In 2018, I have first eaten Hiyayakko (冷奴) in my aunt’s favourite restaurant with a view on the rainbow bridge. Hiyayakko is actually a very simple dish; cold tofu, soy sauce, spring onions and sometimes ginger. Consequently, the taste is mainly dependent on the quality of its ingredients. However, travelling through Japan in 2018 from Sapporo to Nagasaki, every Hiyayakko I ate has been a disappointment.

So, this time, I took up the side quest to find the best Hiyayakko in Japan! …or maybe Tokyo… - …or maybe central Tokyo.

Starting the quest

The intuitive starting point would be revisiting the restaurant in Odaiba. I tried in April 2024 and found it closed. Searching the internet reveals mostly recipes. This blog gives a great introduction to the history of tofu, the name and recipe, but it also recommends five restaurants in Tokyo for their Hiyayakko.