Himono-ya in Asakusa

Female chef grilling himono, dried fish.

Back-lit cross sections of bamboo decorate the table.

Tuna salad with crispy, super-thin shoestring potatoes.

Tofu steamed in mesh cloth.

Ika sugata-yaki, whole grilled squid served with grated ginger.

A little grilled iwashi (sardine) with roe.

Ginormous yaki-onigiri on a stick! These grilled rice balls,
lightly flavored with miso, were delicious. Grilled saba (mackerel)
in the background. Mackerel and sardines are my favorite fish
so I was in foodie nirvana.

Himono-ya is a chain of izakaya found all around Tokyo. These casual restaurants offer a good range of generously portioned, affordable dishes in atmospheric surroundings. Their specialty is himono, or dried fish such as mackerel and sardines, generally served salted and grilled with a side of grated daikon radish and soy sauce.

We went to one of the Asakusa locations, where women "manned" the grill and the service was friendly and attentive. They also had menus in English (ask for the "eigo no menu"). Penny and I stuffed ourselves on several dishes, complimentary small appetizers and fresh cabbage leaves served with miso, and two drinks each--and the bill amounted to about $25 per person.

I was searching online for more info on himono, and came across the phrase "himono onna" - "dried fish woman" - a single woman who lives life on her own terms rather than putting on appearances and going out of her way to please others (as is generally expected of Japanese women). Hmm, I may be a borderline himono onna...I'm not single but I've been known to go to an izakaya alone and eat snacks and beer standing at the sink like an oyaji. I haven't totally let go of vanity yet, though, and I still get excited over plenty of things. Read about himono onna on this blog, Hungry for Words: Mostly Japanese.

Here is Himono-ya's site, but it's only in Japanese.