Wa Yamamura

Wa Yamamura is a top notch kaiseki restaurant . Food was delicious and creative , the chef is using fresh and seasonal ingredients locally sourced . The course menu is focused on fish , no meat . Nice atmosphere and friendly service . Highly recommended of you’re in Nara .

We went downhills and decided to have lunch at Wayamamura restaurant和山村. The bus was riding on the quiet street in Nara, crossing railways and passing low and cosy family houses. We got off the bus very soon that we had plenty of time, so we turned in the inside neighbourhoods, which was quieter, no cars and few walkers. We found flowers and even neatly cut pines in front of those houses, and we couldn't spot any tall buildings but mountains miles away. Vegetable gardens relaxed us. That's an ideal and desirable living place. When we reached the gate of the restaurant, there's still much time left. We detoured the block to a shop, bought some snacks and withdraw some Japanese Yen. It's time, and we entered. The crew welcomed us warmly and put our clothes in another room. The chef, i.e. the host, was a middle-aged slightly fat man, while the hostess was a thin, elegant woman. There were two more waiters, including a charming young girl, and a well-makeup senior woman. They provided us with hot towels and served us tea. Then we waited there, enjoying the environment and service of this 3-star Michelin restaurant. There were a couple of young Chinese sitting next to us. They seldom talked and didn't pay much attention to dishes. The hostess gave us a hand-written menu displaying all meals we'd had. It's written in English. We were very excited. What we planed came to us bit by bit. We made each of them. Every time a pair of dishes were served, the hostess told us what it is and referred to the English name on the menu. We tasted careful and commented in turn. We judged every one via description and metaphor. We fired our imagination and didn't let any detail flee away. After less than two hours, we finished all dishes. When we walked outside the restaurant, the chef couple looked at us for long till we can't spot the door. Diane said they must have noticed us eating in a highly careful manner and thus appreciated and liked us a bit more.

Best value ever! For an establishment which earned Michelin three stars before, they really did not charge high. For two people at lunch, they charged less than 300 dollars. We made a reservation one month ahead of time thru hotel concierge and the counter was already fully booked. yet, sitting at the table did not compromise our experience. Waitresses may not be fluent with English but they all tried really hard. You cannot miss this place if you are in Osaka, Kyoto or Nara area. Truly a gem

A wonderful dining experience with extremely delicious food and great service! Highly recommend!!

Holy cow! Incredible course set. Very affordable and top quality fresh food. You know nothing can go wrong with all the Japanese customers in the restaurant. Had to book two months advance via my hotel. They don't have a kids menu but the chef was kind enough to cook an egg udon noodle bowl. Be prepared, the course took us two hours and a half and is the most memorable thing we did in Nara.