▪️五嶋 千裕（めでたしシェフ） 2011年、兄・慎也と共に押上で開店するため独学で料理の道へ。2013年京島「ごでんや」は日本酒ペアリングの先駆けとして人気を博し、2015年香港へ移転。「GODENYA Hong Kong」では日本・フランス・広東料理などの要素をとりいれたコース料理の1皿ごとに1種類の日本酒を温度・温め方・器を変えてペアリングしていくスタイルで話題に。 帰国後は赤坂「sansa」のシェフとしてクラフトビールのペアリングなどを手がけた。2020年、自身のクリエイションを発展させるべく「めでたし」をオープン。ジャンルを超えた自由な発想で素材の個性を生かし、組み合わせ、新たな風味を追求している。
この会がまた、誰かにとっての新たな巡り合わせとなることを。
On July 17, 2025, with your support and with the products created by our wonderful producers, Medetashi will celebrate the 5th anniversary of its opening.
Last year, we met a ceramic artist, Mr. Takeshi Fujita, and his pottery has made our food and drinks more expressive. When we were excited about our first trip to Jinseki kogen-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture, Mr. Masaki Tada introduced Fujita-san to us. Tada-san is a “sake-ban,” or “guide of sake and vessels,” who has a deep knowledge of sake and serves it in a variety of styles to suit different situations with his keen sensibility.
We have been blessed with countless opportunities since the opening of Medetashi, and on the occasion of our five-year anniversary, we are pleased to welcome Fujita-san and Tada-san to our special event, where you can enjoy the sake, seasonal dishes, and vessels that live and breathe in the Japanese climate.
◾️ Takeshi Fujita Exhibition and Sale July 20, 2025 (Sun) 13:00~16:00 This is a rare opportunity to talk directly with Fujita-san in front of a variety of his vessels. Please feel free to drop by.
◾️ Special Pairing Course (reservation required, up to 10 persons per day) This is a pairing course that allows you to experience the fascination and interest of each of the three elements that are brought out when they come together: sake, vessels, and food. Fujita-san will enjoy the food and sake together with the guests, and will explain about the dishes and his thoughts on pottery making. Some of the vessels may not be available for sale, but if you find one you like, you may purchase it.
July 20, 2025 (Sun) 18:00~ July 21, 2025 (Monday, holiday) 13:00~. Registration will begin 15 minutes prior to the start time. Fee: 20,000 yen (including the pairing course meal, sake, and tax) Capacity: Up to 10 seats per section (6 seats at the counter and 4 seats at the tables) Application: Please select “July 20, 2025” or “July 21, 2025” from the reservation page and choose the menu “5th Anniversary ‘Sake, Food, and Vessels’ Special Pairing Course” and fill in the required information.
As the sea of cherry blossoms that once enchanted us fades away, the world is reborn in color—yellows, purples, whites, and reds bloom around us. Butterflies dance in the air, the sky turns a brilliant blue, and a warm, refreshing breeze flows gently through the days. Bamboo shoots and tender buds of the trees stretch eagerly toward the sky.
At Zenkōen, a tea farm in Shimada City, Shizuoka, where organic farming has continued for over 30 years, we saw delicate new tea leaves sprouting with energy and grace.
At Medetashi, we are pleased to introduce our “Luminous Spring” course, starting April 10th—a celebration of the youthful vitality of this season.
It’s the perfect time for walks and outdoor moments, with some days already hinting at early summer. The course is scheduled to run until around mid-May.
Until yesterday, both the sunlight and the wind were warm, but suddenly, the cold returned, bringing unexpected rain and snow.
The transition from winter to spring is always dramatic.
The weather shifts back and forth between winter and spring, yet as the days grow longer, we can feel the steady approach of a warmer season.
As the spring light warms the air, the energy stored throughout the winter is released — from the sea, the mountains, and the fields. Everything that had been still begins to move once more.
Young buds, untouched by the strong sun, shine with pure brilliance. Flowers, once closed within their buds, unfurl their hidden colors. Creatures fall in love and bring new life into the world.
The most exciting time of the year—the “HOUGA (Sprouting) Course”—has begun. As the season moves swiftly this year, the “HOUGA Course” may also be available for only a short time, until the end of March. We look forward to your early reservations.
February 3, 2025, marks Risshun, the beginning of the 24 solar terms in the traditional lunisolar calendar.
