Kushitatsu: Kyoto’s only whale meat restaurant in Arashiyama

As the controversy of Japan’s whale-eating culture catches international attention, there are certainly some Japanese restaurants that serve whale meat although it is a rare occasion as an American restaurant that serves alligator meat. So it is quite a quest to find a whale meat specialty restaurant in Japan because ordinary Japanese people prefer fried chicken to whale meat like the rest of the world.

The storefront of Kushitatsu.

Inside Kushitatsu.

Located in the touristy-est neighborhood ‘Arashiyama (嵐山)’ in Kyoto, Kushitatsu (串龍) is Kyoto’s only restaurant that claims to be a whale meat restaurant as their website says “kushikatsu (deep-fried skewer), whale cuisine, Kushitatsu (串カツくじら料理串龍)”.

A poster explains whale meat anatomy: tongue (舌/さえずり), bacon (畝須 / うねす), jaw (鹿子), red meat (赤肉), fat (本皮), tail (尾身), and fin (尾羽).

Kushitatsu’s menu.

Besides Kushitatsu’s whale meat options and passion for the enlightenment of Japan’s whale-eating culture, Kushitatsu seems to be just another local cozy izakaya (居酒屋: Japanese traditional tavern).

Kushikatsu platter (串かつ8本セット). 2000 yen / $15.30.

Kushikatsu platter comes with eight ingredients: asparagus (アスパラ), shishito pepper (ししとう), onion (玉ねぎ), eggplant (ナス), chicken tender (ササミ), kisu whiting (キス), wagyu (和牛), and paradise prawn (天使の海老). They all tasted better than average especially because the ingredients were fresh.

Crab cream croquette (カニクリームコロッケ). 500 yen / $3.80.

Crab cream croquette is a classic Japanese izakaya food. It tastes like deep-fried, thick white gravy sauce with crab meat. Kushitatsu’s crab cream croquette was near perfect (I personally didn’t need a line of assumingly mass-produced tartar sauce on top).

Cheesy yam casserole (山芋チーズとろろステーキ) 850 yen / $6.50.

Japanese monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き)-inspired, cheesy yam casserole explained Kushitatsu’s passion for concoction. This is something that would never be listed as Japanese food but is considered Japanese food by locals.

French fries (フライドポテト) 500 yen / $3.80.

Kushitatsu just proved that they can fry food. Message received.

Whale tartare (くじらユッケ) 1200 yen /$9.20.

Whale tartare was marinated in sweet soy sauce. With a ginger paste, I couldn’t deny the sensation that it was quite delicious. The meat tasted somewhere between tuna and beef. I would say it tasted quite mammal since it wasn’t oceany at all. One thing that’s for sure is that it can’t compare with alligator meat.

All the food I ate at Kushitatsu was great. They tasted as good as they cost, which is slightly more expensive than an average Japanese izakaya. I just feel the need to note that the price on their English menu for foreigners looks like a different restaurant where a dress code is required. In my opinion, Kushitatsu is a lovely, sandal-friendly (I assume) casual restaurant.