Hinode opened in 1923 — Taishō 12 — in the castle town of Kuwana, and for a century it has kept to one subject: the town's own wild hamaguri clam. Edo already knew Kuwana this way; an old pun — "sono te wa Kuwana no yaki-hamaguri," that trick won't work on me — folded the town's name into its grilled clams, and the phrase outlived the highway that carried it. Oishinbo drew the house and its master in volume 97; Tabelog has given it The Tabelog Award every year since 2017 — Silver in 2019 and 2020, Bronze in 2026 — and a place on the Japanese Cuisine WEST Hyakumeiten list for 2025. The score stands at 4.09.
What you eat
Two courses carry the house. The hamaguri hotpot course (¥12,000–18,000) is built around clam shabu: an opener, the pot, tempura, clams grilled in the shell, then zōsui or noodles in the broth the meal has made. The hamaguri kaiseki (¥13,000–19,500) runs the clam through a full sequence — clear clam soup, sashimi, grilled clams, a single-serving hotpot, tempura, clam butter-yaki, and shigure kamameshi rice to close. Tax and a 20% service charge are separate; in practice dinner lands near ¥20,000 a head. Clams are served year-round, but the deep season is May to July, and the year's reservations gather there. Colder months add uosuki hotpot (October–March) and shirauo dishes (January–February).
The house
Every table is a private room — about seven in all. Dinner runs 17:00–21:30, entry by around 18:30; lunch happens only a handful of days a year. Wednesdays the house rests, plus an irregular calendar besides.
Getting in
Booking is by phone only — 0594-22-0657, answered 11:00–17:00 on business days — minimum two guests, no same-day tables. Peak dates go in a famous January rush on the lines; parties of two or three may wait while larger tables confirm. Preschool children come on weekends and holidays only; cancellation charges begin three days out; cards are taken from ¥10,000. Our desk calls when the windows open and advises honestly on timing — nothing more is promised.