Indeed, the arrival of spring ingredients such as nanohana and wild mountain vegetables seems to come earlier each year. In parks, ume (plum blossoms)—also known as ”harutsugegusa (the grass that heralds spring)”—have begun to release their fragrance, making the presence of spring ever more tangible around us.
However, the transition to spring is not so smooth. According to the weather forecast, the strongest and longest cold wave of this season is expected to arrive soon.
It is during the coldest times that vegetables and living creatures accumulate their sweetness and umami.
At Medetashi, we have begun offering the Harutonari Course, a seasonal menu that brings together the unique delicacies of the harsh winter and the early signs of spring.
After the approaching cold wave, spring may arrive all at once. As a result, the Harutonari Course may only be available for a short period, until mid to late February.
As the winter solstice approaches, the season’s arrival feels ever more present. The crisp, clear air brings a comforting sense of serenity, highlighting the natural beauty around us. In the chill of morning and evening, breath rises in white clouds, and stars can be spotted glittering in the winter night sky. The sight of leaves falling from the trees carries a certain dignified elegance.
During the daytime, when warm sunlight streams through, there is a gentle kindness hidden within the cold. Hot meals and drinks offer us special moments that warm both body and soul.
Our “Early Winter Course,” designed to savor the unique tastes and sensations of the cold season, has begun.
According to the 24 solar terms, we have now entered “Sōkō” (Frost Descent). This is the time when the cold of the mornings and evenings intensifies, and frost begins to appear. The next solar term will bring “Rittō” (the start of winter). In Tokyo, there are still occasional surprises with days that feel like summer, but on October 10th, the first frost of the year was observed in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, marking the sure progression of the season toward winter, especially in northern regions and mountain areas.
As autumn deepens, the grasses along rivers and in meadows begin to turn red and gold, and we find ourselves breathless at their beauty swaying in the wind. The broad-leaved trees’ leaves take on vibrant hues of red, yellow, and orange, and the mountains become like a bright tapestry. Guo Xi, a painter of China’s Northern Song dynasty, once described such scenes by saying, “The autumn mountains are bright and pure, as if dressed in finery.”
Many creatures are entering their season of harvest, and as we approach winter, the flavors of food grow richer and more complex. Both warm sakes and meals seep deep into the body, bringing comfort.
We have now begun offering the “Late autumn seasonal course,” a seasonal experience designed to delight all five senses, featuring the vivid colors and deep flavors of this bountiful time of year.
On Saturday, February 23, 2024, we held a special sake pairing event with ”SAKE-BAN” Masaki Tada at Medetashi. The first event was held in December 2023, and this would be its second.
Although there were still occasional cold days, the event was held in the late winter when the footsteps of spring could be heard gradually.
This is a report on a pairing course of nine dishes and eight types of sake that evoke the arrival of spring.
■Venison and Log-Grown Shiitake Mushrooms with XO JANG SAKE : Tamagawa Omachi Junmai Ginjo 2018BY (Kyotango, Kyoto Prefecture)
As we move into the latter half of the course, we slow down a bit to savor the flavors more leisurely.
The fifth course is a roast of Japanese venison from Akitakata City in Hiroshima Prefecture and log-grown shiitake mushrooms from Ome City in Tokyo, coated in an original XO sauce.
Akitakata City is a lush, green area surrounded by beautiful mountains, with about 80% of its area covered by forests rich in diverse plant life. The deer thrive on a natural diet of branches and bark from cedar and cypress trees, buds, young grass, acorns, chestnuts, and mushrooms. Skilled hunters quickly and properly process the deer, resulting in delicious meat that is free of gaminess and full of flavor. This “Premium Deer from Akitakata” is tenderly roasted. The thick, springtime log-grown shiitake mushrooms are grilled to a juicy perfection, enhancing their rich aroma and flavor. The chef, with experience in Hong Kong, created an XO sauce specifically for this dish, making oyster sauce from fresh oysters, chili oil from sautéed spices, and scallion oil from scallions, and using scallops, sakura shrimp, and prosciutto.
To pair with this earthy and flavorful dish, we chose the Junmai Ginjo sake made from Omachi rice by Tamagawa, which was also used as the marinade for the botan shrimp in the second course. This aged sake was slightly softened by adding about 5% water, then quickly warmed to 50°C in a titanium chirori. The sake, warmed with a variation in intensity, released a pleasant aroma and complex flavors that complemented the rich, umami-packed XO sauce, filling your mouth with the robust flavors of venison and shiitake mushrooms.
