Tsubaki-ya

To those of you who've noticed it's been a while since my last post, I apologize! My husband recently deployed, and I've been working on finding new food adventure buddies who are as adventurous as he is. For today, I'll post about Tsubaki-ya, our favorite restaurant, where we had our last dinner together.

Tsubaki-ya is an izakaya style restaurant that serves both alcohol and food. They have a great selection of awamori and sake to compliment their fresh sushi. They also serve a variety of other traditional Japanese dishes.



My husband always orders the sashimi selections of the day when we go. The fish selections range from tuna and salmon to whitefish, and once we were even served fresh octopus. You can choose a plate that comes with three types of fish, or five, and they are served with garnishes of cucumber and daikon radish. If you're feeling adventurous, it's a great choice, since you never know exactly what you'll get.



There is also a great selection of sushi rolls available. My personal favorite includes Salmon, cucumber, and cream cheese. (I can't remember at the moment whether it's called an Alaska roll or a Philadelphia roll!) They also have cucumber rolls, California rolls, and a few others. The caterpillar roll is a very pretty choice that incorporates a lot of different types of fish- great for impressing guests visiting from home.



There are also a bunch of non-sushi entrees to choose from. The tempura here is excellent, and available a la carte or as a set meal. There is a selection of yaki tori style kebab skewers, some fun appetizer selections, and some standard Japanese dishes like stir fry, white or fried rice and miso soup. Pictured above is another of my husband's favorites- vinegrated seaweed noodles, with cucumber and a lemon slice for garnish.

Cocktails are reasonably priced at around ¥500-¥800, but the selection is a bit small. They do have very good plum wine, and my husband is a fan of their campari soda and gin with lime. They also have cassis soda, which is a favorite of a friend of ours.

There is a very nice English menu available, and the staff all speak fairly good English. This place is a bit pricey when you're eating with a hungry Marine, but as a couple, we usually get out for under ¥5,000 including a few drinks.


Hours and Directions:

Tsubaki-ya opens at 5pm daily, and closes after midnight. If you leave from Camp Courtney's housing gate early enough, it would even be a decent distance to walk to on a nice evening.

Tsubaki-ya is so close to Courtney that it's actually visible from the apartment tower I live in! To get there from Camp Courtney, simply turn left onto Route 75 (a double left from the housing gate) and drive past Capital Steakhouse and the first traffic light. The restaurant is on the right immediately after that light. From this direction you'll see a concrete wall painted white that reads "Parking for Customeis Only."

From McTureous, turn right out of the gate onto Route 8. Make your way to Route 75 and turn left. After you've passed through two stop lights, you'll pass through one more intersection before seeing Tsubaki-ya on the left. If you pass through a third stop light, you've gone too far.


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