Green Mate, Restaurant Out of Time

The other day my son had a holiday from school, so I took him to one of our favorite restaurants in town for lunch. Called Green Mate, it’s a restaurant that serves yoshoku (Western style food), although many of the items on the menu might be puzzling to you, like the Omurice, a dreamy omelette served over rice with a demi-glace on top. We like the restaurant because it’s a place that hasn’t been touched by time — everything is exactly the same as when it opened back in the early 80s, with no disruption from the outside world. Even the prices at this restaurant feel like the 80s: although the good is good enough that we often have to line up to eat, all plates are under $10, essentially the same prices as during Japan’s bubble economy days.

This is “Toruko,” a course of Western foods. Looks very Western, doesn’t it?