Visit date: Saturday, October 10, 2026 | Sunny
At the end of a side street, I spotted the words “Seiro-mushi.”
Steamed food.
I had a good feeling about this place.
I’m going in.
A Light Down a Side Street
From Sekigahara to Ogaki.
After finishing my sightseeing, I walked around looking for dinner.
A little way off the main street near the station, I noticed a light.
Seiro-mushi.
Food cooked by steaming the ingredients in a traditional wooden steamer.
I had a good feeling about this place.
Before going in, I did a quick search on my phone.
The result was a website run by the Ogaki Ryokan Association.
A ryokan association?
Was this place an inn?
…That’s what I wondered, but it was listed as a restaurant.
👉 Seiro Mushi Nakamise | Ogaki Ryokan Association
Hida Beef, Round Two
The first thing I ordered was:
Steamed Hida Beef — ¥2,000.
Following the Daimyo Don I’d eaten in Sekigahara,
Hida beef encounter number two.
Hida beef and vegetables, steamed together in a wooden basket.
A dish that lets the ingredients speak for themselves.
I was right to come in.
An Extra ¥1,000 for the Sashimi
Next, an assorted sashimi platter.
Since I was here,
I upgraded it for an extra ¥1,000.
Ogaki is far from the sea.
But this sashimi was delicious.
The extra ¥1,000 was well spent.
I Can’t Stop Ordering More
Lotus root obanzai, a Kyoto-style home-cooked side dish.
Deep-fried natto.
And sake.
Before I knew it, I was ordering more and more.
When I travel, I’m happy to spend money on something I think is worth it.
But normally, I wouldn’t keep ordering extra dishes.
One additional order after another.
For me, that’s the surest sign I’ve found a winner.
Sake Made by Her Father
While I was choosing sake, a female staff member showed me an empty bottle.
She told me that her father makes sake, and that sometimes they ask him to produce limited-edition batches.
Unfortunately, the sake I wanted to try had sold out.
Well then, I’ll have something else.
Eating delicious food.
Enjoying sake.
The evening in Ogaki passed slowly.
What Should I Have to Finish?
A group who seemed to be regular customers was also at the restaurant.
When things quieted down in the kitchen, a young chef came out and chatted with the regulars about food.
After they had left, I asked him too.
“What would you recommend to finish the meal?”
His suggestion was:
Chicken zosui — Japanese rice porridge.
Because the chicken gives the broth its flavor.
Then I’ll have that.
Somehow, It Was the Best Dish of the Night
Hida beef.
Sashimi.
Obanzai.
Sake.
I’d ordered all sorts of things.
Expensive ingredients, too, adding one dish after another.
But that evening,
the dish that impressed me most was
the chicken zosui at the very end.
Why?
The broth made from chicken?
Because I’d spent the whole day walking?
Or because the sake had started to take effect?
I really don’t know.
All I know is,
it was delicious.
The Human Touch in Every Bite
Looking back now, I realize something.
This restaurant’s food had
a distinctly human touch.
The taste of someone who had listened to what the ingredients had to say.
Come to think of it, I’d felt something similar in the food I discovered in Kurama.
👉 Read about Kuramasō, the traditional inn and restaurant I visited in Kurama.
▶︎🍵 Beauty & Taste｜Ushiwaka-zen at Kuramaso in Kurama
I love places like that.
Now, the Bill
How much did I end up spending?
…I don’t remember.
The sake had started to take effect, too.
But one thing I do remember:
The bill wasn’t enough to sober me up.
That much is certain.
The words I’d spotted down a side street:
“Seiro-mushi.”
I had a good feeling about this place.
And my instinct
was right.
YUMEVOJA Satisfaction Rating: ★★★★★
👉 Read about the day’s journey here:
▶︎🚉Stopover Journey｜Looking for a “Wow!” in Sekigahara, Then to Ogaki｜Two Days in Gifu – Part 1
👉 Related illustrations here
(Free to use)
▶︎ 🎨View illustration page