Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba Store

Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba: A Taisho-Era Soba Legacy in the Heart of Tokyo

Standing quietly amid the towering office buildings of Toranomon, one of Tokyo's most dynamic business districts, the wooden storefront of Osakaya Sunaba offers a remarkable window into a bygone era. This two-story timber-framed soba restaurant, built in 1923 during the Taisho period, has been designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. For over 150 years, the Inagaki family has served handmade soba noodles here, carrying on a culinary tradition that stretches back more than four centuries to the construction of Osaka Castle. The building itself is a survivor — it withstood the Great Kanto Earthquake, escaped the devastating air raids of World War II, and was even carefully relocated several meters in 2021 to accommodate a road-widening project, all while retaining its dignified Taisho-era character.

Historical Background: From Osaka Castle to Toranomon

The name "Sunaba" (literally "sand place") traces its origins to the late 16th century, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi undertook the construction of Osaka Castle in 1583. A confectioner named Izumiya set up a soba noodle stall at one of the construction material sand depots, and the area — and the shop — became known as "Sunaba." This makes the Sunaba lineage one of the oldest soba traditions in Japan, predating the more widely known Yabu and Sarashina schools.

When the Tokugawa shogunate established its capital in Edo (present-day Tokyo), the Sunaba tradition followed. In 1872 (Meiji 5), Inagaki Otojiro, originally from the Owari region (modern-day Nagoya area), received a noren-wake — the prestigious right to use the Sunaba name — from the Kojimachi Shichome Sunaba Fujikichi, the Sunaba head house in Edo. He established his shop in Kotohira-cho (present-day Toranomon 1-chome), on land once belonging to the former daimyo Abe clan.

Otojiro's wife, Yoso, came from the Kariya family, a samurai household with deep ties to the Tokugawa clan. Her father had served as a sword instructor for the Nabeshima domain. The restaurant quickly earned the patronage of prominent figures of the late Edo and early Meiji periods, including the celebrated "Three Boats" swordsmen: Yamaoka Tesshu, Takahashi Deishu, and Katsu Kaishu. Calligraphy attributed to Yamaoka Tesshu remains displayed in the restaurant to this day.

Why It Was Designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property

In July 2011, the shop building was officially registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. The designation recognizes the structure as a rare and well-preserved example of Taisho-period commercial wooden architecture that continues to serve its original function in the heart of a modern metropolis.

The building stands on a corner lot and features an L-shaped floor plan that follows the angle of the intersection, with the corner elegantly cut at a diagonal. Its kirizuma-zukuri (gabled) roof is covered with traditional san-gawara tiles and adorned with chidori-hafu (ornamental gabled dormers) at the corner. The exterior walls employ shitami-ita-bari (clapboard siding), with the upper portions of the walls finished in white plaster (shikkui). The second floor contains tatami-matted private dining rooms with decorative railings (rankan) extending from the window openings.

The building has an approximate footprint of 70 square meters, and its distinctive silhouette has long served as a beloved local landmark in the Toranomon neighborhood. It represents a vanishingly rare survival of traditional commercial architecture in one of Tokyo's most rapidly developing areas.

Architectural Highlights and Atmosphere

Stepping through the noren curtain into Osakaya Sunaba is like traveling back a century in time. The ground floor features a spacious seating area where the warm tones of aged wood, the gentle clink of ceramic dishes, and the aroma of freshly prepared dashi broth create an atmosphere of timeless elegance.

Key architectural features to observe include the chidori-hafu ornamental gables at the building's corner — a decorative element typically associated with castles and shrines, lending the modest soba shop an air of stately refinement. The clapboard exterior, combined with the white plastered upper walls, exemplifies a traditional Japanese aesthetic that harmonized beauty with fire-resistant construction techniques. The second-floor tatami rooms, accessible for evening banquets by reservation, offer a particularly intimate dining experience, with their wooden railings overlooking the bustling streets below.

In 2020–2021, the entire structure was relocated approximately four meters westward using the hikiya (building-moving) technique — an ancient Japanese method of physically sliding a building to a new position — to accommodate the widening of the Atagoshita-dori road. The restaurant reopened at its original site in March 2022, with the building's historic character fully preserved.

The Soba and Culinary Tradition

Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba serves sotoni soba, where the ratio of buckwheat flour to binding wheat flour is 10:2, yielding noodles with a pronounced buckwheat flavor and a satisfying texture. The soba is made with aromatic buckwheat flour sourced from Hokkaido, paired with a richly flavored tsuyu dipping broth — a hallmark of the Edo soba tradition.

The Inagaki family motto includes the teaching passed down by the third-generation owner: the proprietor must always prepare the tsuyu personally, as it is the soul of the restaurant's flavor. Popular menu items include prawn tempura seiro soba, seasonal soba varieties, egg rolls (tamagoyaki), yakitori, and an assortment of tempura. The restaurant also offers a selection of Japanese sake and shochu to complement the meal.

Currently, the sixth-generation owner, Inagaki Takatoshi, carries on this family tradition, maintaining the same exacting standards of flavor and hospitality that have defined the restaurant since its founding.

Visitor Information

Toranomon Osakaya Sunaba is conveniently located in central Tokyo, within easy walking distance of several major subway stations. The Toranomon area combines a dynamic business atmosphere with historic landmarks, making it an excellent destination for visitors who wish to experience both modern and traditional Tokyo in a single outing.

The restaurant is popular with local office workers during lunch hours, so arriving slightly before or after the noon rush is recommended. Evening visits can be made by reservation for banquet-style dining on the second floor. Soba prices range from approximately 700 to 1,700 yen, making this a remarkably affordable way to enjoy both an outstanding meal and a nationally registered cultural property.

Surrounding Attractions

The Toranomon area is rich with points of interest. The Toranomon Kotohiragu Shrine, just a short walk away, dates back to 1660 when it was established by the lord of the Marugame domain who invited the deity from Kotohira in Shikoku. The nearby Atago Shrine, perched atop Atago-yama — the highest natural hill in central Tokyo at 26 meters — is famous for its steep stone stairway known as the "Success Steps" (Shusse no Ishidan).

Toranomon Hills, a modern mixed-use complex directly adjacent to the restaurant, offers shopping, dining, and observation opportunities. The area is also close to Hibiya Park, one of Tokyo's first Western-style public parks, and Shinbashi, a lively entertainment district with numerous restaurants and izakaya. For art enthusiasts, the Okura Museum of Art is within walking distance.