expression carved into the Black Lion head is truly striking. A fine mix of ferocity and the exotic and mythical, with its huge black eyes and golden teeth.
It still looks like a dragon to me, in all honesty. Perhaps a distant cousin...
The other main exhibit, featured throughout the farmhouse, is dozens upon dozens of authentic Black Lion masks. It is possible this family actually is responsible for making masks for the festival, there are so many of them spread around. The colors of the masks range from black to gold to red.
A large store of unfinished-looking masks sits right adjacent to the entrance, and are one of the first things that greets you when you walk in.
終