At Ginza Maru, on the second floor of a building behind GINZA SIX in Ginza 6-chome, General Chef Mizuki Asai offers outstanding Japanese dishes in a comfortable, relaxing setting, in a space with an elegant design reminiscent of traditional, high-end Japanese restaurants.
Chef Asai trained at a Japanese restaurant in his home prefecture of Kanagawa before joining Shimotsuki Inc., which runs Ginza Maru. After working as the chef and manager of Aoyama Maru, he took the position of manager of Ginza Maru when it opened in 2013. Then, he was appointed to Director and General Chef in 2015 to realize the culinary vision of Maru through his dishes.
“Many people think of Japanese cuisine as esoteric, highbrow, and intimidating. I would like to make our restaurant more welcoming and easier to visit,” says chef Asai, who is committed to delivering a discerning yet casual kappo dining experience. The menu consists of home-style favorites, such as kinpira burdock root (pan-fried burdock root) and potato salad, but his culinary expertise honed at high-end Japanese restaurants makes them totally unique.
His cooking starts with sourcing. Vegetables are sourced not only from wholesale markets such as Toyosu Market and Ota Market but also directly from farms, such as Horiguchi Farm in Ibaraki, renowned for its organic vegetables and Tazuru Farm in Kyoto, known as a pioneer of Kyoto vegetables. Seafood is also sourced from across Japan, including Aomori, Oita, and Ehime, as well as Toyosu Market. In addition, the restaurant is supplied with fresh meat, mainly Miyazaki Wagyu beef. These ingredients are transformed into simple, masterful dishes to highlight their natural flavors. Among these dishes, green salad and donabe gohan (rice cooked in an earthen pot) are particularly popular.
The drinks menu consists of a regular and seasonal selection of sake, 6 to 10 in total, selected to best complement dishes, such as Soku from Fujioka Shuzo in Kyoto. In addition, 10 white and red wines are stored in the wine cellar. Moreover, the restaurant offers a variety of homemade juices featuring seasonal ingredients such as perilla juice, fizzy lemonade and limeade made with lemons and limes from Kochi, homemade ginger ale, and a ginger highball made with young ginger.
The interior features plenty of wood accents to add warmth. Guests are invited to take one of the six seats at a wide counter made of solid persimmon wood, and to enjoy conversing with the chef and kitchen staff while watching them cook. Or, take one of the 18 table seats next to the latticed windows to indulge in delicious food in a bright setting.
Either way, guests can enjoy delicious Japanese dishes with family, partner, friends, colleagues, or clients in a comfortable, relaxing setting at Ginza Maru.
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* The availability of this webpage does not guarantee that the restaurant presented provides services in English, unless otherwise stated. Please be aware that English services may also depend on staff availability at the restaurant.
Access
A 3-minutes walk from A3 exit of Ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
A 3-minutes walk from A1 exit of Higashi-Ginza Station on the Toei Asakusa Line
