A magnificent three-story building surrounded by a bamboo forest is just within view.

This is Taigetsu-rō, a kaiseki restaurant that serves traditional Japanese course meals including grated yam soup made with locally farmed ingredients. This traditional Japanese restaurant has welcomed many people, including gourmets and former prime ministers, for over 100 years. They all come for the famous yam soup.

Previously an inn, this restaurant is named after the tea room at Togeppo Saioku-ji Temple, which shares the same character for “moon” (月).

Let’s take a moment to think about “waiting for the moon,” which is what the Japanese characters of the restaurant name portrays. Most people have likely never bothered to do something as simple as wait for the moon. What does an experience like that even entail?

It’s ordinary experiences like these that can end up providing you with more joy than you’d expect. The joy of “waiting for the moon” evokes a feeling that connects you to the history of this place.