Perhaps the true measure of a life’s journey isn’t the distance you travel, but what you come to cherish along the way. For Junko Hamaguchi (Hamaguchi-san), the path to her quiet restaurant in Nasu began on stage, as a member of a high school girls’ rock band. Even after a career as an office worker, the drive to carve her own path never faded, eventually guiding her toward a new way of life centred on food, health, and conscious living.
That passion now has a name: Ours Dining. This small restaurant, run with her husband and chef, is nestled in the natural beauty of the Nasu highlands and serves as a perfect reflection of their shared philosophy. It’s more than just a place to eat; it’s the culmination of a dream that began far away in Tokushima, a testament to a life lived with intention.
Working in sync with her husband, Hamaguchi-san uses her deep knowledge of vegetables to help shape a menu that celebrates the peak of each season. Her conviction that food should be, above all, “safe and gentle on the body” was forged in her childhood, when her mother used natural ingredients to support her through illness.
This ethos isn’t a trend for the couple; it is simply their norm. In their own garden, they work in harmony with nature, allowing the soil to rest and accepting insects as a vital part of the ecosystem. They incorporate wild mountain vegetables (sansai) and pure spring water into their cooking, making as much as possible by hand, from seasonings to fermented foods. This quiet determination is tasted in every dish. Each plate is thoughtfully designed to let the ingredient’s true character shine, revealing its unique sweetness, bitterness, acidity, or spice.
The restaurant itself is an extension of this belief system. When it came time to relocate, Hamaguchi’s husband, with the help of friends they met in Nasu, built an open, passive solar house designed around the theme of “the cycle of nature.” The space is heated with local biomass, food scraps are turned into compost, and used cooking oil is transformed into soap. It is a system designed to return everything to the earth. Here, a dream has literally been shaped from the ground up.
Ours Dining is a place that invites you to pause and reconnect with the sources of your food and the rhythm of your life. It’s a chance to experience the authentic heart of Nasu. In a space where a dream has taken form, why not savour a taste of Nasu just as it is?
Restaurant
OURS DINING
5834-14 Takaku, Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, Tochigi Prefecture, 325-0304
0287-64-5573
The menu changes daily based on the best seasonal ingredients. Reservations are required (for two or more people).