The sixth dish is a simple combination of spring delicacies from the sea and mountains.
From the spring sea, we have firefly squid from Toyama Prefecture. Each part of the squid is carefully prepared to enhance its flavor, and we created a “firefly squid miso” with a cacao aroma using Tatsumi miso, a natural barley miso from Kajita Shoten in Ehime Prefecture, and CACAO JANG, a cacao soy sauce from Yuasa Soy Sauce in Wakayama Prefecture.
From the spring mountains, we have freshly harvested bamboo shoots from Omba, Kitakyushu City. These small, tender, juicy bamboo shoots have a beautiful aroma and sweetness. They are quickly fried in rice bran oil to enhance their fragrance and sweetness.
Paired with this dish is “Akishika Omachi Junmai Unfiltered Namagenshu 2022BY,” a sake that reveals beautiful cacao nuances when warmed. It was heated to about 55 degrees Celsius in a tin chirori to bring out its sweet and fragrant flavors, then quickly cooled before serving.
The simplest things should be of the highest quality.
■ Beltfish and Canola Blossoms SAKE : Hanagaki Junmai Daiginjo 2022BY (Ono City, Fukui Prefecture)
The seventh dish is very colorful.
The sauce made from the slightly bitter canola blossoms and mandarin oranges evokes the image of a spring meadow. The refreshing sweetness and acidity of the mandarins are like a breeze gently blowing through the fields. The canola blossoms are roasted with oil, giving them a fragrant finish. The magnificent 3.5 kg beltfish, rich in fat, is tender and elegant.
This dish combines fragrant and sweet elements with a slightly bitter and refreshing sauce.
Paired with this elegant and refreshing dish is “Hanagaki Junmai Daiginjo 2022BY,” made with rice polished to 45% and fermented slowly at low temperatures. This sake has a fresh fragrance and acidity, and a refreshing gentleness. When warmed to around 42 degrees Celsius in a glass flask, it reveals a refreshing sweetness.
■ Iwachu Pork and Butterbur Sprouts SAKE : Shinkame Senshuraku Junmai 2002BY (Hasuda City, Saitama Prefecture)
Finally, the eighth dish, the last pairing.
Iwachu pork, known for its fine texture and beautiful fat due to meticulous hygiene management, a relaxed breeding environment, and nutrient-rich feed, is braised to extreme tenderness using only junmai sake, soy sauce, star anise, and honey, with no water. The dish is complemented by a confit of butterbur sprouts. The softened aroma and sweet bitterness of the butterbur sprouts in confit form enhance the sweetness of the rich pork belly.
This dish is powerful yet gentle, rich in fat yet not heavy, simple yet complex. For this elusive and impressive dish, Mr. Tada selected “Shinkame Senshuraku Junmai 2002BY.” Brewed by former master brewer Shoji Hara in his final brewing year (2002BY), this junmai sake was tank-stored and released in 2019 after 16 years, making it a very precious sake.
This sake is like exploring the depths of a lake with such high transparency that you can’t gauge the distance. It has a captivatingly beautiful aroma and layers of clear flavors. This sake, likely to taste great at any temperature, was warmed to 48 degrees Celsius in a titanium chirori.
The third edition of this event will be held over two nights, Saturday and Sunday, July 20-21, 2024.
Next theme is “herbs”. Lemon thyme, cinnamon basil, sweet basil, rosemary rex, fennel, various mints, salad burnet, lemongrass, anise hyssop, curry plant, stevia, and more will be featured in the new menu, which is filled with the energy of herbs that are full of vitality despite the extreme heat.
By utilizing herbs as ideas for Italian, French, Asian, and various other culinary genres, summer ingredients have been given a new delicious flavor. The wide range of possibilities of sake will add an even more dramatic dimension to the menu. Please come and enjoy the new taste of sake pairing!
Date & Time : Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 18:00, Sunday, July 21, 2024 at 17:30 Fee : 25,000 yen (including meal, sake, and tax) Capacity: Maximum 11 seats per section (7 seats at the counter and 4 seats at the tables) Application Please specify “July 20, 2024” or “July 21, 2024” on our reservation form, select the menu “7/20-21 酒番 多田正樹@めでたし”, and fill in the necessary information.
